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

Amen! This actually is along the lines of something I was thinking of today: most people don't realize how many different skills are involved in the job, especially for journalists at small shops who wear more than one hat.

You have to know how to write, which in itself is no small feat. And do it under serious time constraints. And know how to edit. Plus know AP style.

But you also have to know what you're writing about. You have to know sports. Not just the Big Four, but often things off the radar, like Olympic sports or recreational sports (orienteering, anyone?). You have to understand the sport, how to score it/keep stats, the sport lingo and how to write a story about it that makes sense.

And you have to know who you're writing about. You have to have solid interviewing, reporting and researching skills so that you can have the information before you write about it.

Small paper people are unlucky enough to need photography skills. Anyone can push a button, but it takes skill to produce a photo that is suitable to print. Sometimes figuring out a professional-grade camera and how to extract pictures from it should be its own degree program.

But wait, it's not over: you have to have a thorough knowledge of pagination and the software that makes it possible to get the stuff on the page. You have to know enough about the programs to make them work for you, especially on deadline. Software knowledge in itself is a pretty specialized skill.

I understand that most professional jobs require a lot of versatility, but I don't think people who see reporters at games understand how much more there is to the effort. Being at the game is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

Man, after reading that I realized I friggen kick ass. I won't take 35 pain pills now. Thanks!

Really, there is a sick number of people who are paid to do all of that at a small paper, and who can barely manage one or two of those items. At my small weekly, our news guy can barely write and after a year and a half has yet to figure out the most basic details of taking a worthwhile photo. I just can't believe it ... every week his photos are God awful. This week we have a couple photos of some cheerleaders doing something in the community ... bright sunny day, but they're still blurry, out of focus and beyond ugly.

You're right, I don't think most people do realize what all goes into it, especially when you have to do it all yourself, and man, you can tell when someone doesn't give a crap about one step. At a paper like mine, it will all look like total crap if you don't try to be great in every part of it: copy, photos and layout. The guys that just try to do one or two are very obvious.

 

Do you get to travel with the teams?

I still get the free tickets thing. I also have peole asking often about getting autographs or if I could get their kids in the locker rooms after a game.

Another, which hasn't been mentioned, but many of us journalists tend to refer to players and coaches by their first names, and naturally, without thinking, do so when speaking to people not in the biz. Several times a non-in-the-biz person has asked why I do that, "It's not like you're friends with them or anything."

I can see how that might appear odd, us referring to Joe Quarterback as "Joe."

Oh, one last thing. I got married several years ago and some of my friends wanted to know if I was going to invite some of the coaches and people I cover. As if we work near each other in cubicles at an office somewhere and do happy hour once aweek. I can understand people not knowing, but that was plain ignorant.

 

That sports writers ACTUALLY know what the fuck they are writing or talking about when on TV.

 

My list of myths:

• That we write all the headlines on our stories.
• That columns are meant to be positive. Negative ones have no place in newspapers.
• That we all have the same quotes from a press conference because we all have one-on-ones with the coach and he repeats everything.
• That we make small talk with pro athletes.
• That pro athletes want to make small talk with us.
• That we all want to be on TV.
• That if we don't have a byline in today's paper, it must be our day off.
• That we care who wins high school games.
• That we have anything to do with player X getting a college scholarship.
• That we're all stat geeks who can't play sports.
• That we can get autographs for family members.
• That we have no interests outside of sports.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

Way, way late for this party, but:

1. That sports writers are "failed" jocks, or are jealous of the people we cover because they're great at sports and I obviously wasn't.

Hey, I had a great athletic career, in JV, as a bench-warming varsity athlete, as a player on terrible amateur baseball teams, in adult softball, playing golf, and probably had more fun playing intramurals in college than any athlete had playing his/her varsity sport.

2. That my child must be a great athlete because I cover sports.

Hey, he loves athletics, plays just about everything imaginable and knows a lot, but me being a sports writer doesn't change his gene pool. He ain't ever gonna make the NBA/NHL/MLB/NFL as a player, that's for sure.

3. That I didn't "pay" for my seat.

Well, four years of college, moving 1500 miles away from family to a podunk town for my first job, working five nights a week and every weekend, blowing almost every relationship because of a shitty schedule, dealing with high school parents, moving another 1500 miles away for another job, missing holidays, family stuff because of work while slowly moving up the food chain, etc., etc., has to count for something. Pay for my seat? Hell, I earned it.

4. That Johnny tailback from the local U was a great guy and a great example for local kids.

Well, actually, as a senior Johnny TB was a selfish asshole when his season didn't turn out like he thought and every beat writer couldn't wait until he left so we didn't have to put up with his shit anymore.

 

nice list moonlight.

even made mrs. petty laugh, because they are true.

 

Surprised I haven't seen this one yet:

"So you're just, like, off once football season's over, right?"

Yeah, I've got absolutely nothing to do from Jan. 10 to Aug. 1, because there's NEVER a change on the coaching staff, a half-dozen kids transferring, three kids getting arrested, signing day coming up or spring practice around the corner. And then I NEVER pick up 25 to 75 stories off my beat or work copy desk shifts, all while trying to squeeze my vacation into whatever's left of the year.

 

I get miffed sometimes, but it's not usually about the misconceptions. Mostly I agree with the few people on here who've said they're flattered that other people think our jobs are cool.

Along those lines, my wife is a doctor, so the only people I ever meet outside of work are other doctors. There's something very flattering about being in a room full of people making $200,000+ and saving lives on a daily basis, yet all they want to talk about is my job and how cool they think it is. I've had a few guys tell me they wished they had my job. Sure buddy, you give me the keys to your new Porsche and I'll let you hang out at my office for a few days and write articles about high school soccer.

But incidents like that just reinforce why I got into the business in the first place — I thought being a sports writer would be fun. Sure, the pay sucks, the athletes are surly, the parents have a tremendous sense of entitlement and the pay sucks (did I mention that the pay sucks?), but I wouldn't trade this gig for anything. I get to do something I enjoy for a living. Precious few people can say that.

The biggest thing that pisses me off isn't the misconceptions about my job, it's the parents and other readers (but mostly the parents) who either think that they can do my job better than I can or that there's some giant conspiracy against their kid's team. At my last paper there were various rumors floating around that I had attended four of the six local high schools, thus explaining why I was biased in favor of that team. Never mind that I grew up and attended high school 800 miles away and had never even heard of any of the schools prior to accepting the job, but most people won't let facts stand in the way of a good argument.

My biggest gripe, I guess, is that 8 years as a sports writer has significantly diminished my faith in humankind. Most people are fucking idiots.

 

Bob - See, the "job is fun and cool to talk about parties" aspect of this wore off a while ago for me. Those doctors have very fulfilling jobs, whether they appreciate it or not.

My battle is to make this job feel relevant in those kind of ways, too, not just as something bored office workers can read about while pretending to work.

 

Hey Pringle, I hear you. In another 5 or 10 years, I'm sure most of the shine will be worn off this apple. But right now I still very much enjoy what I do and I'm happy to discuss it with strangers who are interested. At the same time, I'm not at all happy to discuss it with assholes who call or e-mail the office to complain when they are completely ignorant and uninformed.

All in all, I probably agree with the one poster (it was a while back and I don't feel like scanning through 8 pages to find it) who said that the biggest misconception is that small-town journalists are just "writers." I do a whole hell of a lot more than go to games, write an article about it and go home. But try explaining that to Johnny Dickwad who demands to know why Podunk High's football game only got a 400-word treatment in this week's paper. Uh, because I had about 7,000 other things to do that were higher on my list of priorities.

 

The thing that really kills me during a conversation is that I tell them you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Once I tell them, the questions begin.
Now here's an added twist, have you ever enetered a club house or locker room and been stopped by some sweetie or yahoo. First they ask are you a player? Answeris no. Are you a coach? No.
Are you a booster? No. Are you an offical? No. When you say reporter, all shit breaks loose and suddenly, you are treated like someone special. Makes you wonder what if you told them your worked for the sanitation department cleaning sewers. Would they be that interested in holding a conversation with you?