Sunday, June 9, 1996
Too much of a good thing can be bad
One of the best things about being sports editor of the Daily
Bruin has been seeing people’s reaction when they find out who I
am. I have seen and heard practically everything over the past year
from, "Wow, that’s cool" to, "The sports editor’s a woman? What the
hell does she know about baseball?" (No, really, it happened.)
For the most part though, being the first ever female sports
editor hasn’t really been an issue to anyone I work with. After
all, other women who dared enter the sports office before me had it
a lot tougher.
A former assistant editor, on her first day on the job, had a
caller ask her when Sports had hired a secretary. Like a true
sports reporter, she hung up on him. I, on the other hand, rarely
received anything more than surprise or hesitation on the other end
of the line when a caller asked to speak to the editor and heard me
reply, "This is she."
Actually, I’d say being the baby of the office has given me more
grief than anything. But as an only child, I guess there is
something to be said for having nine guys who are like brothers
that tease you whenever you walk into the office.
That is not to say, Scott, Tim, Ross, EBill, EBranch, Schreiber,
Zach A., Zach D., Randy and Mark S., that I forgive you for all of
the tormenting you put me through over the past three years.
However, I must say that you helped make me into the smartass I
have become, and for that I thank you. More than that, you have
helped make working in Sports the best job on campus. (Esther
 my only friend; Denise, Kim, Gil, Robert, et al  I
haven’t forgotten you, I just didn’t have to take as much crap from
all of you. But thanks to you, too.)
I can’t imagine what my UCLA experience would have been like had
I not entered the sports office three years ago, trying to cheat on
my intern application (how was I supposed to know who Kathy Olivier
was in my first week of college?).
I was pretty naive back then (now I know everything), and I
really had no idea what I was getting myself into. If I had, I
never would have let Zach Aron talk me into covering women’s
basketball with him. I mean, don’t get me wrong, women’s hoops is a
vital element of college athletics. But 450 issues of the paper
later, as I reflect on my time at The Bruin, I can’t help but
wonder what exactly it was that sucked me in.
Maybe it was the Wall o’ Beer, which showcases some of the
world’s best ales (except Coors, of course  I never did
figure out why Zach Dominitz wouldn’t let us drink that stuff).
Maybe it was the thrill of seeing my name in print atop all of
those golf articles. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the free trips
(although let me tell you, the breathtaking sandy beaches of Maui
are not all they’re made out to be).
The decision not to return to the Daily Bruin for a fourth and
final year was a hard one. After all, it’s not like I landed some
internship at Sports Illustrated or anything.
But I realized that after three years, there really wasn’t much
left for me to do. I’ve watched or covered every sport on campus at
least once, interviewed some of the nation’s best athletes and
travelled to some of the coolest (and not-so-cool) places in the
country. There doesn’t seem to be much room for improvement
there.
So with all the fringe benefits, why give it up? I guess it’s
because there really can be too much of a good thing. As much as I
love juggling 16 units of class with late runs, special sections,
budget meetings and all the other things that add up to a (minimum)
30-hour work week, there comes a time when nothing sounds better
than being a regular student, and that’s what I want to try.
Besides, if I don’t like it, I could always come back and work in
ads or something. They tell me that’s where the real money is.
Anderson is the 1995-96 sports editor. She will use next year to
improve her GPA.