The pride of Cleveland blankets me when I wake up every single day. Growing up cheering for the Browns, Indians and Cavaliers, that crisp grittiness traveled from generation to generation.
What got me into journalism was through my family. From my father, my grandfather and his father, they treated sports the same way that they treated church – as supreme.
I always joke around with my professors that I enjoy writing due to the fact that I hate reading, but my journalistic journey really started when I was old enough to walk. When I was about 3 feet tall in preschool, every morning I would discuss scores and stats with the school security guard. Throughout elementary school, my mother would have my brother and I read one book a week, something that is sewn into my head. I used to fight her about reading, because I hated to read. Eventually, she gave me Mike Lupica books to read, and I was instantly hooked.
That is my purpose: to write about sports.
As I got older, I learned to appreciate sports writers, and reading their work became part of my daily routine. From Dan Shaughnessy to Bomani Jones, I revered those guys because it felt like they were part of the game.
What led me here, today, stems from preparation. In high school, I created the sports page in our school newspaper. At that time, the newspaper was only headlining normal school news such as updates on the lunch menu or when the next play would be. It became my mission to give not only major sports notoriety, but the lesser-followed sports as well. During my undergrad, where I played college basketball, my writing limited me to the summers, during the offseason.
During my years in undergrad, I had the privilege to assist the sports page for the Delaware Gazette based in Delaware, Ohio, doing mostly game stories with a sprinkle of profiles. A story I had written that spring about a high school basketball playoff game was my first published work. My boss, Ben, was shocked when I asked him for a print copy of that week’s newspaper. He gave me a copy, and it is framed in my room back in Cleveland.
Traveling back to the summer of ‘25, I received a phone call from Dan Campbell, the head of the sports section for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. He offered me a job writing profiles on potential commitments to The Ohio State University’s football program. Eventually, school became a top-priority when I arrived in Phoenix. But, my job was not finished with Cleveland.com. I pleaded with my boss to help out with the Arizona Fall League, which ended up working in my favor. Those 4 weeks in October gave me more insights on interviewing, writing and reporting. That leads me to today.
With my mother being a sports fan, she was always up to date with not only scores, but current events in the sporting world. It felt as if your name showed up through books, websites and the television. When I noticed that you were teaching this class, the potential outcomes were endless. Professor Bill Hill also made the decision simple.
Commentary is vital simply because the common man feels heard. Normal folk expressing their opinion makes us human. In society, we catapult athletes, actors and musicians into an atmosphere where they are treated like God as opposed to regular people.
More specifically, the sporting industry faces a challenge in today’s world due to a decline in readership. Many young people just do not want the time to read a long article or column on one centered subject. With the amount of endless entertainment we are given through the internet, one is never enough. Social media and the lack of education is what threatens our industry.
I would like to be challenged as a writer in this class, and get out of my comfort zone. It is easier said than done, but if you do not allow yourself to take hard criticism, where is there room to grow?
