ABSTRACT
For aspiring sports journalists seeking employment at a newspaper or magazine, there are two profitable avenues to pursue. If you crave glamour and fame, the thrill of being there and rubbing shoulders with the movers and shakers, of seeing your name and observations in print, being out in the field is the better option. If your preference is for a less nomadic, more stable existence, perhaps even involving fairly regular contact with home, spouse and children, a desk job is for you. Having sampled each of these alternatives, I can only say that equipping yourself for both is highly recommended. Besides, finding full-time employment as a sub-editor can be a pragmatic way of advancing your writing aspirations while enhancing your sense of security. Once known and trusted by a sports desk for your diligence, knowledge and way with subordinate clauses, the transition to reporter is not illogical. As the likes of Matthew Engel, Simon Wilde (Sunday Times cricket correspondent) and Henry Winter (Daily Telegraph football correspondent) have shown, the road from down-table sub to marquee writer is not an untrodden one.
