SurferFL - and Michgan241. Don't argue just to argue. If you are happy with the state of MMA reporters than that is fine by me, but don't play devils advocate just to be a jackass.
Matthew S - Theres no way most of those guys covering those sports have played it at a competitive level. Maybe little league or maybe a few years in high school.
Michgan241 -SurferFL - and Michgan241. Don't argue just to argue. If you are happy with the state of MMA reporters than that is fine by me, but don't play devils advocate just to be a jackass.
i dont think mma reporters are good or that im happy with their current state, but i dont think rolling around on the mat is going to change them running stories they havnt properly vetted though.
Unfortunately mat time wont change the average MMA website from a gossip column into a meaningful news site with insightful editorials and reports.
Haha, I'm not really a reporter, but I train and I've written nationally published MMA-related articles. Does that count?
www.dubmag.net/celebrities/athletes/862-toyo-tires-driven-to-perform-mma-edition
If anyone knows of a company or website that is looking to employ a writer who has competed in MMA I am currently looking for work.
I am getting back surgery sometime in the near future and am unable to work (truck driving) or train (wrestling/thai/jiu jitsu) in the meantime.
If you are interested you can check out my website and see if you like my writing style.
www.iandawe.com
Sorry for highjacking this thread...I just thought it might be an opportunity to get my ass of the futon I call home.
Ian Dawe
Idventure to say most Journalists on ESPN have a degree in broadcasting or journalism, however I doubt any of the MMA journalists (LOL At calling any of them journalists) have a degree in journalism. Just becasue you can write shit on a website doesn't make you a journalist it makes you a blogger, so I laugh every time Loretta calls herself a journalist. Shes just a fucking blogger like all the other mma bloggers. She may have a degree but I guarentee you it isnt in journalism.
Must one have a journalism degree to be a decent writer?
The majority having not actually attended credited journalism schools and therefore having only basic knowledge on how to compose an article may or may not also be a factor. There are some good journalists...but a lot of weak ones as well.
xIanx - If anyone knows of a company or website that is looking to employ a writer who has competed in MMA I am currently looking for work.
I am getting back surgery sometime in the near future and am unable to work (truck driving) or train (wrestling/thai/jiu jitsu) in the meantime.
If you are interested you can check out my website and see if you like my writing style.
www.iandawe.com
Sorry for highjacking this thread...I just thought it might be an opportunity to get my ass of the futon I call home.
Ian Dawe
I have written over 40 mma columns about our local fighters the past 3 years. I watch the fighters train and don't want any part of it, I'm old and broken. I do train mma with my 13 old son(thats more my level). I write for the newspaper as a hobby, its a way I can contribute to the world of mma. I do study and learn all I can about the sport by watching the fighters train and asking questions. I do confirm the info by asking the fighters, watching the fights, talking to the promoters. no journalism degree, PE degree and I'm not a decent writer!!! I hate writing, I rather talk person, its just a way for me to contribute to the sport.
mike
www.highdesertmma.com
totalwreckage - Idventure to say most Journalists on ESPN have a degree in broadcasting or journalism, however I doubt any of the MMA journalists (LOL At calling any of them journalists) have a degree in journalism. Just becasue you can write shit on a website doesn't make you a journalist it makes you a blogger, so I laugh every time Loretta calls herself a journalist. Shes just a fucking blogger like all the other mma bloggers. She may have a degree but I guarentee you it isnt in journalism.
SurferFL - How can you report on something you've never participated in, even remotely?
The biggest problem with the MMA media isn't that they haven't competed...the problem is that perhaps no other sport has attracted as many amateurs and neophytes to its sport-specific media outlets. Many of the writers working for said outlets lack even rudimentary journalistic training, and the editorial standards under which they work are often shamefully lax.
Today's MMA media is very much like the boxing media of the 1920s: not yet evolved into a legitimate journalistic enterprise. There are some good writers and reporters working the scene, but by and large, the standards lag far behind the mainstream sports world. To be fair, though, when writers from the mainstream sports world delve into MMA, they tend to wear their own lack of experience on their sleeves.
I have a journalism/PR degree and have been punched in the face. Can I have your acceptance?
Considering you have an actual degree that puts you one up on basically everyone else in MMA media...so sure, why not.
pretty sure every MMA reporter has thrown a punch or rolled on a mat.
Mike Russell has written for some of the biggest companies in the MMA game and his articles always 'raise the bar'for other MMA journalists.
Mike Russell - I have a journalism/PR degree and have been punched in the face. Can I have your acceptance?
It should be kept in mind that 95% of the MMA writers out there don't get paid for their work so expecting them to have the same qualifications as a guy on ESPN isn't realistic.