Keeping perspective

When Nick Creegan spoke to the class, he reminded us that athletes are human too. It’s vital we can connect with them instead of focusing on what they do on the court or the field. You have to remember they are no different than you and they sometimes share similar tastes in movies, music, food, etc. By making those personal connections, athletes will trust you better, and you can stand out in a locker room. Getting to know athletes outside of the sport they play also helps generate good feature story ideas because readers would like to know what goes on in their personal lives.

Nick also talked about the importance of being prepared. Even though he isn’t in sports journalism anymore, the idea of staying ready so you don’t have to get prepared applies to his acting career. As journalists, we must be ready for any possible situation, like a team overcoming a large deficit to win a game or having a backup plan when an interview doesn’t fall through. We still have a deadline to meet no matter what happens.

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