What's the biggest misconception people you know have about sports journalism?

Re: What's the biggest misconception people you know have about sports journalis

My favorites actually come from my mother, who can't understand why I can't get a 9-5 job in a sports department, can't get why I get pissed off when she calls me at work on a FRIDAY NIGHT to talk about nothing and refuses to comprehend why I don't cover my little brother's high school football team two counties over.

She tells all of her co-workers that it's cute that he daughter gets to watch sporting events for a living and doesn't know why I just don't get a job writing about the NY Giants. I have Sundays off and I spend them watching football mostly, so that's what I'd rather be doing, right?

I told my husband that if I ever get that clueless to shoot me right away.

 

Re: What's the biggest misconception people you know have about sports journalis

I've got another to add: just because I'm a sports journalist, I must kick ass in every sport.

People on the company softball team are totally mystified that I suck at slow-pitch softball. I'm the sports person, I should be hitting home runs or turning double plays every time, right?

There's a reason I went into the media side of sports

 

A valid point, Cadet, but there are others who undoubtedly assume that, because we're journalists instead of athletes, that we're not very good at some sports.

I love playing softball, having cranked a pitch or two far over the head of some buttmunch who took one look at me - not exactly a large, imposing, muscular figure - and assumed I was at most a ground-ball slapper.

Additionally, my arm - while certainly to never be confused with Vladimir Guerrero - still works pretty adequately, helpful both in the outfield and gives me the ability to QB a touch football game on occasion (a good thing, knees crack and pop worse than Rice Krispies ... my 40-yard dash time can be measured with a sundial).

 

Re: What's the biggest misconception people you know have about sports journalis

If you think reporters are misunderstood, try telling someone you work on the desk. The one misconception that gets me is when people find out I work in the sports department, and they ask me if I'll be writing about the Flying Douchebags this week. Nope. I just keep our paper safe from typos. No need to thank me.

 

Shit, my paper had two new freelancers ask last week if they could get in to the local college games for free.
Ah, newbies.

 

How about the one that we never pay for a meal and get great other stuff for free. My uncle's always asking me about all the great free stuff I must be getting.

 

Re: What's the biggest misconception people you know have about sports journalis

I know that it's been mentioned here a hundred times over, but the next person/in-law that asks me if I can get them a ticket or autograph is going to get flattened.

 

how many kids rockbottom?

 

so you don't stop at 5:00, what about at 5 p.m.?

and yes, those pesky school board meetings that break up around 10:00 must be a real pain as you just get ready to roll your sleeves up at deadline. ... and adding up all those stats from said pesky school board meetings? shit man, you do have it hard.

but really, you actually have time to drive home and get a bite to eat on game, er, school board night? must be hell trying to navigate traffic leaving those places, too.

here man, here's a towel. feel free to cry into it the next time you're eating pizza on election night so we can all laugh a little harder at you than we already do come the second tuesday every november.

 

I wonder if the industry deities like Gannett, JRC, Poynter and E&P know there is this much hostility about election night.

Maybe Poynter's resident feel-good idiot, Jill Geisler, should write a column about this topic. Somehow I get the feeling she's never set foot in a sports department in her entire useless life, so the take on this Era of Bad Feeling should be interesting.

 

When a mistake is made readers sometimes assume that it's more than a mistake, that there's some underlying agenda behind it, as if we're saying "Aw fuck it, it's only swimming (or track, or field hockey, etc.) who cares if we get it right."
That's what makes it all the more important to get everything right.

 

I've been in newspapers since college and I still get asked all the time by old friends when I see them for the first time in awhile or by family, "Oh, I thought I'd see you on ESPN by now." or "I know I'll see you on ESPN one day."

I have a face for radio and a voice for print, that is why I chose newspapers, but many assume TV is the next logical step up in the business.

It is, for some, but as many of us know, tv is not what we want as the next "step up"

Second on my list of misconceptions is the role of the local paper in supporting the local DI school. If I ever am critical of a loss, I get plenty of the 'why don't you support the team?' questions.