Turning the Tables on the Journalist
By: Amy Breckin

Some readers may believe that sports writers have it made. They get the chance to attend sporting events, meet talented athletes, write about something that interests them, and also get paid to do this. Any sports journalist knows that this misconception is anything like the actual job. Demanding editors, critical readers, and of course, uncooperative athletes encompass the realm of what a sports journalist entertains everyday. Don’t believe me? Just ask Courier Post sports writer, Don Benevento.

Don Benevento has been a Courier Post sports writer for ten years. He has covered a spectrum of sections in the newspaper including his humble beginnings of obituary writing. Just as Don always says, “You gotta start somewhere.” Now, Don covers local South Jersey high school varsity teams. He says that covering the high school sports beat is more significant and exciting than most readers imagine.

For most sports writers, you are not fulfilled until you are covering a major professional sports club, but Don does not feel that way. As a journalist, Don knows what is means to fight for a story, or to see your column and word count shrink because a professional team is doing something significant like winning, losing, or has entered the hunt for a playoff spot. “Sometimes people don’t understand that high school sports can be exciting, these are the athletes of tomorrow, and there is something rewarding about seeing these kids do incredible things at such a young age,” says Don, “I am always in a battle for space and column inches, and I know that I won’t get it because the editor knows that the Philadelphia sports teams sell the papers.”

High school sports can be interesting on the local level. “High school sports are great because the kids really get into it, the kids paint their faces and have crazy chants at games, the atmosphere is great,” says Don. Don also explained that just as the Philadelphia Eagles have fanatic fans, high school sports have groupies, and those that are invested in the team. Those high school athletes are truly the professional athletes of tomorrow; therefore, Don’s job is more important than most people think.

Don is responsible for informing the public about how well high school athletes are performing. “I try to expose some of the kids and how well they are doing. The colleges and universities locally, and nationally read the articles that I write about the kids, so I guess I am kind of important, if you really think about it,” says Don, “I have parents and coaches calling me all of the time with possible stories about athletes, the more their name gets out there, the better their chance of being contacted by a good college.”

As a sports writer covering the high school beat there is always that nagging problem of parents and coaches. “I have dealt with crazy parents, great parents, overbearing coaches, and even some really supportive coaches. I always ask the parents if it is okay with them for me to speak with their son or daughter, and I ask the coaches too, especially if I use practice time or school time to conduct the interview. Permission is always key in this type of sports writing because you are dealing with kids, not adults,” says Don.

So, what has been Don’s key to success over the years? “Stick to the local stories because that is where you will find the good ‘tug-on-the-heart-strings’ kind of stories that resonate with readers. Also, don’t always try to cover the professional major teams, because you might get more out of seeing and writing about a 15 year-old kid pitching a no-hitter than seeing and writing about Barry Bonds breaking the record,” says Don.