We Came, We Saw, We Got Sports Checked

We came, we saw, we got sports checked.

The eight grueling, yet rewarding, days for 11 aspiring journalists have come to an end. This is a bittersweet moment.

It is sweet because we all get to start our highly anticipated internships at news outlets across the country, but it’s bitter because this could be the most diversity we see in a newsroom… ever.

We had the privilege of being supervised and mentored by some of the most influential people in the sports journalism world such as Sandy Rosenbush of ESPN, Leon Carter of ESPNNewYork and Greg Lee of the Boston Globe.

It would be impossible to jot down everything we’ve learned in the past eight days in just one blog post but there are a couple lifelong lessons I picked up here.

In the words of Leon Carter, “It is not where you start… It is where you finish.”

I came into the Sports Journalism Institute with a minute amount of sports writing experience because I have always been interested in broadcast. It was not easy, but I am pleased to say that within just eight days, I have made a significant improvement in covering games and writing stories. I’m excited to keep my craft growing by learning more at ESPN.com by writing and reading more.

Another valuable lesson: “There are those who get it, and those who don’t.” This is what separates the dreamers from the go-getters. You can always say you want something badly, but just be all talk. If you’re really about getting somewhere in this business you need to get it—as in, “dress like you belong,” as well as “listen more than you talk” and “have no sense of entitlement.”

It’s time for us to represent SJI, but most importantly represent ourselves.