Typical salary for local sportswriter/sports editor

That's the thing, sportswriting is a passion of mine. I love doing it and wouldn't view it as "work" like you said above. Right now I'm doing freelance work while working a full-time job. I would love to just write full-time but the pay is not good and it would be a major pay cut for me. Plus, I am married with kids.

I'm also going to submit my resume to other local publications but I wanted to ask this question to see if this was going to be the typical wage to expect.

 

OK, then you're either trolling us, or a fool.

WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU TAKE A MASSIVE PAY CUT TO WORK IN AN UNSTABLE INDUSTRY AT A PODUNK PAPER WHEN YOU HAVE A FAMILY TO SUPPORT????!!!!!!

 

I am not taking a massive paycut. I'm simply not going to do it if the wages are going to look like this all around. That's why I asked the original question.

 

Stop trolling.

 

What don't you understand about that sentence? I said I would love to write full-time BUT the pay is not good and it would be a major pay cut.

Meaning - I wish I could, but it doesn't make sense financially. So it's not going to happen.

 

It's important to remember that the cost of living varies widely from one place to another. Some places it's very hard to live on $11 per hour if that's your sole income. Other places you can make it work.

Another thing to consider is what other sources of income you have. I know one guy who is quite wealthy from other sources but writes for a small-town daily (something like 20 hours a week) because he just loves covering sports and being around the kids and their parents. (I think wearing the label reporter makes him sort of a big shot with the other parents, too.)

Getting back to the question..... I don't think $11/hour is out of range for a small paper. Most of their staff is probably pretty young.

 

So this entire thread was just you conducting a survey?

Then you went about it all wrong. Look at Jeff Roper's post for why.

 

Hey Left,

I hear ya. You are certainly not the first person who has decided to do something else because the pay wasn't what they expected. That's certainly logical.

But it is what it is. If the powers that be felt that supply and demand were different, then the pay would be different. But as long as they can get someone -- anyone -- to do a serviceable job at that price, what incentive do they have to double it? You don't have to look far on these boards --- especially the jobs board --- to find people who whine constantly about jobs they feel should pay more. OK, fine. Bottom line, if you don't like the terms being offered, move along and leave it to someone else.

I've seen over and over people take a job for a salary that is less than they feel they deserve and are constantly miserable. Always complaining about getting a raw deal. Never ends. Makes all sides unhappy.

 

Yep, troll.

 

Whatever guys. I've never done this full-time and wanted to make sure I wasn't getting low-balled by this particular publication. I thought a message board with fellow sportswriters would be the place to ask that question.

Thanks for all that answered the question. It comes down to: stay in a miserable job with a decent income or do what I love for a paycut. And when I say major paycut we are talking about $20,000 a year. Which would be a major change in my household.

 

Yep. You are getting a grasp of the dilemma that many of us have faced. Best wishes in whatever you decide.

 

Good luck, man. I don't see anything troll-like with your dilemma. It's a decision that many of us have had to make. And you just may have to put your passion in the background to make your family comfortable. It's the trade-off of life.