My Desired Career: Sports Writing/Broadcasting

1) News Analyst/Reporter (Sportscaster):

A news analyst takes news from various sources, makes his or her own interpretation of the best way to get the message across and then broadcasts the news. Reporters, also called journalists at times, go out and get the stories for themselves. They may conduct interviews, take photographs or collect video footage. It is important for reporters to take notes.

I want to be a sports writer or broadcaster and this would all be involved. Information would be gathered from game footage, coach and players interviews and front office personnel. There are many topics to be covered in sports. They include drafting players, player development, trades, free agent signings, personnel changes and much more.

2) Links:

http://www.ehow.com/how_16612_become-sportscaster.html

http://www.americansportscastersonline.com/

http://www.staatalent.com/

http://www.broadcastingschool.com/sportscasting.php

3) Books:

The Art of Sportscasting: How to Build a Successful Career

Sportscasters/Sportscasting: Principles and Practices

Starting Your Career in Broadcasting: Working On and Off the Air in Radio and Television

Sportscasters/sportscasting; principles and practices

Bob Wolff's Complete Guide to Sportscasting: How to Make It in Sportscasting (With or Without Talent)

4) My Thoughts on this Career:

I've always known that this is a very involved career that can be difficult to break into. I've always been passionate about sports so I'd be willing to spend my life around them. Baseball is my favorite sport, as I've been attached to it since I was about five years old. I remember the great Braves of the 1990s and it really gave me a true love for the game. Working with that organization would be a dream come true for me. Working on the show "Baseball Tonight" for ESPN would interest me very much as well. They run through the scores, highlights and latest news for all 30 Major League teams every night. I also love football and I like basketball as well. To be honest, working for ESPN in general seems very enjoyable to me. I spend hours watching ESPN so I'd be earning a living being around something I already love. I know this is a very tough field to get started in and that opportunities can be limited but I don't think there's anything else I'd rather do with my life. I enjoy the rivalries, the highlights, the record breaking stats, the blockbuster trades, the playoff races and I especially love postseason atmosphere.

The Writing Life: "On Becoming a Writer"

The biggest thing I noticed about these writers is how much they love what they do. I knew writing novels, short stories along with other types of writing took a lot of work but the number of pages of notes and journals these people have borders on ridiculous. You truly have to love doing something to dedicate that much time and effort to it. I don't remember which writer it was but one of them said, "It didn't drive me to be a writer. Writing is what inspired me." If you really love doing something then you don't do it for a title. You do it because it's what you enjoy doing. Many people have said that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. I feel that these writers are a good example of this. Their work has taken the majority of their lives but they are spending their lives the way they want to, which is all that really matters. I personally would rather do something that I'm passionate about rather do something for money or prestige. People have said that time is money. So if this is true, wouldn't you rather enjoy the time you've been given than do something you dread getting up in the morning for just to make a few extra bucks?

My History and Goals as a Writer

I feel that I can be somewhat of a descriptive writer. I do feel like I could improve some on that though. I also feel that I tend to ramble on sometimes. I need to learn to add just enough detail to make my writing interesting but not so much unnecessary information that people will lose interest. It’s about finding that happy medium. Sometimes I have trouble capturing the reader’s interest right away. I would like to learn to write better introductions and leads in order to get the reader hooked quickly. It can be boring to read multiples paragraphs before you get to the main idea. I've never really read a lot of novels but I read articles on sports and music all the time and whatever else I find that catches my interest. I'm on the Internet a lot so I'm constantly reading random things that catch my attention. My goal is to become a sports writer, preferably covering baseball or football because those are my two favorite sports. I have been following Major League Baseball ever since I was a little kid and I've been following the NFL and a bit of college football for many years as well. Covering the Atlanta Braves or the Atlanta Falcons would be a dream job for me.