The leap to the B/R internship: The feedback’s the thing

For the Love of the Page is a series in which current and former Bleacher Report Sportswriting Interns explain why they write and what they’ve learned.

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Becoming a more knowledgeable sports fan has been something I’ve strived for my entire life. Using that passion to fuel a potential sports-related career, however, was a new concept just a few months ago.

With no journalism background, I understood my newfound goal of becoming a paid sportswriter was probably a longshot at best, but what is the point of having a dream if you aren’t willing to chase it?

I had been hearing so many great things about the Bleacher Report Sportswriting Internship, so giving it a go seemed like a no-brainer.

Equipped with several months of writing under my belt—the last few as a Featured Columnist for the San Francisco 49ers with B/R—I convinced myself to apply for the program’s fall session. I can now comfortably say applying was one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made.

The experience thus far has been challenging, which is exactly what I hoped for. And the helping hands along the way have provided an invaluable amount of assistance. Now over a month in, I still haven’t been able to fully take advantage of all the resources at my disposal.

For me, the one-on-one feedback has been the most beneficial. With the help of Internship Feedback Editor and former intern Adam Fromal and many others, I’ve been able to understand where my weaknesses lie and how to transform them into strengths.

Improving sentence structure and developing a more authorial voice are just a couple of the aspects of my writing I knew needed refinement. I wouldn’t say I lacked the desire to become a well-rounded writer, but knowing how to go about doing so is what had often escaped me.

The internship has not only led me in that direction, but it plopped the resources needed to reach my destination right into my lap.

In some ways, writing for Bleacher Report has made me feel like a kid again. Publishing a well-researched, informative article can be a chore, but having the opportunity to fully engulf myself into the wide world of sports makes every second worthwhile.

In just over a year’s time, I’ve written more than 150 articles that have combined to reach over 500,000 readers. It’s still difficult for me to grasp that as reality, especially considering how ecstatic I was the first time something I wrote reached 50 reads.

I’ve also had the privilege of contributing to B/R’s 2012 seven-round NFL mock draft, interviewing five-time All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis (twice), and—perhaps best of all—interacting with thousands of people who are as passionate about sports as I am.

Of course, for any of this to be possible, I knew I had to be willing to make that jump. Thankfully, it was Bleacher Report that offered not only a place for me to land, but the resources that have helped me feel closer to my dream than ever before.

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Brandon Burnett is a San Francisco 49ers FC and current B/R intern. Follow him on Twitter @B_Burnett49er