By JOHN SCHREIER
J Alumni News staff
Photo courtesy Jeremy Schaap
If you’re looking for a journalism job in these tough economic times, two things still matter — hard work and strong writing skills.
That’s the advice of ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap, who met with about 30 J school students in Andersen Hall on Oct. 22.
Schaap was in Lincoln to be the keynote speaker at the Carroll R. Pauley Memorial Endowment Symposium titled “The Great Common Denominator: Sports in History, History in Sports.”
In his informal meeting with students before the speech, Schaap talked about the challenges of finding work in a hypercompetitive job market while the industry undergoes massive changes.
“The most important thing is to show hard you’re willing to work,” Schaap said. “Once you show that, they’re almost compelled chemically to give you a chance.”
Schaap, the son of legendary broadcaster and sports reporter Dick Schaap, talked about his own path to a career at ESPN. He started his television career covering sports and general news for New York 1 News. He worked his way into a temporary job at Sports Illustrated and worked as a writer for CBS’s Lillehammer Winter Olympics show. He also was a writer for NBC’s Atlanta Summer Olympics show. He parlayed his position as an Olympic reporter into a position with ESPN.
Schaap has been a reporter on ESPN since 1996, frequently appearing on “SportsCenter” and “Outside the Lines.” He has won numerous awards including five Emmys.
Despite his background in broadcasting, Schaap stressed that good writing still matters, regardless of the medium. He had worked on newspapers in high school and college and has been published in Time, Sports Illustrated, Parade and The New York Times.
The world, he said, will always have a place for solid writing and talented writers.
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