10 questions for Eric Neel

1. How do you generally approach writers in terms of finding an angle on a story? Do the writers come to you with ideas or do you generally assign stories?

2. What is a typical deadline like for a longform piece?

3. How often, if ever, does a writer go through the reporting process and come away without a story?

4. Who is the most talented writer you’ve ever worked with?

5. What’s the one piece of advice you’d give a writer who is going out to report out a longer piece?

6. You’ve worked on both sides of the table, as a writer and as an editor. Does having the writing background change the way you go about your role as an editor?

7. What’s the most difficult story/conflict that’s arisen since your time as an editor at ESPN LA?

8. What’s your favorite story you’ve either written or presided over? Why?

9. As a journalism major and someone interested in the craft, I love longform journalism. But it appears society as a whole is gravitating toward quick-hitting topics and short burts of writing. Is the audience for these types of pieces declining?

10. For someone in my shoes, what is the most impressive thing that can show up on the resume or LinkedIn? 

Story pitch 

DISCLAIMER: I actually thought of this during class, but we ran out of time at the end. 

When Marc asked Eric about whether NFL players felt a moral obligation to act as role models, I thought about when Eric said that athletes don't think of sports in the fans perspective, they know each other as athletes.

I took a sport sociology class at UMass and one of the overriding themes is that sport is constructed not for fans, but for competition. The athletes play for themselves and for their teammates. Fans root, cheer and offer their opinion because at some level, they believe they have an outcome on the game. 

With that being said, I'd love to interact with a player and learn what they truly think of the fan. Do fans play a role in determining the games? Do they think of fans as an annoyance? What does it do to their ego? 

If we know what an athlete thinks of the people who watch him or her and idolize him or her, we can then delve into whether they truly have a moral obligation to the fan. Or maybe, fans believe athletes have an obligation to them when, in reality, they're doing their jobs in a very public manner.