It is hardly news to say that the job market for sportswriters, young and old, is challenging these days.

However, I was struck by a conversation I had with Adam Lazarus this week. Last fall, I did a Q/A with Adam on his excellent book, Best of Rivals, which chronicled the quarterback battles between Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco.

However, despite writing that book, which was his third, Adam said he hasn’t been able to land a full-time job. He lamented that he may have to do something else if he can’t land anything on the sportswriting front.

The other options hardly are appealing. Adam wants to write and cover sports.

I know Adam is hardly alone. In an effort to provide a snapshot at what is happening within the profession, I asked Adam to give a first-person account of what it is like to be at the crossroads.

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Two weeks ago, I received an email from a soon-to-be graduate of my alma mater. This young man who contacted me aspires to be a sportswriter and, having read my LinkedIn profile, he thought I could provide advice on how to achieve that goal.

My immediate reaction to this request was to encourage him to chase his dream, much like I did seven years ago. I assumed that he is pursuing this path for the same reasons I did: he loves sports, he loves to write, and he knows that great reporting, great storytelling, and great character portraits will always be a necessity and always be appreciated.

I wanted to be as helpful as possible: I attended a very small college so I felt an instant connection—and a responsibility—although I had never met or heard of him.

But not long after I began writing a reply, I felt another responsibility, a responsibility to tell him “the truth” regarding my sportswriting career. The truth I’ve come to realize is that being a sportswriter is a difficult way to make a living.

My career has been a-traditional and perhaps that accounts for the unusual ups and downs I’ve experienced. I didn’t receive a journalism degree from Syracuse, Northwestern, or Columbia and then follow that with an internship at a print publication.  Instead, after graduating from a small liberal arts school with an English degree, I earned my Masters degree in Professional Writing in 2006. Right after graduate school I was offered an opportunity to co-author a sports history book, about the 1973 U.S. Open.

I thought it would be a unique, fun experience so I jumped at it. I also thought it would be something that set me apart from other candidates when I applied to ESPN or Sports Illustrated or some other sports media outlet. I had this vision of my glossy, full-length, hard cover book, sitting atop some senior editor’s desk, completely overshadowing all the résumés and business cards. But no full-time, regularly paying jobs came from that book; nor did one come from the two additional sports books I wrote over the next three years. I only found sparse freelance work that was rarely consistent or rewarding.

I am tremendously proud of the three non-fiction sports books that I have written. I believe each captures a special piece of sports history and characterizes several fascinating, original people, such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, and many more.

But despite these books and the national attention they received from many media outlets, they have done very little to land me the type of job I was hoping for when I started out or the type of job I need to provide for a family. My wife (rightfully so) believes that it is time I consider abandoning sportswriting for something more stable.

Now I’m not bitter or angry about this. I know there are many sportswriters out there—with far more experience and accolades than me—who have been laid off, forced to take a buyout, or simply worn down by the frequent budget cuts and downsizing of newspapers and magazines. But that doesn’t brush away the frustrations and disappointments when I hear “we don’t have anything available” or “we’ll keep your résumé on file” after asking a newspaper or website or magazine for an opportunity.

I cherish everything involved with writing about sports. I love interviewing players and coaches, be they national icons or long-since-faded stars from a forgotten era. I love sitting in front of a blank Microsoft Word document and trying to reassemble with words action that took place on a field of play 30 minutes ago or 30 years ago. And I love experiencing that “Eureka!” moment when I conjure up a pithy, clever lede or close a piece with the right dramatic scene that gives readers a moment of pause.

So although the industry is struggling, and that steady gig covering a beat or profiling fascinating sports personalities hasn’t come my way, I (for now) remain optimistic that one will. And even if it doesn’t, I don’t regret the career I’ve chosen: for a sports lover, no other job could have possibly provided me with such fulfillment and excitement, as well as the ideal creative outlet.

That is another “truth” that I hope my young fellow college alumnus soon finds out on his own.

@lazarusa57

www.alazarus.com