Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
November 9, 2001, Washington Post

One-on-One Coverage

Lots of kids dream about becoming professional athletes. When I played Little League baseball, I was absolutely sure that I was going to grow up and play second base for the Boston Red Sox. But I couldn't hit a curve ball, so like most kids I had to give up my dream of playing pro ball.

Still, there are lots of people who get jobs around sports who aren't athletes. Mark Maske is one. He writes about the Redskins for The Washington Post. Maske (pronounced "MASK-ee") is paid to watch football games, talk to the players and write about them in the newspaper. Pretty cool. Before that, he covered the Baltimore Orioles and Georgetown University basketball. I talked to Maske about being a sportswriter. Here's what he had to say.

Did you play sports as a kid?

I played everything growing up: baseball, basketball, soccer. I played soccer all the way through high school.

What was your favorite sport?

I guess I liked basketball the best. As a kid, my dream was to be the point guard on the DeMatha High school basketball team [in Hyattsville, Maryland]. I went to DeMatha, but they had a national championship team while I was there, so I didn't even try out.

When did you first think of becoming a sportswriter?

At DeMatha, I wrote an April Fools piece for the school newspaper. The story claimed that the basketball coach, Morgan Wootten, had recruited a 7-foot-6-inch kid from out of the country to play for DeMatha. I guess the story was pretty good, because some coaches in the league thought it was true and called the school to complain about Coach Wootten recruiting. Anyway, the story made me think it would be fun to write for a paper.

What did you do as a kid that helped you to become a sportswriter?

I liked to read a lot. By high school, I read the newspaper every day. Since I liked sports and liked to read, sportswriting seemed to be a natural thing.

How long have you been with The Post?

I started with The Post in 1990, after I graduated from the University of Virginia. But I covered University of Virginia sports for two years as a stringer [a part-time writer] for The Post while I was still in college. That is really how I got my job. Sportswriting is a great way to break into the newspaper business because the paper always needs people to write about the games.

What do you think would surprise kids to know about being a sportswriter?

Everyone thinks that the sports section is the toy department of the newspaper. But sportswriting is really a pretty normal job. I don't just write about the games. I have written lots of stories about contracts, coaches getting fired or the team being sold.

What is the most fun about being a sportswriter?

There are times when it is really neat to be at the ballpark. For example, I was there the night Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's record [for consecutive games played]. I knew that every sports fan in America would have wanted to be where I was that night.

I have also covered the World Series and the Super Bowl. Those were real exciting too.

Is there any event that you have not covered that you would like to?

I am a big college basketball fan, so I would like to cover the Final Four. And I would like to cover at least one Olympics. I always love watching the Olympics when they are on television.

Do you have any favorite teams?

I grew up around Washington, D.C., so I always followed the Redskins and the Orioles.

Do you still root for the Redskins?

Not really. Sportswriters are not supposed to root for any team. In fact, there is an announcement before most games that there is no cheering in the press box [where the reporters sit]. When you cover a team, you find out that you are there to do a job -- to tell the fans as best you can about the team.

Fred Bowen is the author of sports novels for kids. Write to him at KidsPost, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail (with "The Score" in the subject field): kidspost@washpost.com.

© 2001 The Washington Post Company