Interview with John O'Connor
Richmond Times-Dispatch
by: Richard Mallory

            The Planet recently had the opportunity to interview John O’ Connor, a sports journalist based out of Richmond. O’ Connor has been a member of the Richmond Times-Dispatch sports staff for 25 years. He has covered Richmond area sports including University of Richmond athletics and the Richmond Braves, a minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. O’Connor began working part time on the Times-Dispatch staff while still a student at the University of Richmond.  He has also worked for the Progress-Index, a Petersburg daily newspaper, before eventually taking a full-time position at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. O’Connor has received several awards in recognition of his quality work from various state organizations. The following is our interview with O’Connor in its entirety.


Q: What was your introduction to the journalism business? Can you describe the gradual steps along the way that you had to take in order to become a full-time staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch?

A: I knew I wanted to do this for a living since I was a kid. I liked sports. I liked writing. I started working here part time as a sophomore in college, answering phones and editing copy. When I graduated from the University of Richmond in 1980, there were no full-time openings on the Times-Dispatch sports staff. I worked at the Petersburg Progress-Index for six months, and then came back here when there was a full-time opening.

Q: What was your original objective in terms of your professional career as a journalist?

A: Have fun. Meet people. Make enough money to survive.

Q: Sports often serve as a source of entertainment and diversion. Unlike most people, watching and covering sports is your job. Do you ever have to remind yourself that you get paid to cover what the majority of people consider to be entertainment?

A: Believe it or not, this does get to feel like a job. It’s a good job. It’s a fun job, but I have six kids. I would rather be with them than at a VMI and William and Mary football game. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the fact that I do what a lot of people would love to do.

Q: As a sports journalist, you attend many sporting events with the intent of doing a job. Does the fact that you are at work diminish in any way the enjoyment you get out of watching the games you cover?

A: The one thing that you lose in my job is a fan’s passion. You cannot cheer. You cannot pull for one side or the other. Objectivity rules. So while I watch, I look for writing angles. There is definitely an entertainment component, but to writers that’s secondary to getting the job done.

Q: When you attend an event strictly as a fan, is it difficult to separate yourself from your identity as a sports journalist? Is it difficult to simply relax and enjoy a game like a typical everyday fan?

A: Unless one of my kids is playing, I don't attend sports events. I don't watch many on TV either.

Q: Can you describe the typical routine that a sports journalist performs when covering an event? How does a journalist decide what plays take precedent over others? There are turning points in games that are obvious to the average fan, but how does a journalist dig deep within games to find material that isn't as obvious?

A: When covering games, I take notes on each play, pitch or possession. The notes give me a chronological story of the game. Review, and then pick out the most important parts. With experience, you also gain a feel for momentum swings and background information that may be relevant.

Q: You went to the University of Richmond. You now cover U of R athletics for the Times- Dispatch. If someone were to tell you while you were still in school that you would eventually have the opportunity to cover sports for your alma mater, what would you have said?

A: I would have been pumped that I was covering sports. The fact that I follow my alma mater's teams isn't a big deal. Believe me when I say I can enjoy watching Virginia State and Virginia Union play as much as the Cowboys and Redskins.

Q: Is it difficult to cover U of R sports from an unbiased perspective. Do you find yourself having to cover up a certain degree of favoritism when you cover their games?

A: The people I knew while a student there are long gone. I really don't have any attachment to the Spiders other than a degree from the school.

Q: When a team or player loses or doesn't play well, obviously you must take note of that and at least discuss the areas of the game in which they struggled or where they must improve. How careful do you have to be in terms of your portrayal of a specific player or team? Is it difficult to describe their struggles without being too harsh or offending someone involved?

A: You will find that most newspapers don't criticize high school athletes, but they will point out errors when the performers are college and scholarship athletes or professionals. It's not easy criticizing coaches or players you are around on almost a daily basis for six months. But it's the job. You know it. If they're big boys, they know it.

Q: Has their ever been an occasion where a player, coach or disgruntled alumnus has voiced their displeasure in some regard with your work? If so, can you describe a typical complaint that you have received?

A: On stories that are unflattering, I probably get a half-dozen e-mails indicating I am a goof. About as many phone calls can be expected. Players and coaches complain occasionally, and the idea is simply to educate them that my job is sometimes to point out problems in their operation. They react by not communicating with me thereafter in some cases or on a very limited basis.

Q: It certainly isn't rare to hear athletes and coaches blame the sports media for their individual hardships. Often times, you hear athletes and coaches accuse the media of  blowing things out of proportion or taking things out of context. How often do you think those excuses are justified, and how would you describe the typical attitude athletes and coaches have in regards to the media?

A: In this day of talk radio and 24-hour news cycles, I'd say virtually every story is blown out of proportion. As far as taking things out of context, that happens a lot. To me, that is why it's important to be a writer or reporter your readers and sources can trust. With good reason, I believe coaches and athletes don't trust the media in general.

Q: A lot of times, you hear athletes and coaches give typical cliché answers like “we have to take it one game at a time.” Is it difficult to prepare your questions in order to avoid nondescript answers like that or are those answers impossible to avoid?

A: Those answers are impossible to avoid, regardless of the questions.

Q: If there is one specific sport you enjoy covering the most, what is it and why?

A: College basketball. It’s a good atmosphere. There are only five guys to a side so you can see what's happening without needing an instant replay. It has fantastic athletes.

Q: If there is one specific sports personality, be it athlete or coach that you have enjoyed covering the most, who would it be and why?

A: I still communicate on a fairly regular basis with John Beilein, a former U of R basketball coach, and a bunch of other guys who were coaches and players I covered over the years. If you do your job fairly, coaches and players come to respect you. I consider a lot of them good friends.

Q: What is the single most fulfilling aspect of being a sports journalist?

A: Immediacy. You cover things live. You see what you wrote the day after you wrote it. You hear about the quality of work from readers. You have some creative control of your business.

Q: What is the most negative aspect of being a sports journalist?

A: I work just about every weekend from mid-August to June.

Q: If you weren't a sports journalist, what would you be?

A: A middle school P.E. teacher and baseball coach in Richmond's Henrico County. I hear they make huge money.