Times contributor Sam Eifling, who’s lately abandoned us to travel the globe, writes entertainingly today in Slate about his job until recently, what he calls “one of the more absurdist errands in sports journalism”— reporting on bass fishing tournaments.
Let’s say you tried to cover a baseball game the way I reported on a BASS tournament. You’d start by watching the ceremonial first pitch. Next, leave the stadium, only to return three hours later to read the line score. Then have a go at interviewing the players, knowing they’ll keep mum on how all the runs scored for fear the opposing team will glean some useful information about how to swing the bat.
It’s a funny piece. Even if you don’t care anything about journalism or bass fishing.