What exactly are sports journalists qualified to do?!

[captzulu]

The very nature of what we do — seeing different things, experiencing different people and different emotions — allows us to keep growing as we, well, grow.

I guess it's a matter of different experiences for different people, but when I was in the biz and covering games on a regular basis, it got to a point where it was repetitive. All the games were pretty much the same. Sure the faces and scores change, but the storylines all fell into one of a handful of categories. And on desk, your routine was the same every year -- FB preview, FB season, hoops preview, hoops season, March Madness, NBA & NHL playoffs, baseball, golf & horse racing, plus community sports crap, during the summer. Take a breath for 2 weeks in July, then you do it all over again. And covering prep games several years in a row, from the time I got out of high school to about 6 years after college, was enough to make me feel old knowing that I've seen some kids play for 4 years and then watched their younger siblings for 4 more years. It also gave me a feeling of being static, watching so many people move through stages in their lives and then seeing myself still in the same spot, watching them go by.

 

[crimsonace]

I've seen a handful of ex-journalists become teachers -- including myself.

Because so many schools are union jobs, where salary is tied to experience, the possibility of hiring an older person at an entry-level salary (which is still more $$ than I made as an SE) makes second-career teachers look very attractive to schools. That said, I had *7* interviews before I was hired in my current job, and the fact that I lived in/worked in the community for eight years didn't hurt, as the people I interviewed with were either coaches I covered or parents whose kids I covered.

The nice thing is, I get a few freelance nibbles during my rare free time, too, so I can stay in the game, but I don't deal with the burnout and the corporate BS that I used to.

Interestingly ... I coached in a tennis match a few weeks ago against one of the top programs in our state. Both me and the opposing coach were ex-SEs-turned teacher/coaches.

 

[Peytons place]

A couple years ago I thought I might like to try something else and went to a job fair in a pretty big city to see what else I was qualified for.
Let's just say, I left pretty depressed.

 

[Tom Petty]

drink beer and bench. a lot. of both.

 

[Ace]

drink beer and bench. a lot. of both.

Does that pay well? I think I can manage that.

 

[Tom Petty]

drink beer and bench. a lot. of both.

Does that pay well? I think I can manage that.

see howard stern.

 

[slappy4428]

Yard work.

 

[Tom Petty]

Yard work.

who do you think you're kidding? you sweat doing yard work, don't you?

 

[jps]

Yard work.

who do you think you're kidding? you sweat doing yard work, don't you?

you work up a sweat downing all of those press box dogs, don't you?

 

[slappy4428]

Yard work.

who do you think you're kidding? you sweat doing yard work, don't you?

I worked up a sweat too, eating hot dogs at Michigan Stadium for years and trying to keep them down.

 

[forever_town]

One thing I've noticed about my job is that it has kept me young.

When I left my previous job as an entry-level researcher, I thought I noticed gray hairs growing in my then-32 year old hair.

Now that I've been in this gig for just over two years, I know I don't see them (and believe me, I've looked). I actually *feel* younger now than I did then.

 

[Ace]

Yard work.

who do you think you're kidding? you sweat doing yard work, don't you?

I worked up a sweat too, eating hot dogs at Michigan Stadium for years and trying to keep them down.

That's not sweat. That's the hot dog toxins forcing all the healthy fluids out of your body.