Exactly How Fun Is It To Be a Sports Journalist?

BDC99 · Sep 17, 2014

Ace said:

If you are a sports fan, this job will cure you of that pretty quick -- or it should.

Personally, I still like going to all kinds of sporting events and I have players and teams I like but I am not a "fan" of any team.

Changes your perspective.
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Not sure it cures you of being a sports fan, but I am certainly less so than I was when I started. I am a pretty big fan of all the local teams, and a few non-local. I still cheer quite a bit if I go to one of the local games, but if I'm in the office and one of those teams I was cheering for is playing, all I care about is that it gets over quickly. And I am usually relieved when those teams don't make the playoffs. Less work. Sad but true.

Doc Holliday · Sep 17, 2014

I can still cheer at least, just not the sports I cover (major college athletics). They hardly even interest me like they used to. Now it's work.

MLB helps me keep my sanity, although I only cheer for the Cardinals. Screw the rest of 'em.

kweonsam · Sep 18, 2014

Thanks. I've decided to major in buisness at San Diego State University and maybe a masters in Sports Management or an MBA. The journalism side is gone, and I decided to try to get a career through public relations, marketing, the buisness side of sports. Thanks to all

joe_schmoe said:

Almost every possible angle has already been brought up in this thread (as well as the many similar threads that come along like this every so often). But at one point our OP clarified to say "I just want to do a career in sports"

So I'll ask. If you want a career in sports, is it because you just love sports?
A lot of people want to work in sports because they love sports. But then many find they love watching sports, playing sports, but working in sports isn't as fun.
I used to tell young wannabe sports journalists, you can't make it in this biz if you just have a passion for sports. Your passion has to be for the art or prose. Anyone can watch a game and tell you who won.
Sports journalism can break you of your love for sports. Many have described situations in here where they went to an NFL/NBA whatever game and knew there was some place else they'd rather be. Some have also mentioned that as they walk in that pressbox and look around at the paying customer there's no place they'd rather be.
Most, if they are honest with themselves, will tell you at some point in their career, they become both of those people.
Every so often I buy a ticket to a game and go sit in the stands just to remember the fan experience. I'm in Texas, and my passion is high school sports. Last Saturday I had off (rare in sports), so I went to a high school game and tried to remember what it was like to cheer. There's no full way to understand this until you've been in the biz and done this.

Take to heart those that tell you about the woes of covering bad teams, or even good teams (sometimes good teams can actually be worse to work with). You'll want to be covering anything else, want to be anywhere else, but your beat is this pathetic team.

And if you love sports, sometimes covering a sporting event isn't where you want to be. I covered a college fb game today that we pretty much knew was going to be a blowout, and it was. Here's a brief rundown of the day: Arrive at stadium an hour til kickoff. Glance at pregame notes just to make sure there's nothing new or exciting. Spent a few minutes socializing with other journalists as we grabbed a meal and a drink. Back at desk, computer up notepad running. Watch boring game, constantly looking for angles, storylines while jotting down items and update twitter/blog/whatever is needed, take notes. This pattern continues. 5 minutes left in game, walk with other writers to interview room. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Coach, players come in, listen to coach give opening statement, followed by first moronic question by tv guy wanting his lone soundbite. About 30 minutes worth of interview time later, go back up to pressbox, look at final stats package, write story, file story. Leave
final time from leaving my house to getting back to my house: 9.5 hours.
That's a little longer than some games.
Now if you love sports, this is where the kicker is...as you cover this boring game, you aren't watching the other 20 good games happening across the nation at that moment. I still don't know who won a few games yet.

Now 9.5 hours may be extreme, but that's just from my end. Say you decide you want to be a sports information director, media contact, etc..., they are there hours before you arrive, and they typically don't leave until the last journalist is out the door. You may love sports, but for that day that is the only game in town.
So if you really think you want a career in sports just because you love sports....you stay in love more if you are at home Saturday with the remote.

That isn't to say it's a bad career. But a lot of people fail in this line of work because they fail to realize it is a JOB, not just a passion.
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Screwball · Sep 18, 2014

Start getting internships as soon as you can. Go to the sports information office at SDSU and volunteer to help with media relations at football and basketball games. Apply for internships with the Padres and Chargers. You'll be far ahead of the people paying tens of thousands of dollars for a sports management degree, when the primary purpose of that degree is making the kinds of contacts you will already have.

kweonsam · Sep 18, 2014

Thank you for the tip, that is exactly what I am planning on doing. Gotta get those contacts

Screwball said:

Start getting internships as soon as you can. Go to the sports information office at SDSU and volunteer to help with media relations at football and basketball games. Apply for internships with the Padres and Chargers. You'll be far ahead of the people paying tens of thousands of dollars for a sports management degree, when the primary purpose of that degree is making the kinds of contacts you will already have.
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Doc Holliday · Sep 19, 2014

kweonsam said:

Thanks. I've decided to major in buisness at San Diego State University and maybe a masters in Sports Management or an MBA. The journalism side is gone, and I decided to try to get a career through public relations, marketing, the buisness side of sports. Thanks to all
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You made the right decision. These are the wrong times to consider journalism as a major.

BDC99 · Sep 19, 2014

Doc Holliday said:

kweonsam said:

Thanks. I've decided to major in buisness at San Diego State University and maybe a masters in Sports Management or an MBA. The journalism side is gone, and I decided to try to get a career through public relations, marketing, the buisness side of sports. Thanks to all
Click to expand...

You made the right decision. These are the wrong times to consider journalism as a major.
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Yeah, if you spend any time on the Journalism Only board here, you'd be nuts to major in journalism. If I had it to do over again ... but I can't really complain about what I have done up to this point. I think I can see the edge of the cliff, though.

kweonsam · Sep 19, 2014

Exactly.. I had my heart set on Sports Journalism until I spent time on this thread. Thanks a lot guys, if I ever actually make it to the top Ill be sure to remember some of you

BDC99 said:

Doc Holliday said:

kweonsam said:

Thanks. I've decided to major in buisness at San Diego State University and maybe a masters in Sports Management or an MBA. The journalism side is gone, and I decided to try to get a career through public relations, marketing, the buisness side of sports. Thanks to all
Click to expand...

You made the right decision. These are the wrong times to consider journalism as a major.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if you spend any time on the Journalism Only board here, you'd be nuts to major in journalism. If I had it to do over again ... but I can't really complain about what I have done up to this point. I think I can see the edge of the cliff, though.
Click to expand...

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