Stepansky: Hack talks pursuit of greatness in a dying industry
Aiden Stepansky talks about his four years at The Daily Orange and the pursuit of greatness in a dying industry. Courtesy of Aiden Stepansky
There’s a singular line from the film “Marty Supreme” that I’ll never forget.
Kay Stone, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, asks Marty Mauser, played by Timothée Chalamet, what he’ll do if his dream of becoming a world champion table tennis player doesn’t work out.
“That doesn’t even enter my consciousness,” Mauser replies without hesitation.
I’m not very good at ping pong. But I connected with Mauser’s words.
Sports journalism is a dying industry. I was told that when applying to colleges. When applying to jobs five years later, the sentiment remains. The sad truth is that the statement is factually correct.
The Daily Orange uniquely gives us a chance to not only pursue our dream but live it. As I reflect on these last four years, here’s what sticks out to me: Everyone knows the challenges we’re facing in pursuit of this job. We also know where this industry has gone and continues to go. Yet we continue to chase it.
I remember my first time in The D.O. house vividly. It was Oct. 10, 2022, my 19th birthday. I sat down with the then-Sports Editor Anish Vasuedevan to edit a 3,000-word feature story on NC State wide receiver Thayer Thomas. The story would be included in that week’s In the Huddle guide. I didn’t know what that meant at the time, but I felt like I belonged.
I saw the environment that I didn’t even know existed. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I wasn’t going to become a great journalist purely from sitting in Newhouse classes. This is where the greats are built: in this office and credentialed by this newspaper.
Whether we realize it or not at the time, you don’t balance school and a social life while working 40-plus hours a week for enough money to buy a few Chipotle burritos if you’re not in the pursuit of greatness.
It sounds arrogant to say out loud, or even type for online publication. But we all want to be the best at what we do. What’s the point in waking up in the morning if the end goal is not to reach the peak of the mountain?
I don’t think it’s a bad thing to admit you want to be one of the greats. We’re all inspired by them. We all want our names to be among them. But of course, it takes sacrifice.
The question is how much sacrifice you’re willing to make.
As I attempted to climb through The D.O. sports section ranks during my sophomore year, I pushed myself to exhaustion. I’d wake up each Wednesday at 5:20 a.m. and walk across campus from Marion Hall to the Barnes Center for my 6 a.m. shift as a guest services attendee at the front desk.
On my walk over, I’d send my parents a text saying, “The early bird gets the worm,” and attach the link to whatever classic rock I was listening to. The Tuesday night before, I’d often write a feature for the Wednesday print past midnight after working my shift as an assistant sports editor. Then, I’d go on with my day on Wednesday through multiple classes and work from 5 p.m. to sometimes 3 a.m. at the D.O. house.
The texts hid my true feelings. I was f—ing exhausted and knew I was a long way from hitting the pillow anytime soon. However, I also knew I needed to go all in on The D.O. to be a great writer. There’s no other option on campus that comes close.
As supportive as Newhouse is, the reality is the school doesn’t support us as writers equally to broadcasters. Sure, there are plenty of professors and faculty members who have been extremely helpful, and I’ll be forever grateful for them.
But in the same breath, how can a school host a sports media center without the usage of writers who are constantly at media availabilities and postgame press conferences? That’s us.
We hear constantly from the school about the titans in the broadcasting industry: Bob Costas, Mike Tirico, Ian Eagle and plenty more. But we never hear about the titans reporting news daily in the written form: Jeff Passan, Pete Thamel, Jayson Stark and so many more who have inspired me.
Newhouse sends broadcast students, some of whom are my good friends and immensely talented, to the Super Bowl each year. Though it’s laughable to think the idea of bringing writers, especially ones talented enough in my class, isn’t even considered. After all, there’s a reason alumni of the student newspaper refer to their alma mater as Daily Orange University following graduation.
That’s what makes The D.O. so special: there’s no other community like it on campus for writers to push themselves to the limit. What I also adore is that there’s little time for many pats on the back along the way.
Oftentimes, the competitiveness of our sports section reminds me of a scene from my favorite movie, “Whiplash.” In the film, Jazz instructor Terence Fletcher, played by J.K. Simmons, pushes 19-year-old drumming phenom Andrew Neiman, played by Miles Teller, to his limit.
At a sit-down dinner between the two, Fletcher says the words “good job” are the two most harmful words in the English language. Like Fletcher, I believe the phrase reflects complacency and gets in the way of chasing perfection. Sure, we encourage and lift each other up in the sports section. But that’s how I was raised. And we all know what the standard is, and the legacy we must uphold.
I truthfully believe the work my class has put in created an influence at The D.O. that will last for years to come. The impact goes beyond my 559 bylines, or the absurd over 2,000 combined between my fellow scribes and best friends Zak Wolf, Justin Girshon and Cooper Andrews.
Further, I think we’re all talented enough to break in and find success in this industry.
We’ve already proven ourselves here at Syracuse. We’ve become newsbreakers. We’ve written profiles on the biggest athletes and figures in the sports community, traveled the country, tallied miles upon miles on our cars like the writers before us and sacrificed our time and money to chase this dream.
Still, we’re not entitled to anything. We know what we’re entering. It’s going to be a dogfight. We’re never going to be secure. And we’re OK with that. Because we love what we do.
After my four years with The Daily Orange, I’ve only leaned further into my love for this industry and what’s to come. Why not shoot for the stars now?
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Aiden Stepansky was a senior staff writer for The Daily Orange, where his column will no longer appear. He can be reached at aidstep15@gmail.com and on X @AidenStepansky.
