-Book by 16th-century Scottish priest John Knox, published around the time Elizabeth 1 was coming to power. Alex, I'll take "Ways to Piss Off the Queen" for 1000.
My dad and I were watching the Army High School All-American Bowl this morning. As we sat and watched the superior talent, we discussed the universities most of the kids would be attending. We scoffed when a player choose teams like Alabama or USC, labeling them as "typical" or sarcastically calling them "really hard choices." Then I began to defend them.
"You know Dad, I can kind of commend those kids that choose schools like USC or Texas, or any big program in the SEC. Those kids are entering programs with other superior talent, yet they are willing to try and succeed. The kids that attend schools like Baylor or UConn (with weaker programs) just want to remain a big fish in a little pond."
My dad probably responded to that. I don't know, because I was dumbstruck by the hypocrisy of my own statement. My fatal flaw finally was revealed to me.
The summer following my Senior year of high school, I had a job in the press box for the Huntsville Stars baseball club. It was my favorite job I have ever held. I refused to call it "work." I was just having fun. That summer I met a sports reporter from the Huntsville Times. He was a UT graduate. I asked him if writing about sports took away from being able to enjoy the game, a concern I'd never heard anyone actually express. He said no, it only added to the experience.
I am not sure of the exact moment I decided I could not be a sports journalist. I love sports. I love writing. I generally shy away from advanced technology, but the technology in a broadcasting booth is so exciting to me. And I don't just love sports the way anyone who sacrifices their Saturday afternoons to 18-23 year olds running into each other on a football field loves sports. I analyze the plays, I concentrate on the statistics, I put myself on the field or court making decisions. I imagine I get the same feeling that doctors get when they are about to do major surgery. Nervous passion. But you see, I never stay bad at things a long time. Not because I have superior abilities, but because if I am not good at something, I quite. I stick to what I am naturally good at, in fact, what I am naturally the best at. I did speech from 5th to 12th grade. I didn't win every year, but there were only two years I wasn't a finalist. Many years, I despised the preparation for that speech. I liked writing it, but not delivering it countless times. Yet I stuck it out because I was one of the best. I was the junior varsity captain of my volleyball team my sophomore year, the leader and one of the best players. The next year, when it was likely I would be on varsity but not a starter, I didn't even try out. And I loved volleyball. But I don't like to play second fiddle. I keep myself a big fish in a little pond.
And that's exactly what I did when I dropped my consideration of sports journalism. Why did I quite?
- I would have to get my start as a journalist- True, but this would be the non-cutthroat, honest, exciting journalism that I would actually enjoy.
- It's a man's job- And now we're back to the fish/pond analogy. I didn't want to be a sports journalist because I am terrified of being a little fish in a big pond. I am terrified of losing, of having to keep pushing and pushing to make it to the top. Shame on me!
I don't really know that I want to write about sports for the rest of my life. I know I want to write for the rest of my life, but I enjoyed writing and researching my article about how conservatives can win in 2012 as much as I enjoyed researching and writing about the Heisman trophy. What I do know is I am no longer afraid to pursue that career. I doubt many men have the raw passion for sports the way I do, and I can talk shop with the best of them. Sure, sports are about as important to the state of the nation as wool socks, but they are what make me come alive. Consider this the first blast of the trumpet...
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