The Smoking Musket has the distinction of being one of the more well-known entities in a West Virginia Mountaineers market that is as saturated as it gets as it pertains to blogs and outlets emerging to cover the team.
We are extremely proud of what we have built here, but it is time for more troops as we continue to grow and build and make this a unique spot for West Virginia coverage on the Internet.
That is where you come in.
We’re happy to talk to individuals with a variety of interests, but we’re primarily looking for people to fill these positions:
- Baseball Contributor - This is a position that is best suited for someone in the Morgantown area with a strong passion for baseball and is able to attend Mountaineer home games at Monongalia County Ballpark. You will be in charge of writing recaps for every West Virginia baseball game on the day of the game and at least one baseball-related post during the week. We are working to secure media credentials for baseball to allow this contributor access to the team and coaches. This person will be paid a monthly stipend during baseball season. If this contributor wishes, they can roll over into football and basketball coverage to keep receiving the monthly stipend. Writing experience is strongly preferred. Students are encouraged to apply.
- Student Contributor (2) - We’re looking to add a couple local students to our staff. We would prefer to bring in WVU students, but students enrolled elsewhere are also encouraged to apply. All student contributors will be allowed to write about West Virginia football. In addition, each student should specialize in at least one other sport, which can include men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball or soccer. This is an unpaid position with the opportunity to grow into a paid role. Because this is unpaid, there will be no specific assignments. You will be welcome to write what you want, when you want. We would prefer to bring in students who are studying journalism, PR or a related field.
What we can’t promise
—Untold riches. For the sake of transparency, monthly stipend positions do not pay anywhere near full-time money - think beer money/pay the light bill every month money. For students studying journalism or a related field, there’s also the added bonus of having your work published online in an outlet that is read roughly a million times per month. We’ve had at least one journalist get a solid start to their career here at The Smoking Musket.
What we can promise
—Getting your work seen by thousands of Mountaineer fans every day. A lot of people read The Smoking Musket. It’s not getting ESPN numbers, but with a strong following on social media and good name recognition among Mountaineer fans, we can tell you that plenty of people will see what you write.
What we ask from you
—Consistency. A post per week is good and is all we suggest for unpaid contributors. More than one post per week? That’s really good. Can’t find the time during the week to write something? That’s fine too.
—A fresh voice. Know what you’re talking about and back it up. Don’t be afraid of having an opinion.
—The ability to write well. Know the difference between their, there and they’re; its and it’s; etc. Writing run-on sentences with bad spelling and bad grammar doesn’t make your point come across well, no matter how strong it is.
—Be a Mountaineer fan. Please.
————————————-
To be a successful contributor here, you’ll need:
- To be very comfortable using social media
- The ability to write or research without a ton of hand-holding or supervision
- The ability to come up with story ideas
- A passion for West Virginia University athletics
- The ability to consistently meet deadlines
- A flexible schedule, including some availability on evenings or weekends
If interested, fill out this Google Form (also embedded below). If you’ve applied for a position in the past, you’re encouraged to apply again.
Come help us make one of the best WVU sites on the web that much better!