Introduction

Hi. My name is Adam Ide, and I'm looking for a job in sports journalism. I graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in May with my bachelor's in news and multimedia journalism. I'm looking for a job in the greater Denver area or also remotely. Thanks!

 

No one's gonna say it?

 

What?

 

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I thought it was, “Fetch me a beer, newbie.”

BTW, fetch me a beer, newbie.

 

My thought exactly.

Got your ID, noob?

 

Good luck, Adam.

 

I always feel bad for new people here who immediately get crushed by inside jokes. I get it, but it seems unwelcoming.

Adam, best of luck. My advice to you: write as much as you can. When you're not writing, read. Be open to moving from Denver if you can. Especially at the start of your career, mobility might be key to getting your big break. Whatever you write, practice at being as clean as you can be: posts here, grocery lists, angry letters to your roommates. Doesn't matter. Be a good, competent professional in everything you write. Put out good feelings into the universe. Remember that you're young and have lots of time, even when it doesn't feel like it. Don't wait for permission to write. You can write something beautiful right now. Be a good listener. Be kind.

 

Also, Adam, check out this thread:

Required Reading: Death of a Racehorse by WC Heinz

"Death of a Race Horse" should be something you read more than once.

And this thread might be helpful, too:

Writing for mags like The New Yorker, GQ, Esquire, etc.

 

Thanks so much. I was really surprised by all the negativity towards this

 

It's not negativity, exactly. This place has been around a long time and there are a lot of inside jokes. (You'll soon learn that everything is 15 minutes from Tahoe.) And this business has a way of making people a little harder edged than they might be otherwise. It can be a tough go, so you can end up with a thicker skin than most normal people and forget what it was like to be young.

When I was a young writer, I cornered a Sports Illustrated writer named Richard Hoffer in a bar. I wanted to do work like he did. He was terrified of me, I think—some strange kid asking him a million questions. But he answered, and he was super helpful, and I never forgot it. Another SI writer named Jeff Pearlman also did that for me, on a baseball field in Philadelphia. And Roy MacGregor. And Cam Cole. Stephen Brunt, Jeff Blair, and Tom Junod.

I don't think there's anything wrong with being earnest. Some people will see it as a weakness. Some people will like you for it. I vote that you keep that side of yourself. Put yourself out there, like you did here. Some people will make fun of you, but someone else will give you work, or a piece of good advice, or a little bit of encouragement, and that's what counts. Your job right now is to build a case for yourself: Evidence for why someone should hire you. You'll make a big part of that case just by putting your face to the sun every day.

While we're here: In American English, "toward" is generally preferred to "towards," but not always.

Toward vs. towards – Grammarist

Also you missed the period at the end of your second sentence. Let's do this, buddy. Get used to writing clean, clean, clean. You'll separate yourself in no time.

Don't forget to read "Death of a Race Horse" before the end of the night.

 

Thanks for the advice. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are things I don't take lightly. I'll be sure to read that.