Orlando

There's probably more freelance money to be made covering golf than just about any other sport... Some of the good ones, which Elling definitely is, can make more in freelance than they can from their regular jobs...

I don't know his situation, but I'd be stunned if he doesn't already have offers pouring in...

 

Steve Elling Held Hostage: Day 2

No offense to our man Steve, but ... What the hell was this thread about?

 

I have a headache.

 

All true. And even more impressive considering that, based on the presence (or lack thereof) of major college and major professional teams, Orlando is a decidedly minor-league sports town.

With a very ambitious sports section.

 

Thank you, Piotr. That was my point.

Mid-major sports town. Terrific newspaper, though, covering the stories that, sadly, are outside the area. Too bad they don't have more big teams there. They sure know how to cover it all.

 

Harry's coverage of the Buccaneers is substantially better than his competitors.

 

I read at least four different Sun-Sentinel writers in that paper one weekend last September when I was down there.

 

I agree that he's one of the best, and that he should land a good job.

But ....

How many papers are looking to ADD to their golf coverage?

Most places I know are cutting trips, and they're not adding people.

I truly hope those factors don't conspire against Elling, because he really is one of the best.

 

Look, Orlando isn't in North Dakota, people. I spoke with someone on the inside about the paper's national focus just a few weeks ago, and they had an excellent point. Almost nobody living in Orlando is from Orlando. My mother-in-law has lived in Florida for 30 years, but she'll tell you that she's a Reds fan if you ask her about baseball.

Orlando is unique in this respect. I drive around and see Steeelers bumper stickers as much as I see stickers professing love for the Bucs. So, perhaps more than anywhere else in the country, there is a huge need for national sports coverage.

There are similar cities, but none of them face the same scrutiny because they're all in major markets that feature pro teams in all sports.

I heard a rumor that the paper might be considering scaling back its baseball coverage. Orlando doesn't have a team, and Tampa Bay blows. But there are lots of people who follow the team from their home state in the Orlando Sentinel. The paper also exists in spring training heaven, at least in terms of the few teams that haven't moved to Airzona.

So, there's a need for a broad focus on sports. As for college sports, I think it's naive to assume that there aren't a ton of Gator and Seminole fans and a sprinkling of Hurricanes fans in Orlando.

Now, if you're going to cover major beats without a home team, you might as well do the best stories possible. I see nothing wrong with that.

But there are some great points on this thread, which obviously has taken a strange turn toward the larger issue of the paper. Are papers focusing too little on game coverage and breaking news? Probably so. Contrary to what some think, not every guy in America goes to the Web for the morning game wraps. Papers are big with older folks, and they're far less likely to read online. That may change, but it's going to be a gradual process. I can't see whether enterprise reporting and commentary gets in the way of game coverage at any paper because I don't know what goes on inside the walls. But it certainly can happen. And I think there's certainly a mentality among reporters and editors that the task is to write award-winning stuff. I'm just not convinced that better stories aren't in the interests of readers. It might not be a hard and fast rule, but it's certainly true that people prefer better writing if given the choice.

 

elling doesn't have to do golf journalism.

he can get a job in the industry. no sweat.