Keeping Up – 75 of 90

I think one of the drawbacks of working at a specialized company like an ESPN is the level to which you can get just deluged with information and discussion of one topic.

To start on the positive side, I really have expanded my knowledge of sports through this internship. I never proclaimed to have a mastery of all sporting information or anything, and this has really let learn some of the more intricate details of the sporting world. (I know way more about college football and basketball recruiting than I ever thought I would. Whether that’s a benefit to my life … well, that’s another conversation.)

But the problem with being so inundated with just sports news means that I feel like I keep slipping behind on my awareness of the news on other topics.

When I’m at school, sports sites are usually a part of the rotation of things I go through in my day-to-day Web surfing. But I also make sure I mix in going through my news aggregate sites to make sure I am up-to-date on everything that is happening in the world.

But here, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. when I’m on the clock, it’s sports, sports, sports. I love it, but I also want to stay aware that I don’t become too specialized and miss out on the truly important things going on in the world.

I’ve kept up on the BP saga, because it’s generally been beaten over my head. But I still don’t really understand the Shirley Sherrod situation. And the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Well, that’s probably as much my fault for not keeping up day to day as it is the media’s for a lack of coverage at this point.

(Of course, complaining about not taking enough of my spare time to read the news — first-world problem.)

I guess the point of this post is just a personal reminder to make sure to keep perspective as I continue on my journey. It will take a little more effort on my part to make sure I use some of my free time to read about the world around me.

It will make me a well-rounded person.