Sally Jenkins, Washington Post columnist
Tiger Woods’ statement about last weekend’s auto accident yields more questions than answers. The ever-reclusive Woods, though, refuses to speak with state police investigators.
Fortunately, Sally Jenkins, the Washington Post’s talented sports columnist, offers Tiger’s ’side’ of a story that is growing more bizarre by the minute. (Somebody who knows public relations, please, please speak to Tiger before he completely destroys his public image.)
MLB.com is once again seeking interns to work this summer, a terrific opportunity for either undergrad or grad students. Deadline is Dec. 11, 2009.
According to MLB: “Applicants should submit a resume, 5 to 10 published articles, a list of references and a 750-word essay on why MLB.com should select you? Your clips ideally will show a variety of work, including game stories, previews and features.”
Good luck.
-30-
More than 70 teams converged on Terre Haute, Ind., for the cross country pre-nationals this past weekend on the same course where nationals will be held next month. (BTW, LaVern-Gibson Championship Cross Country Course is a great place to watch a race – except when the wind chill drops below 30 as it did last year. My hands are still defrosting.)
A few college newspapers covered this major Division I event won by perennial powerhouses Oregon (men) and Washington (women). Here’s some of the coverage. (more…)
The Michigan Daily's Andy Reid traveled to Pahokee, Fla., to learn more about the challenges several Wolverine players faced while growing up. Photo/Max Collins Design/Lan Truong
Football saves lives in the impoverished town of Pahokee, Fla., which is much farther away from ritzy Palm Beach than a map would show. A town in the midst of sugar cane fields and marshes, Pahokee is also a place that takes lives at an early age. Gangs recruit kids, called ‘jitterbugs,’ to transfer weapons and money around town. As one kids says: “There’s nothing to do here. It’s easy to get into smoking weed, robbing, they even started killing around here.” Yet, it’s also a town that dominates state football, winning five championships over the past six years.
Posnanski
Sports Illustrated’s Joe Posnanski streams his conscience on the current state of sports journalism, grappling with the reasons the profession has changed during the past 50-plus years. Are sports business or are they games? And he ponders the role ethics play in sports coverage. A terrific read. The reader responses at the end of this post offer an equally interesting look into how fans think about sports coverage.
Oregon's LeGarrette Blount punches Boise State's Byron Hout after Thursday's nationally broadcast football game. College and professional media jumped on this story immediately.
Apologies do not minimize the penalty Oregon running back LaGarrette Blount should receive after punching an opposing player and then trying to attack fans in the stands after the Ducks lost to Boise State 19-8 on Thursday night. Blount had to be restrained and hauled into the locker room by teammates.
Boise State’s The Arbiter did an excellent job covering both the game and the incident online. Oregon’s The Daily Emerald also did a solid job for a late-night game far from campus. Their stories are among those posted below.
Meanwhile, Portland Oregon columnist John Canzano writes that Blount should be kicked off the team.
“The Ducks running back should be arrested and charged with assault today for slugging Hout, who wasn’t even looking. Also, Blount should be served up by first-year head coach Chip Kelly as a reminder of everything the program should never become.
It was cheap. It was embarrassing. It was disgusting.”
Here are some more stories on the game (and Blount): (more…)
When I took Reporting I in my junior year, I never used a recorder because I wanted to be comfortable reporting stories without one. Now, if I’m covering something and I don’t have a recorder, I don’t have to panic because I know I have the skills to get by. This happened to me during my summer internship. I had to cover a women’s junior college basketball all-star game and I’d left my recorder at home. I had to talk to a lot of people (players, coaches, scouts, etc.) and take hand-written notes, but the story turned out fine.
Whether to use a recorder is one question many students have. I say you should know how to report without one. That being said, once you are working for a paper, the only reason you shouldn’t use one is when your interview subject declines to be recorded.
Reading through the Independent Alligator today I noticed an abundant amount of terrible quotes. Most of them were under ten words. Examples: (more…)
A few quick takes on sports journalism:
Check out these suggestions for making your sports section more interactive.
Sports Illustrated’s Jeff Pearlman advises those trying to break into sports journalism: “Bust. Your. Ass.” Pearlman, the author of four books, talks about blogging and how to stand out when applying for a job.
Athletes now break news on Twitter. How does this affect sports journalism?
-30-
Elizabeth Johnson
Elizabeth is one of several college sports journalists sharing their experiences working the beats this fall and winter. Two other sports journalists will be announced later this week.
Elizabeth has already covered several sports beats, including football, soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, track, cross country, golf and tennis.
This blog, as many of you know, is most active during the college academic year when sports editors and reporters have the most questions. This fall I will offer a weekly review of the best in college sports journalism, along with more tips and suggestions. But also check in for additional suggestions from college sports journalists working the beats, like Elizabeth.
Welcome back.
I’d start this post by saying I’m not really atwitter about the social network called, well, Twitter, but I didn’t want to scare everybody off with that lame joke.
Instead, here’s a much funnier joke:
A guy is in the hospital with two broken legs. The nurse comes in and tells him that there’s good news and bad news.
The guy asks for the bad news first.
The nurse says, “We’re going to have to remove your legs.” (more…)
