... why are we here? By that, I mean, why are you taking this course? What was it about JOUR 328 that jumped out at you and made you want to spend three months or so learning about sports writing?
Put your answers in the comments section of this post before noon on Monday, Sept. 12.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I’m a broadcast journalism major who would rather write for the ears than for the eyes. But ears, too, can recognize good sports reporting, and even more so, bad sports reporting.
ReplyDeleteAs I’m nearing graduation and beginning the job search, I’ve taken a keener eye to local news sports anchors and reporters, for it’s their shoes I’d like to someday fill. But, oftentimes, they embody someone far less than a journalist. It's easy to point out the reporters who are simply reading the news, and those who are actually reporting.
I’m taking this course because I want the words that echo out of my microphone or pan across the teleprompter to reflect sound reporting and engaging writing. And who better to teach me the ins and outs of sports reporting than the former sports editor of the Washington Post?
My experience in the print field is minimal and I know this course will bring a lot of challenges, but I’m ready to test myself, improve as a writer, and continue becoming a better journalist.
While attending my Journalism Ethics class, the question of whether or not sports journalists are held to the same standards as news reporters was posed. I, who have never written an article in reference to sports assumed that sport writers were held accountable for their actions like any other journalist. I was surprised to hear that at times sport journalists don't always follow the same ethical rules as other journalists. It seemed like they had more leeway than other reporters. I was on the outside looking in.
ReplyDeleteBefore I past judgement on the field I would have to write for the field, which brought me to this class. I want to gain experience as being a sports writer. Not only too see the difference between sports writing and news writing ethically, but to learn a new skill. The journalism field has a variety of coverage and I would like to gain as much experience in each area.
I think this class may be a challenge for me because I have no expertise or experience in sports writing, but in the end I know this course will make me a better reporter.
The only thing I heard was the sound of the plate glass window exploding. After that, shock took over, leaving my brain incapable of processing sound and making everything appear as if in slow motion.
ReplyDeleteI saw people running, faces blanched white with panic. Mouths moved violently but I couldn’t hear their screams.
On January 13, 2004 my life was changed forever when I was hit by a car. A strange way to begin a story about why I’m taking this class, but that accident and its aftermath changed my life’s course and began my journey towards not just sports journalism but journalism itself.
I was working at a car rental agency, months after graduating with a degree in business. One of our customers accidentally drove her car literally through our office. I never heard the full story but she either thought she was in reverse but was in drive, or hit the accelerator instead of the brake.
Either way, her car still pinned me against a desk at my knees, leaving me with debilitating chronic pain in both of my legs. It was a particularly cruel blow to someone who played college basketball and spent an entire life crafting an image born from sports.
After years of failed procedures, unsuccessful surgeries and painful rehabilitation, I finally found relief. Doctors surgically implanted electrodes into my spinal cord, a move I was told was only done when all else has failed.
Relief was finally mine, but athleticism would never be again. Adequate adjectives to describe the latter’s effect on my psyche have yet to be authored. Left at my disposal was only an intellect previously neglected by the immature prioritizing of an athlete.
My remedy: throw myself headlong back into academia with the same passion I once had for sport, a reinvention that would not only shock anyone who knew me, but myself as well.
I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in psychology, headed for grad school to chase a doctorate, all the while disavowing the love I once had for sports.
Tears welled up if I happened by a game on TV -- I avoided ESPN like the plague. Emotionally, that was a passion I couldn’t afford to have. Academia was my life now.
But, as time passed, my health slowly improved. Positive correlations being what they are, my passion for sports accompanied.
This time the passage of time afforded me some insights. I realized I didn’t need to quell the athletic fire I once tried to extinguish.
In fact, I realized I could marry that passion with my new found academic success. I realized journalism, specifically sports journalism, was the perfect outlet with which to consummate that marriage.
So I leapt. I left my grad program in psychology and started chasing this dream.
I am motivated by neither fame nor fortune. Life experience has revealed the ephemeral nature of such things. I am only motivated by my passion for sports, my love for writing and my desire to improve every day.
Sports I follow for pleasure. Writing I’d do for free. What better field to get into, what better class to take?
The decision to take this class was an easy one. Wait, this class is about sports? Okay I’m in.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first decided to major in journalism, I believe that my mind was always looking at it as a way to get into the sports industry somehow. While my love of writing grew mostly in high school, I loved sports from the very beginning. I also loved reading about sports in newspapers at an early age. Because I did not have cable growing up and could not watch ESPN or other sports networks, I relied on newspapers to get news on my favorite teams. Though I probably read the sports section a little less now due to television and other time-consuming activities, I still prefer to read a good sports story over doing just about anything else.
As I registered for classes for this semester, I thought that this class would be present a great opportunity for me to gear my journalism skills toward sports. Although I’ve done some sports writing in the past, I never really had any specific training or education focused on sports. In this class I will get that teaching from people who know the trade better than I could ever hope to. Also, just reading great pieces of writing will be beneficial in improving my own writing.
I am excited to learn about sports history through journalism, as well as about how to become a good sports journalist. From the first couple classes, I feel even more excited than I was when I registered for the class. I have an opportunity that not every journalism student can enjoy, and I hope to take full advantage of it.
What do you want to do when you grow up? Be a teacher? A nurse?
ReplyDeleteDid you just say you wanted to write about sports?
Okay, let's sign you up for a ballet class.
--
Growing up, my parents filled my schedule with gymnastics lessons, cake-baking camps and dance classes all week long. But as I did handstands and pirouettes, the only thing I could think about was how jealous of my brother I was.
He got to lay around and watch ESPN all day. I wanted to lay around and watch ESPN all day.
By the time I was in high school, I had dropped all of the activities that society had deemed "girly" and mastered playing basketball, soccer and keeping baseball statistics (they didn't let girls on the baseball team).
Sports have always been a part of my life, whether I was playing them, watching them, or dreaming about them. And, seeing as how a very small percentage of female athletes make it to the big leagues (and make a living off of it), I geared my love for sports toward writing about them.
I had great experiences writing for the sports section of The Trentonian - a paper from Trenton, N.J., where I'm from. I covered mostly baseball and softball.
I'll never forget one of my first assignments for The Trentonian. Based right in Trenton are the Trenton Thunder - a farm team for the New York Yankees. They were playing a New York Mets minor league team and John Maine - who was recovering from a shoulder injury - was pitching. I came into work that day and my editor says, "Hey, Erin, aren't you a Mets fan? Go cover that game, and talk to Maine once he comes out."
Uhh...
I'll never forget walking into Maine's locker room (yes, he had his own) with SNY and ESPN cameras with giant microphones while I stood in the center of the pack with my mini voice recorder.
That rush, that excitement, is something I want to feel when I go to work every day. Whether it's talking to John Maine or little league superstar John Smith, I want to be doing something that I thoroughly enjoy.
Before I transferred to Maryland from the University of Tampa, I was looking at Maryland's class schedule. I wasn't 100 percent sure if I would be transferring or not, or if journalism was definitely what I wanted to do if I did transfer.
ReplyDeleteWhile browsing, I came across a "Sports Writing" class taught by George Solomon. I let out a muffled yelp, realizing that Solomon was the original ESPN ombudsman, and his monthly column was one of the rare things that I would actually read on ESPN.com when I was in high school.
At Tampa, there was "Journalism I" and "Journalism II" (they've since added more, but thats besides the point). Seeing that Maryland had that type of curriculum, I realized then and there that College Park was the place for me, rather than toiling around in generic journalism classes at a second-rate university.
Thus, the decision was quite simple to take this class.
While I do have a handful of experience writing sports, I've always had to learn on the job. The chance to actually receive formal training and *learn* at the hand of a legend is an opportunity that I could not possibly pass up.
Though I have some journalism experience and some knowledge of sports, I don’t have a lot of experience with sports journalism. When I saw that this course was being offered, I was immediately interested because I generally like to watch and read about sports.
ReplyDeleteAs I said in class, I really don’t have a favorite sports writer in particular because I tend to just look up articles pertaining to specific sports, teams and athletes that I’m interested in. Throughout the semester, I really want to understand what goes into sports writing. I’m interested to learn about the different approaches that certain writers take to covering a sport because obviously there is more than one way to cover each story and many stories besides the action that’s going on at any particular time in a game.
Another reason that this class was so interesting to me was because I think that people generally think of sports and sports journalism as a traditionally male dominated field. As a female interested in sports, I was anxious to explore the opportunities that are out there for women who want to break into this profession. So many times, you see the women just as the reporters on the sidelines getting sound bites from coaches and players, but I’m interested to see which female journalists have made an impact by writing about what they know.
Essentially, I’m taking this class to learn more about a topic that I’m interested in but don’t know a lot about besides rules of the games and major players. Sure, I can read what’s happening in the sports world now, but I’m interested in learning about the history and evolution of sports journalism as well as Mr. Shapiro touched on the other day. I actually interned for a period with a sports website, but most of what I was doing was just recaps of games, so I am really interested in seeing all the opportunities and stories that are out there to cover about sports.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy Sports Resume:
ReplyDeleteAthlete and Sports Enthusiast, 1989 – Present.
Basketball.
Cross-country.
Field hockey.
Gymnastics.
Lacrosse.
Soccer.
Softball.
Swimming.
T-ball.
Track.
And even archery, flag football, and fencing in my high school physical education class.
This list goes on and on.
I also did ballet when I was younger, but arguing whether people consider it a sport will need to be a post all of its own at a future date.
Sports have always been a part of my life, from cheering for the Redskins as a family tradition, to playing Division I lacrosse at the University of Oregon for two years, to now cheering on my brother as he coaches men’s lacrosse for Yale University.
My competitive edge shines through on and off the field and sports were always my extracurricular activity of choice. When I transferred to the University of Maryland and no longer played lacrosse due to a knee injury, I felt as though a part of me was missing.
When I declared my major, I knew that sports journalism was the right track for me because it would fill the void of not physically playing sports myself.
My brother also majored in journalism at Hofstra University and continued at Northwestern University for graduate school. He, too, was interested in sports journalism and I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps.
With his knowledge of the sports world, he told me the opportunities I could have if I pursued sports journalism as a Terp. I discovered that George Solomon and Kevin Blackistone taught classes here and knew immediately that they would be vital connections to make if I wanted to network and get a career in the sports journalism field.
After I interviewed Solomon for a communications class last semester, I asked him for advice on how to become a successful sports journalist. I discovered that it is crucial to gain as much experience as possible. I believe that this class will help me learn more about sports reporting and writing, help me gain some experience, and connect me with more individuals who could help further my own aspirations.
I put a lot of thought into my journalism electives. Double majoring wouldn't allow any extra courses, so I put a lot of thought into what I would take.
ReplyDeleteI knew that I wanted to write, and I knew that many of the journalism electives would be centered toward multimedia initiatives. So I decided on sports journalism, hoping to work on my storytelling ability. When I read Sports Illustrated, I feel I read some of the best writing I'll see all week, and see a learning opportunity.
I'm a huge baseball fan, and I love an in-depth analysis of statistics, particularly when the writer has an ability to not only interpret the numbers, but to move past them and bring them to life.
I'm also interested in what actually goes into a sports story. How does a whole page get filled when a game could separately be described in a box score? Where do the player's personalities come in? Where does mine step out?
It will be interesting to gain more experience out in the field, and I'm sure Professor Solomon will be a great help. I'm looking forward to the semester and hopefully learning a lot about writing and sports journalism.
As a wide-eyed, high school senior, I visited Maryland’s Spring Open House. I had recently been accepted here, and was weighing my options.
ReplyDeleteI knew Maryland had a top-tier journalism program, but I wasn’t sure if I necessarily needed it. Being a naïve 18-year-old, I figured I could accomplish my lifelong dream—being a SportsCenter anchor—with a degree from any somewhat respectable four-year institution.
But then I attended the Journalism School’s information session, and my outlook began to change…dramatically. Penny Fuchs, the program’s Director of Assessment, began spouting names of alumni: Scott Van Pelt, Tim Kurkjian, Bonnie Bernstein, etc.
Already intrigued, my mouth literally began to water when she started naming faculty members. By the time Ms. Fuchs mentioned the names “Kevin Blackistone” and “George Solomon,” my decision was made. I was going to pursue journalism at the University of Maryland.
And honestly, it was a no brainer. Although I was naïve, I understood a perfect situation when I heard it.
And when I later learned that George Solomon—the first-ever ombudsman at ESPN—was teaching a class on Sports Journalism Writing, I found myself thinking the same thing I thought on that Spring day in 2009: “This is a no brainer.” The opportunity to study sports journalism under one of the field’s foremost experts in simply doesn’t happen everyday.
And that’s why I’m in this class. I understand that it’s simply too great of an opportunity for me to pass up.
I am a print journalism major but I plan on heading straight to law school after I'm finished my undergraduate degree. Because of this aspiration I probably won't be fully immersed in the working world for at least another 3 years.
ReplyDeleteIn an effort to be more employable when I do finish my education I've been taking classes that will help me remain a well rounded individual. I probably wouldn't be considered the biggest sports fan but I do no a thing or two about the big ones.
Because I have an interest in representing entertainers as an attorney I wanted to get a feel for how journalists cover sports. My goal is to open a firm that provides athletes with a full range of services including legal representation, help establishing a brand, and other publicity related things. I decided to take this class because I believed knowing what my clients are up against in the media is the best way to help them.
My name is Taylor Schwink and I'm addicted to sports. A life-long fan of mainly basketball and football, my love sports didn't turn itself into a full-fledged addiction until Dec. 1, 2007. At the time I was a freshman at the West Virginia University. Our football team was on the cusp of greatness. We were one win away from the BCS national championship, with only our archrival Pitt standing in the way. They were 27 point underdogs coming into MIlan Puskar Stadium, facing school legends Pat White and Steve Slaton. The game was merely a formality. Or so we thought.
ReplyDeleteThe disaster that ensued drove me mad. I couldn't sleep and could hardly eat. I poured over the tape, read everything on the Internet about what had happened, trying desperately to figure to piece it all together.
I was directly admitted to the journalism school at WVU and continued on the path to a journalism degree once I transferred to Maryland. I slowly caught the sports journalism bug but tried to fight it at first. I spend a lot of time watching sports and even more reading about them on the Internet. I was scared if I got into writing and reporting on the thing I love, that love would wain and it'd be all business.
After taking journalism 201 and 320, I couldn't avoid it any longer. City council meetings, health reports, going to the court house, it was all a bore. I recognize the skills learned from these things are imperative but the subject matter didn't do it for me. I needed the drama and actions of sports. I feel I can pen my passion onto paper and can go after a career in sports journalism. Taking this class was a no brainer. Getting formal instruction on what I'd like to do in the future from George, who is a big-time name in the industry, was an easy and obvious choice.
My sporting obsession and my passion for writing led me to this class and hopefully it will live up to my expectations. So far, so good.
…it was proven, unquestionably, that the best “sports writing” was, on occasion, just good writing that happened to be about sports—Glenn Stout
ReplyDeleteThat fragment comes from the foreword of this class’ text book, The Best American Sports Writing of the Century, a fragment I read the summer after my junior year of high school. At that point in my life I was trying to find what I wanted to pursue as a career: architecture or sports journalism.
By the time I finished reading the book (yes, it took me the whole summer) I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life. But that one sentence struck me the most. Not because it was brilliantly worded or that it jumped out from the page.
It was just so painfully obvious.
The writing is the most important aspect, not the sports. You can find great sports anywhere these days with the innovations of satellites and 24-hour coverage, but great writing can be harder to find with the rise of sports blogs and its endless content (not to say great sports writing cannot be found on blogs).
You cannot be a great sports writer simply because you love sports; you need to love to write. That’s why I am taking this class. I love to write, I love sitting at my computer searching for that perfect word or remembering that key little detail that will make a story ten times better. And yes I will admit I do love sports but now I understand it can’t be the only thing.
As the years pass our writing changes, much like the sports we cover. I hope mine continues to grow and improve over time. I never want to be a writer that doesn’t look at his work and think “How can I make this better?” This class gives me chance to do just that, but most importantly to learn sports writing.
Most importantly this class offers me another step (a pretty big one in my eyes) forward into becoming a great sports writer, someone who will not only look at a game and see statistics and events, but sees a story beneath it all.
The second I saw this class listed during my freshman year I knew I would be taking it one day. So every Wednesday, 12 pm. sharp, room 1206 in Knight Hall, I’ll be there, soaking in every drop of knowledge from the best, honing my passion. But once in awhile I’ll slip and quietly catch myself thinking “I’m finally here”.