Bay Area Flavor

With a lively night scene, numerous sports teams in the surrounding area and a temperature that is far more comfortable than what those in the valley experience, living in the bay area definitely has its advantages.

The bay area is like a haven for sports fans. Football, baseball, basketball and even hockey are all represented by their respective teams for different sports enthusiasts to enjoy. 

Sports columnist Monte Poole may have one of the most enjoyable jobs on the face of the earth because his duties include writing about teams in the bay area like the 49ers, Giants, and Golden State Warriors. Depending on the season, Poole writes about two to three columns a week, which can be found in the Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times and even on foxsports.com

In his columns, Poole addresses many different topics that relate to the teams in the area. At times they can include memorable or unimpressive performances of a particular team, distrust towards a particular quarterback, or even “angst” (have to give credit to my professor for using this word during class) felt by fans for their beloved teams.

Poole’s style is something that first attracted me to his writing.  His conversational flow of writing is something that is easy enough to read for your average sports fan to comprehend, yet it provides enough depth even for the most experienced sports gurus.

After reading a couple of columns by Poole, I found myself wanting to read more and more of his work.  I even had to monitor myself in fear of getting sidetracked and not being able to finish this column.

Another aspect of Poole’s writing that I enjoy is his reporting.  When Poole does an interview with a player, the reader gets sense of what that player is thinking.  I particularly enjoyed this part in his column where Poole profiles quarterback Jason Campbell of the Oakland Raiders.  Here, Poole goes into how Campbell has had to prove himself all through his entire football career and this subtle detail gives readers a better understanding of Campbell’s past.

"In high school, people said, 'The only reason you're going to play is because your daddy is a coach.' So I had to go out and prove I was better than that," he recalls. "Then I went to college, and everyone said, 'Well, he came from a small high school. Can he really lead an SEC team?' So I became the winningest quarterback in Auburn history, helped lead the team to an undefeated season and had one of the best years Auburn has ever had.

"Ever since I was a child, I've always been doubted. I use it as motivation."

Poole’s writing, not to mention his job, is something that I aspire towards in my journey to become a better journalist.  In the mean time, I’ll just read more of Poole’s work to better improve my writing and hope that if Mr. Poole is reading this, he will not hesitate to shoot me an e-mail about a future job opportunity.