Victoria Advocate: Top-flight sports editor

Yeah it's not exactly a job of stability.

 

It's mostly location. Victoria really is the arm pit of the state; there's nothing to do, the personalities (like the football coach at Victoria East) are not worth dealing with, and the perks of the job tend to be on the poor side.

Yes, this is the job I vacated. I got a better job in a better location after two and a half years at the helm, three and a half total in Victoria. My predecessors left for other reasons.

 

Victoria isn't the worst. It's the surrounding counties that the paper covers where they are bad.

 

Describe the town beyond the paper. Movie theaters? Malls? Decent eateries? Bars? Clubs?

 

You've obviously never been to Commerce, arc.
Victoria is pleasant enough and surrounded by great little sports towns. To each his own.

 

@Speedtchr: I haven't, but Commerce has the benefit of being an hour at most from a major city. Victoria is at the two-hour mark to four major cities, making it too much of a trek to make with any regularity. Yes, Shiner, Cuero and Refugio are great sports towns with a lot of tradition and fun teams to cover. But they also kind breed the kind of contemptuous people who make a limited sports staff's life hell.

@Songbird: It has a mall, and a small movie theater that doesn't get anything independent or thought provoking (Victoria didn't get Lincoln until a month after it realeased.) There are few good restaurants because nothing ever seems to last (It just lost Toscana, a great Italian eatery that was locally owned.) Noot's Thai Kitchen is holding its own and Mumphord's Barbecue is a local institution, but there's little else of note that is locally owned food-wise. Rosebud's and Fossati's downtown are institutions, but do nothing for the average sports staffer because they keep hours like a bank. Two nice bars exist in downtown now - Steve-A-Reno's and Greek 405 - that have taken up residence in the last two years. Huvar's ,which I've heard is nice but never went to, is also a regular downtown place. There is a disproportionate number of clubs and bars that aren't savory. It lacks a good place to play pool; if you're into nerdier pursuits like I am, there's almost nothing. There is no real book store. Being near Magnolia Beach, Port O'Connor and Rockport is a definite plus in my mind; the Gulf Coast is beautiful even with the oil rigs in view of the beach. There are pawn shops on top of pawn shops. Victoria has a sports culture that has long past it - The last real meaningful sports star to come out of there was Ron Gant. The town is no longer producing exceedingly talented football, which stems from a lack of investment from the district and, at one school at least, poor coaching. The way the paper operates breeds a lot of politicking parents.

No, it's not the worst place. I can name 10 places off the top of my head I would want to live in less than Victoria, but that doesn't mean that I really wanted to stay there.