Monday Morning Mojo: Top Sports Posts, Blogs and Sites from Last Week

Being an active twitterer and facebooker, all around social media follower, I run into some great sites, sports blogs, single posts and stories, that bear passing along.

These aren't only amusing, meaningful, and/or insightful, they're outstanding examples of the type of writing you can do. I've tried to give you a good cross section of posts, from different types of sites (blogs, static sites, affiliate sites, products created for sale, etc). None of these are affiliate links, they're just informational.

Great stuff, have a look.

How Pete Dye's Dog Killed Herb Kohler's Sheep - Here's a great post from Armchair Golf Blog. Take a look at the post and read through the blog. Neil Sagebiel loves golf and is an excellent writer. Both qualities show through in his writing. He has taken his passions and turned them into a respected and widely read online publication.

The Rotater - Here's an actual, physical product, and one that will save and prolong the careers of a lot of athletes. The founders of The Rotater, a shoulder rehabilitation device, took their know-how, and turned it into a simple to use, affordable product.

Big Blue Booyah - Here's a pure fan play. If you love a team, sport, individual player, etc., take it and run. Conventional wisdom says to have a successful blog, you need to buy a domain, pay for hosting, use WordPress as your platform, and so on. That's great advice, but you don't HAVE to do it that way to enjoy success. BBBooyah has taken something they love, University of Kentucky athletics, applied it to a huge audience that loves the same thing, and made a great blog in a relatively short time. Further, they're using the same platform as this blog, Blogger. It's free.

TennisMD.com - One of the best new websites for golf health and fitness information. Ok, I'll say it, it is THE best site. They've assembled many of the top tennis instructors, health professionals, fitness professionals, and sports psychologists as staff writers. They also have top sports writers on their team (proud to say I used to write for them). The reason I include it here, aside from how well-done the site is, is because it's a great example of one outlet for your writing.

There are lots of sites, in every sport, that need quality writing and writers/editors. You simply need to reach out.

BananaPutting.com - Here's an excellent example of how to take your expertise and turn it into a commodity. PGA professional, Paul Hobart, is a putting expert. He took that expertise and turned it into a unique instructional book and program, built a website to showcase it, and tons of people are better putters for it. Banana Putting is a fresh look at putting, and an example of sports entreprenuership.

Each of these sites use a variety of media (text, photos, video, polls) to engage readers. You can learn a lot from them and have fun doing it.

What method of earning a living from your sports writing do you like best from these examples? Not every method here is suitable for every person.

Image courtesy toddwickersty's photostream.

Helpful Videos For Freelance Sports Writers

J. Chad Barnett, Contributing Writer

I love scanning other websites for helpful information pertaining to the writing industry. On occasion I find nice little gems to share with my fellow writers.

While scanning YouTube today, I came across a couple of videos that nicely describe some of the aspects of being a sports writer. I think they are worth the watch, and they are not long so it won't take to much of your time.

1. Short job description for sports writers.



2. The pros and cons of sports writing.



3. Information on the pay for a sports writer.



I'll keep searching, and if anyone has any suggestions, leave a comment or contact me via e-mail.

"The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish."--Robert Louis Stevenson

An Awesome Free Service To Help “Kick-Start” Your Writing Career

J. Chad Barnett, Contributing Writer

When I first started freelance writing, I admit, I didn't have a clue as to what I should do. I was pretty sure that I would be able to do my job, but the problem was that I didn't have a job, or know how to find one. I did a couple of Google searches, and after some trial and error, I finally landed my first job.

I will say that the first service that I used cost me a little money. I've always been sort of a gambling man. You can't make money, if you don't spend money. Thankfully, the gamble paid off, and I'm able to do something I enjoy.

I try to help out other freelance writers too if I come across something helpful, or interesting. Let's face it, I wouldn't be where I am today without a lot of help from others. So let me tell you a little about a completely free service, that will help freelance writers the world over.

I'm talking about http://www.freelanceportfolios.com/. This service allows you to create virtual portfolios. Use the portfolios to display client lists, services offered, and samples of your work. It takes minutes to design your personal portfolio, and then you can begin looking for work, in the job finder.

The best thing about this site is that it is absolutely free! Along with the portfolios, there is an article database with helpful information to freelance writers. Go on, check out http://www.freelanceportfolios.com/, and see for yourself. They have a lot to offer, and it's free. No gamble there at all.


Editor's Note: If you are a writer considering blogging as an income stream, Sports Writer HQ recommends only two products: The Blog Mastermind program, which you see in the right margin and Blogging to the Bank. Click any of the links you see to learn more about Yaro Starak's Blog Mastermind program. To read more about the latest edition of Blogging to the Bank, which you can download instantly, click here!

How Football Explains America

I just did a Google search for ESPN Analyst Sal Paolantonio's new book, How Football Explains Americaand there was tons of everything from good reviews to scathing, rambling, juvenile junk. What that tells me is, at the very least, it's a good book.

In fact, in my opinion, How Football Explains America is an outstanding example of sports writing combined with a brief history of America. Disclaimer: I am a former History major, as is, as I understand, Paolantonio.

Yes, it was well written; you would expect that most things published in print are. It also provided a viable argument for how what we know as "football" came into being, and how it arrived at it's present state.

In short, according to How Football Explains America the Battle of Midway, Manifest Destiny, American heritage, American culture, everything that is America, is reflected in today's game.

If you want to read a great sports book, one of the best in some time, and you want to be a better sports writer for having read it, this is the one.

Celebrity Sportscaster Interview

Let me take just a moment to speak to the Kentucky Wildcat faithful everywhere, certainly those in Central and Eastern Kentucky. In a week or so, I will be posting (after my newsletter readers see it) my interview with former CNN Sports Anchor, and current WLEX anchor, Mary Jo Perino.

She's one of the bright spots in our local sports market and a great supporter of Wildcat sports.

I will be talking to her about interviewing, the differences and similarities between broadcasting and sports writing, connecting with the audience, and anything else that comes to mind.

It will beneficial to all sports writers, not just Big Blue fans. If you want to see it first, in the "unpublished" form, join the newsletter mailing list. The link is in the right hand column. It's free.

Eschew Obfuscation in Sports Writing

In virtually all writing for public consumption, for that matter.

There are only a few things worse than trying to read the sports page or a sports-related magazine and discovering the sports writer thinks he's below quota on ten-dollar words. I want the sports. I may even want your opinion. I do not want to know the extent of your vocabulary. I think most readers are like me.

There are scholarly journals where "big words" are completely at home, but not in a column about how fans shouldn't boo Joe College after he's thrown his third interception in one game. I believe it's a fatal mistake for a writer, particularly a freelancer who doesn't have the security of a full-time position with the publication.

Just as you would take care to be grammatically correct, also know your audience and what they want or don't want.

Just one man's opinion.

PoeWar.com

If you're looking for freelance, or full- or part-time writing work, have a look at the job search feature on PoeWar.com. The site has been around since 1999 and the job search engine appears to pull postings from all around the web. A simple search for "sports" turned up a huge amount of results.

There's also a section heading for "Sports Writing Jobs." This may very well be a go-to site for your freelance or other sports writing job hunt. It's free, which is always good.

From what I've seen, I'll give it a five-star recommendation. There's a reason it's been around for almost a decade.