Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Behind the Scenes: How to Become a Sports Writer


Writing about sports on a freelance, PT, or FT basis ... 
I've met some good people through sports writing who have offered encouragement and opportunity dating back to the 1990s. Creating my own connections has allowed me to write for a variety of online outlets and to open my own doors. 

Feel free to visit my: 
RantSports Author Page
Examiner Contributor Page

In turn, those contacts opened doors for me. When I've been able, I've also made connections for people, promoted their work and have tried to treat people with respect.

Unless you know someone who is going to establish access to any online site, or to specific individuals, you will need to create those connections on your own. There are no guidelines that tell you how to make this happen. Don't expect people to say yes all the time, or get upset when you hear the word "no". 

Use your intelligence and life experiences, be open to risk, work hard and then work harder. Adapt your efforts and then just keep going. It's possible that you won't make it to where you want to go, but you might. 
If you have read to this point and feel jealous, enraged, demoralized, etc., you are the main reason why you haven't achieved your own goals. Don't blame other people, pretend to be a victim, or claim that life is unfair. 

If you have read to this point and "got the message", you already have made progress within your life. You are also someone who will likely continue to achieve both short- and long-term goals. 
One consistent "theme" that surfaces over time is that some people have no problem asking me how much money that I'm making working as a sports writer.   
Asking money questions isn't professional, or appreciated. You can learn what you might be able to make by directly contacting the sites, media outlets, brick-and-mortar companies, etc. that you want to write for. 
As a freelancer, you can earn a decent PT living. Your goals might be to expand to FT at some point, or simply to maintain your "stringer" status. In any regard, there is money to be made if you are persistent and develop your talent every single day.

With whatever your choices are, just know that there are many people in the world who will be willing to help you. I hope that my recent series of posts have provided useful information and in some way enables you to pursue your own goals. 
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I would like to connect with you on Facebook  

Let's connect on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB

Visit my RantSports Author Page,

my Examiner Contributor Page,

or my Yahoo Contributor Page 

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A strong thank you to everyone who has been downloading my eBook: Fast Fiction and Other Stuff on Amazon.com 

Humor, horror, mystery, adventure, travel, sports and a few selected stories are all wrapped inside this mini-tome. I appreciate everyone who has seen my digital creation.

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Some GREAT WEBSITES from some fine digital friends:

The Sports Critic by Raymond Bureau

Positive Calm by Solvita Bennet

Meltzer's Musings via Bill Meltzer at HockeyBuzz.com 

Free eBooks Daily
I'm truly humbled that all of my online features have combined to generate millions of hits since I first began my digital adventure on Labor Day, 2010. Thank you to everyone in this regard.
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Classic headline: Those great hockey cards
Nothing topped the meaning that these hockey cards still hold. Here is the special feature that still ranks among the most-read articles that I've written since 2011: 
Topps Hockey Card Mystery is Revealed.
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Classic Headline: Three Flyers' Legends

Each of these Flyers' legends (Brian Propp, Dave Poulin and Tim Kerr) deserved their own feature article:

Here is a link to the story about Propp: 
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Name-dropper 
These are some of the high achievers I've had the opportunity to interview...
Not just sports though...
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Baseball cards

Bygone days spent with elementary school days and family members opening packs of Topps cardboard gold never truly fade away. 

Here is my special feature that highlights many of our collective childhood memories:  When Baseball Cards were King.
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Classic Headline Topic: MMA Phenomena
Here is my most recent feature article about a live XFE Cage Wars event that I attended. I encourage fans of any sport to attend one of these events when you can. The excitement of the crowd and the efforts of the fighters will likely win you over to this superb athletic adventure.
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