The Colorado Avalanche are one of the most exciting teams in the National Hockey League. Whether they are playing at home at Ball Arena or hitting the road for an away game, their fans are always there, cheering them on from the stands. Peter Baugh of The Athletic is also in attendance, but instead of howling along with the fans, he is taking notes on the game, and preparing to write another story about a top team in the NHL.
“One thing I try really hard at is if I think something is an idea, I jump on it pretty quickly,” said Baugh.
Baugh began journalism writing as a freshman in high school when he joined his school’s newspaper. He already enjoyed writing, but also developed a love for the reporting aspect of journalism, which inspired him to pursue it as a career.
He reflected upon one of his most memorable moments early on with journalism, where he wrote a story about baseball icon Jackie Robinson visiting his high school in 1953.
“This other pitcher who he visited with was still alive and I tracked him down. I think just the whole reporting process of that story was really exciting and really cool,” Baugh said.
He then attended University of Missouri for college, and continued to be involved with journalism immediately. He had done many internships and had worked for many journalism publications, such as POLITICO and the Kansas City Star. Those opportunities kickstarted Baugh’s career, as he then went on to work for The Athletic to cover Mizzou football after his senior year of college concluded. Two years later, there was a job opening for the Avalanche at The Athletic, and Baugh started covering them.
“I put myself in a good position where I had done a few good stories, The Athletic noticed and reached out the summer after my senior year,” said Baugh.
Years prior to working for The Athletic, Baugh had an internship with the St. Louis Post Dispatch, where he would write stories about the St. Louis Cardinals. Though he wasn’t a lead writer for them, it was one of his most valuable learning experiences in his career and allowed him to aim high in journalism, which can be a tough field to break out in.
Gaining success within the journalism industry is difficult, as journalists have a median pay of $43,378 per year. But even with obstacles, Baugh found his way and has ascended in the journalism world, and has done astounding work with sports journalism specifically.
Though Baugh has already had significant success in his young career, working in the sports journalism field comes with many challenges. There is a struggle when dealing with professional athletes and coaches, but they can be overcome by remaining composed and prepared while on the job.
“There are going to be times where you write something that makes people mad or ask a question that pisses people off, and that is just a part of the job,” explained Baugh. “That’s why it is good to prepare your questions ahead of time and make sure you are going into an interview setting or press conference setting knowing what pieces of information you want, and that those things you are asking are fair because that, I think, will reflect.”
In sports journalism, it is crucial to have a healthy communication with the athletes when writing stories, especially more critical ones, and it is something Baugh stresses when working in the industry.
“Players know you’ll be critical, but sometimes it can cross over into personal, and that’s something I try to avoid,” Baugh said. “One thing I try really hard with is to be present, so if there is a media availability, I’m there. So if a player doesn’t like something I wrote or isn’t thrilled with something, they know they can talk to me.”
Even though Baugh enjoys being in sports journalism and writing, the job can be a lot when having to constantly produce stories throughout the course of the NHL season, and then not having much occurring during the offseason to write about.
“It is important to take breaks,” said Baugh. “I’ve had some long stretches of work, and if the Avs go to the Cup, which they might, they are a good team, I’m going to be pretty tired at the end of it, and you have to give yourself a break and let yourself breathe.”
He further explained how he believes “a lot of it comes down to thinking creatively,” and then stated that “The Athletic is a nice place to work at because they know August is going to be a slow month,” as there is not much happening with the NHL during that time of the year.
Working in sports journalism, there is constant interaction between the journalists and athletes. Baugh explained how in a professional setting, the sports fan in him naturally fades away in the midst of his career.
“Some of it comes with time and experience,” said Baugh. “Doing this job, some of the fandom is going to go away. I grew up a big St. Louis Cardinals fan. When I covered the Cardinals in 2018, by the end of it, it’s not there anymore. You’re doing your job.”
Though professionalism is a key component to being a journalist, Baugh noted that it is still an exciting career, and there is always an appreciation for being able to do reporting and interviewing talented individuals.
Journalism is a very interactive career. Since his interest in journalism peaked, Baugh has always put himself out there. He urges aspiring journalists to reach out to those in the field to get guidance, and believes that journalists should be there to help those interested in the career.
“So many people helped me in my process of writing,” said Baugh. “Everyone had help to get to where they are, I would like to think a lot of people would be willing to pay it forward.”
MFJS Reporter Spring 2022 