Over on House of Strauss, Ethan Strauss talks with Rob Mahoney about life writing basketball and the life of an NBA Blogger.
Now, let me just acknowledge a couple of things off the bat: Yours Truly is not an “NBA Blogger” in the same sense as they are. I have had or put down some thoughts on some NBA-related things in various spots for a long time but never did it for cash or anything like it. In the sense that it was a labor of love or maybe a pipe dream, yeah I am an NBA blogger. These guys were always more talented and connected and maybe lucky (in that order) and it is interesting to hear their tale.
In other areas — college sports writing — yours truly has a bit more of a reputation of note. (That is in part why this space has been so sparse). It is interesting to hear them discuss the Bleacher Report era in 2012, one of those spots that was trying to hire people and one of the spots a lot of sports-writing hopefuls all maybe thought they could get hired if they found the right niche.
I always had a suspicion that the whole endeavor — online sports writing — was never a realistic path and why I have always maintained my life in my Clark Kent job. Interestingly, they discuss how real life’s necessities push people they knew out of the life and into money-making jobs. As I’ve grown into a solid position in my day-to-day, I have more free time and free money to “work” on my hobby: blogging.
So if you suspected that people who sat around all day blogging either didn’t have a job or were maybe a little bit insane: you were right.
The thing is — and this is very informed by the opening scene of Soul that I just briefly watched with my daughter before coming upstairs to write this (and do other work) — everyone who follows a dream past the point where it seems like a smart thing to do looks very crazy until it either pays off or doesn’t. For the people who spent a lot of time trying to become a pro sports person and made it? It looks like smart work. For those for whom it didn’t work out? It looks like a waste of time.
But what if they both love it? Think of those 30-year old minor leaguers still grinding away. I mean, if you get to do what you love isn’t that enough? Maybe. Maybe not.
Writing about sports and building a community has some side benefits — you can build a little community and maybe even get recognized and get a little bit of notoriety here and there. In my case, it has meant some press passes and stuff. It has meant some interviews here and there. It has also meant I have seen how the sausage is made.
In any case, I thought it was interesting to hear the perspective of a couple of guys who were and are far more “successful” at this similar thing that I have been doing. Check it out. It costs a little $ but you’ll be fine. You save by not having to pay for this thing.