2008 Woodie Awards
March: The Natural Writer's Block for Sports Journalists
A recent lull in the world of sports leaves writers laboring for possible stories
Jason Fidler
Issue date: 3/7/06 Section: Sports
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I was quite pleased Saturday morning when I was notified that there would be no need for me to cover the guy's lacrosse game later on that afternoon due to its cancellation. This isn't because I'm not a fan of guy's lacrosse (you boys would have dominated Providence and good luck against Saint Mike's on Tuesday), or because I do not like attempting to cover a game in the middle of a blizzard (actually that's a lie; I was not particularly looking forward to that).
The reason why I was happy was because I, a lowly freshman on the Vermont Cynic's sports staff, would be given the opportunity to write an opinion piece on any aspect of the wide world of sports my little heart desired. I got up from my computer, did a little dance of joy, cracked open a Red Bull, and sat back down to focus on what my topic would be.
It took a few minutes, but then it hit me like a lacrosse stick to the gut on a cold winter's day; there is nothing to write about. You see, the middle of February to the end of March is a natural writer's block for the sports journalists of New England, and I am no different. However, I, being an excellent turner of lemons into lemonade was struck with inspiration: write about the fact that there's nothing to write about.
This year has been particularly rough. New England's team, the Patriots, did not win the Super Bowl, which was a very disturbing notion for us New England sports writers. There would be no three-week grace period filled with constant jubilation and elation for our football dynasty. What would we do in the barren tundra that is the post-NFL, pre-MLB sports season?
Then we remembered that the Olympics, the world's oldest international competition, were coming and we rejoiced in the prospect of writing in constant jubilation and elation for America's team. Unfortunately, America did disappointingly alright in Torino with the only news worthy story being whether or not Bode Miller spent more time downing beers than downhill skiing. Sports journalists all across America wept, not because of America's performance, but because the Olympics were so darned boring.
The reason why I was happy was because I, a lowly freshman on the Vermont Cynic's sports staff, would be given the opportunity to write an opinion piece on any aspect of the wide world of sports my little heart desired. I got up from my computer, did a little dance of joy, cracked open a Red Bull, and sat back down to focus on what my topic would be.
It took a few minutes, but then it hit me like a lacrosse stick to the gut on a cold winter's day; there is nothing to write about. You see, the middle of February to the end of March is a natural writer's block for the sports journalists of New England, and I am no different. However, I, being an excellent turner of lemons into lemonade was struck with inspiration: write about the fact that there's nothing to write about.
This year has been particularly rough. New England's team, the Patriots, did not win the Super Bowl, which was a very disturbing notion for us New England sports writers. There would be no three-week grace period filled with constant jubilation and elation for our football dynasty. What would we do in the barren tundra that is the post-NFL, pre-MLB sports season?
Then we remembered that the Olympics, the world's oldest international competition, were coming and we rejoiced in the prospect of writing in constant jubilation and elation for America's team. Unfortunately, America did disappointingly alright in Torino with the only news worthy story being whether or not Bode Miller spent more time downing beers than downhill skiing. Sports journalists all across America wept, not because of America's performance, but because the Olympics were so darned boring.