Hello!
The following sports-related career article is by guest writer Michael Bower, sports journalist, The Daily Review, Hayward, CA.
Thank you Michael, for your dedication to bringing visibility and coverage to our local high school sports and athletes in the Hayward Area Athletic League (HAAL). Your enthusiasm, optimism and love of all sports shines brightly and nurtures those in our community. You are a young journalist with a bright future.
It is often journalists that communities turn to in times of need and support. With the on-going budget crisis in the state of California, and with unified school districts in many parts of the state cutting back or eliminating sports programs due to lack of funds, your efforts and the efforts of journalists like you, who bring to life and light our local sports stories and accomplishments, are much appreciated. Let us hope that those stories will continue to be told and that our student-athletes will continue to have sports. If we must consider new options to sustain the well-roundness of our students, than so be it. Perhaps corporate sponsorships of high school athletic leagues or the merging of athletic leagues or creation of national league networks is possible in the future in order to retain sports programs in high schools. Journalists can bring research, clarity, solutions and resolutions to the forefront. The power of mass communications cannot be denied.
“Life is about who you serve, and how you serve, and what you give of yourself every day.” “If I leave this world I’m leaving it trying to make it better.” “This is real life, man, and right now the more you can do, the more we can do now, is when we’re going to really truly measure.” “When things are tough you do even more with yourself.”
Excerpts taken from an interview with Ronnie Lott, Pro Football Hall of Famer, on the Murph and Mac radio show, KNBR 680 The Sports Leader, Friday, December 5, 2008. Lott was passionately discussing his charitable work and the charities he is involved with.
Raising the bar for high school student-athletics and creating opportunities for student-athletes takes community.
Sincerely –
Jennifer Oliver
Founder
SportsHopes
Guest Article: So You Want To Be A Sports Writer – by Michael Bower
I always knew sports would never leave my life.
Like most young athletic kids I saw myself growing up to be the star point guard of an NBA team or infielder for a professional baseball team. Like the majority of children and teenagers with aspirations to go pro, there came a point in my life when I realized that wasn’t going to be an option. It was at that moment I came to the conclusion that I wanted to enter the field of sports journalism.
I have been writing sports articles since my sophomore year in college. After graduating from James Logan High School in Union City, CA, in 1999, I attended Ohlone College in Fremont, CA, for two years and then transferred to Long Beach State in southern California.
The reason I chose Long Beach State was for its prestigious baseball program. At that point in my life I wanted to be a professional baseball beat writer. So, covering a top-ranked college baseball team seemed like the way to go and I couldn’t have been more pleased with my choice.
I covered current professional players Jered Weaver (Angels), Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies) and John Bowker (Giants) among others. Eventually I became the Sports Editor of the Long Beach State newspaper, The Daily 49er. It wasn’t until I graduated from college and worked at the Daily Review in Hayward, CA, that I got a real grasp on what it meant to work in the world of sports journalism.
Quickly I found out how much more I loved the job. My college newspaper never put me to a real test to meet a deadline, and while the pressure of having to get a story done at a certain time seems scary, it actually is what I love the most.
Tight deadlines and the adrenaline rush that comes along with them makes the job of a sport’s journalist both nerve-wracking and fun. It is a nightly competition between yourself and the clock. As a former athlete I love that nightly challenge. Unlike most jobs I have had I now find myself looking at the clock and being upset that it is moving too fast instead of too slow!
When I first entered the field of sports journalism I had a career goal to be a professional baseball beat writer. However, that goal has changed to wanting to be a college sports beat writer. Covering high school sports in the Hayward Area Athletic League (HAAL) is a big reason for that goal change.
The inspirational stories about athletes before they make it big in the professional athletic world, or just in the world in general, quickly grew on me. The HAAL has had plenty of those stories over the three years that I have been covering it. Bringing those types of stories to light for younger athletes in similar situations can go a long ways.
One of my favorite stories that I have written was in 2005 about Ariel Wright, a Bishop O’Dowd High School young woman cross country runner. Wright was one of the top runners in the state, but she entered the HAAL Championships with an injured ankle. She ran the course in tears as her coaches urged her to fall down. She finished in second place and it was just an amazing effort. It was very inspirational to watch and something I will never forget.
For me, I love the career that I have chosen. Is it for everyone? No. I have seen correspondents go out and cover a football game then come back to the office and just stare at the blank screen of a computer for 30 minutes, and then walk out of the room. Deadlines can be that intense.
I have never had a true case of writer’s block. I got a great piece of advice from one of my college teachers on how to stay away from the dreaded brain freeze. The advice is simple. Before I begin a story I think of the first thing I would tell a friend about a game, and start with that. This piece of advice has been priceless to me in the journalism world.
For those who want to dive into the world of sports journalism I recommend calling your local newspaper and asking if they need help covering high school athletic events. It is a good way to make connections and open your eyes to what you are getting yourself into. Give it a try and see how you like it. I was a correspondent for the Orange County Register while at Long Beach State.
Picking a college isn’t as important as you might think with regards to a career in journalism. Not to discredit an education, but the key is to write as much as possible and build a library of clippings. Getting good grades is great, but covering everything you can for the local newspaper or college paper is just as important.
Don’t get me wrong, you will need to earn your journalism degree, but when you go to get a job the employer will want to know two things: Number one, can you write, and number two, can you write on deadline, and they will want to see clippings for examples of both.
Journalism is changing so much right now. We are no longer just writers. We do video reporting, blogs and webcasts. The Internet has changed everything. People want their information right now. So, I recommend taking classes on video editing, video reporting and Internet design. All will help your chances of getting a job no matter what field of journalism you choose.
In fact, at the Review we just started a live high school sports show on the Internet called Prep Corner Live! It is still in its infancy, but it has been enjoyable to be more interactive with readers. It is definitely the direction that journalism is headed: www.ibabuzz.com/prepcorner
The sports journalism field can be stressful and very challenging, but if you love sports and the competition of beating the clock, then a career in sport’s journalism could be the best decision you’ll ever make. It was for me.
Michael Bower can be reached at: mbower@bayareanewsgroup.com
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It is the goal of SportsHopes to publish a monthly article that will “highlight” information to high school parents and guardians, student-athletes, superintendents, principals, athletic directors, coaches, teachers, administrators, businesses, city halls and service organizations, that will help high school student-athletes who want to go to college and who want to play sports in college Get There.
SportsHopes is a volunteer community org with the goal of applying for 501(c)3 status in 2009 in order to best serve the HAAL community.
The Hayward Area Athletic League (HAAL) consists of nine northern California high schools:
Arroyo, Castro Valley, Hayward, Mt. Eden, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Tennyson, Bishop O’Dowd Catholic and Moreau Catholic.
If you would like to be removed from future SportsHopes publishings please email: goodbye@sportshopes.org
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