The Washington Post | USA Today | D1scourse.com
Patrick Stevens got all 68 teams in the NCAA tournament correct while working part-time for USA Today and is the reporter University of Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon turns to for the first question at every press conference. He writes about sports on his own site, D1scourse.com. But he can’t translate all that to a full-time gig, Dan Steinberg writes: Stevens was laid off twice by the Washington Times, once in 2009, again in 2012.
Since then, his work has been largely self-generated, Steinberg writes:
Although he was consumed by bubble watches and bracket modifications last week, he still went to the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, believing the visibility couldn’t hurt.
His unaffiliated status hasn’t hurt his readership; fans gave him a plaque proclaiming him “Best in the Business,” thanks to his devotion to his self-appointed beat and pre-game discussions with students. But even with a solid Twitter following, coverage of tournament games and plans to go to the NIT, the CollegeInsider.com Tournament and some college lacrosse, no one in the professional-sports obsessed mid-Atlantic seems to be biting.
“It’s probably fair to say that nobody is hiring a college basketball blogger or writer full-time in April,” said Stevens … . “If something happens, great, but I’m certainly not expecting to have a full-time gig when the tournament ends.”
Previously: Laid-off Star-Ledger writer describes misery of Yankees beat
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