The Academics of Athletics

On May 17, ESPN’s The Undefeated website launched as “the premier platform for exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture.” Scott Brooks, a sociology professor at Missouri, built his career on studying these themes, and his presentation taught me that I should never watch an athletic event again without considering cultural phenomenons. Brooks explained how sports writers, across the board, use specific terms such as “strong” or “smart” to describe certain athletes based on preconceived notions of race or background, and these assumptions can further promote false storylines. Sports writers have an obligation to tell the right story, but finding the right story can involve thinking about athletics and success in a new, challenging thought-provoking way. “Trailblazers do more work,” Brooks said in response to a question about how to be the sports writer who breaks down barriers and pushes against stereotypes. Brooks gave me a sense of purpose, for everything from my photographs to my writing to my tweets. Understanding sports and writing about sports in a critical, intelligent way involves comprehending the influence of sports history and reading current sports with an open mind. Sociology and cultural studies, such as the article we read about community cultural wealth framework, can help sports writers describe athletes in a more accurate manner, but the main lesson I took away from Brook’s talk was simple: never stop thinking and never stop asking questions. Make no assumptions. -- Shannon Scovel

Meeting Mary Byrne (again)

In December 2014, I listened to Mary Byrne speak at a Woman in Sports Media Panel, and her passion came through during her presentation, inspiring me to continue pursuing a career in the sports writing industry. Byrne spoke with confidence and poise, and she brought that same expertise into the
classroom once again when she addressed SJI on Wednesday afternoon. Mary greeted me by name when she walked into the room on Wednesday, and I remember thinking “The senior deputy editor of ESPN knows my name!” We’ve learned the importance of observation throughout at SJI, and Mary’s ability to recall my name demonstrated that she has mastered the skills of recollection and observation. Mary is smart. She’s confident, assertive and has an understanding of journalism, management and organization that I greatly admire. She answered every question about the business behind ESPN and sports media without hesitation and awed us when she explained that she balances her everyday tasks with over 900 emails, and her job keeps her on the clock 24/7. “Call me after ten,” Mary said. “I’ll likely be driving home from work and have time to have a longer conversation with you.” True to her word, Mary responded to an email I sent to her at 12:23 a.m. Her days may be long, but she has left an impact on the sports media field that will last even longer. -- Shannon Scovel

A role model for me

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Jose de Jesus Ortiz speaks to the class this week.

There I sat, listening to Jose de Jesus Ortiz talk, and all I could feel was an immense pride and motivation. Here I had not only one of the premier Hispanic journalists in the country, but one of the best journalists in general talk to us. Listening to Ortiz carry himself so well and speak so proudly of his roots, I was full of pride in my Hispanic heritage. I could relate exactly to what he was talking about. I didn’t learn to speak English until I was four. Spanish was my first language, just as it was for Ortiz. Yet we persevered. We embraced our culture and have made it an essential part of who we are. Ortiz has reached the pinnacle of the sports journalism industry as a columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I have not. But I strive to be like Ortiz. I will carry my Hispanic heritage with me, will bring it out onto the forefront, and will hopefully leverage it into a successful career in the business.  -- Daniel Ynfante

Bonding with my brothers

Late night conversations with the boys are like a reliever from stress. Around 10 pm the other night, I met up with Hayden Kim, Daniel Ynfante, Chris Yangas and Damian Reynolds in the lobby of our hotel. We discussed classroom days and gave each other knowledge about out internships for the summer. Who would ever think a bond could become so strong in less than five days? Everyone in the class is here for one reason--to be a better sports journalist and learn as much as we can from our professors. But one thing that can save your brain from exploding is laughter. Hanging with the boys on Tuesday night really helped me prepare for class the next day, and helped me feel right as I march on the path to the rest of my career.  -- Canaan Cadwell

Seeing the big picture

We’re nearing the end of our boot camp with the Sports Journalism Institute. By now, we’ve learned about how we all got here; we’ve spoken to a multitude of accomplished journalists; we’ve all learned what it’s like to be out of our comfort zone; we’ve bonded as a family. On Wednesday, as usual, a group of us rode to the Missouri campus with Sandy Rosenbush and Leon Carter. We were all checking our phones to make sure everything was squared away for the morning sports check.
For the most part, it was a routine start to the day. But as we neared the classroom, Sandy and Leon reminded the four of us in the car of something the entire class should always keep in mind. What makes SJI special is the family environment it provides. Unlike most programs, SJI truly is a network of supportive professionals who truly learn to care for one another. From the first day we all got selected to this prestigious program, Sandy, Leon and Greg have told us that SJI is a family; that even when we all walk out of these doors and head to our summer internships, we’ll still be there for each other. By the end of this week, Sandy and Leon will have taught 24 classes. By the end of this week, SJI will start looking forward to its 25th anniversary. What we all need to keep in mind is that SJI is a lifelong family. No matter where we go, no matter whom we end up working for, SJI will always be there. We still don’t have any idea what this program will mean to our future success. But judging by all of our speakers and everyone we’ve met throughout this experience, there is no doubt that SJI is special. It might take years after this week before we start appreciating this experience. But for now, we should all keep in mind that somewhere down the road, some time after we’ve parted ways, we’ll all realize how truly special this week was for our personal growth. -- Hayden Kim

Finding value in sports checks

At the beginning of SJI, I mostly just found sports checks to be frustrating and a bit silly. Pop quizzes made me feel like I was in school or some sort of weird summer camp. I read plenty, I thought, why do I need to prove it? But what sports checks have made me admit is that I didn't read everything I needed to read.  I can't only read the news I'm interested in. I have to read everything. That's a habit I've developed at SJI, and it's one I intend to keep as I move forward in my career. -- Aaron Reiss

Sports and race

I enjoyed Dr. Scott Brooks' Sociology of Sport class when I enrolled in it at MU in the Fall 2015 semester. But I enjoyed his talk with my SJI classmates and me as much if not more than any lecture I'd heard from him before.Hearing Professor Brooks focus specifically on the media's role in society's general perception of black athletes was fascinating. We discussed how the media likes athletes to fit into certain narratives — and how those narratives differ between athletes of different races. It was eye-opening to hear some of my classmates, who identify with many different ethnicities, admit these sorts of bias narratives can creep into their own minds. I walked away from the talk thinking about how journalists must never be lazy. They must always admit when stories seem too simple — because, as the talk reminded me, we often make them too simple. -- Aaron Reiss

Hunting for Clips

Yesterday, my peers and I were fortunate enough to have the great David Squires teach a class on writing and editing. For the most part classes on grammar and editing are really slow moving and boring. But as it seems with every speaker that we have, they say something that sticks out. Squires said we should go to work with the mentality “I’m going to get a clip.” Meaning every story we write should be written with the same importance as the next. The story you write that day should be ready to go on your portfolio when you apply for a job. I have never had that mentality going to work and that’s not to say that I go through the motions when I cover something like basketball or baseball. But I have not been cognizant of the fact that those seemingly smaller stories can get you a job. When I go to my internship and eventually back to my college, I am going to get a clip. -- Javier Cortez

I'm in the minority -- Cavs to win title

I’m probably pretty dumb for it. How do I know I’m dumb? The Warriors just came back from 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team with two of the best five players in basketball. They’re probably the best three-point shooting team of all-time. Stephen Curry is in the midst of the best single seasons in NBA history. The Warriors have been near-perfect at home over the last two years, and they have home court advantage in this series. I’m the only person out of the 16 that were in the room this morning as Mr. Carter surveyed us who picked the Cavaliers, and that’s among people who know the NBA much better than me.

So, yeah, I might be wrong. I’m not really into predicting things. But the Warriors showed signs of waning against the Thunder. They’re certainly not invincible anymore. So, I’m siding with LeBron James, the best player I’ve ever seen play basketball, to win the Finals with a completely healthy team and plenty of rest after a dominate first 14 games of the playoffs. James and the Cavs possess the best playoff defense in the NBA who I think can keep the Warriors in check, and an offensive arsenal that is healthy and playing the best it has. This is the best Cavaliers team LeBron has ever been a part of. This is the year Cleveland finals get an NBA championship. -- Christian Hardy

We should be defined by skin

Walking this amaurotic, murky, but convenience earth that we live in; I am judged wherever I walk. No matter if it’s going to the grocery store, bank, school, or job, a set of molds towards me will most likely get be misjudged. It all correlates to one the thin layer of tissue that forms on the outside of my body. That one thing is simply my skin. Only blacks will understand what other black people go through because of how and where we were raised. Also, the way of being judged by simply having light or brown skin ties into the deviant behaviors sports athletes represent and even non-athletes is awfully unfair. I am a light skin black male and I am not living in the hood now. That doesn’t mean I am not from the hood. I was raised in Acres Homes, northwest section of Houston, but my mother made sure I wouldn’t follow same path as most kids from my neighborhood. I moved out of the hood early in middle school but my “way out,” was basketball. My track record upon now; honor roll student, blogger, school newspaper writer/editor, and had internships that turned into jobs. Just because I am from the hood doesn’t define who I am or my character. Stephen Curry has been my favorite basketball player since I was in the 7th grade. Curry’s transition now from being the underrated guy to the unanimous MVP, I couldn’t even predict. But the way he is perceived as being “light skin” shouldn’t even matter. Curry comes from a wealthy family but worked hard to where he is. Growing up in a rough area, I had to work harder just to make it out. At the end of the day, Curry and I are both “light skin.” We just come from different backgrounds. The way I am defined, shouldn’t be determined by my skin. -- Canaan Cadwell

Learning to put aside my fandom

Today, Greg Bowers sat in the front of our class and talked about ethics. He told us, “Your fandom is what got you here, and now you have to throw it away.” I’m from Oakland. Everyone here at SJI knows it and most people back at the University of Portland know it. I grew up on the Golden State Warriors. I was excited when Baron Davis signed my hat for my 11^th birthday and, yeah, I am happy to see the team back in the finals. That said, I understand why Greg Lee winked and said “homer” before assigning me to write the Warriors vs. Thunder Game 7 from OKC’s point of view. In class, Bowers explained that the original job of sportswriters back in the 1920s was to write positively about a team. That is no longer a sportswriter’s job. My fandom is partly what got me into sports journalism. But I have always been a fan of writing. I have found a career path where I can combine my two loves and am learning to balance them. I don’t particularly struggle when I have to cover Golden State, the team I love. When the Trail Blazers blew them out earlier this season, I wrote two stories on a tight deadline for the AP and when it went out on the wire, I don’t think anyone could tell I had grown up a Warriors fan. But I learned something new today about the intersection of fandom and journalism. And I also was reminded of the importance of objectivity.  -- Malika Andrews

Midnight stroll

While I was listening to some of the the guys speak last night, I decided to watch a video someone sent me earlier in the day. [background music from video] "What we gonna do? We gonna save that money!" The four guys with me were curious what I was watching. The brothers of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated were performing in a yard show at UGA (my school). In the top left of the screen was yours truly. Being so busy with SJI, I have not  had time to fully break out of my shell, so I think everyone who saw the video saw a different side of me. As I relived the moments of strolling with my fraternity brothers, the guys wanted to see me re-enact some of the moves. I did, even though the clock read midnight. Strolling does not mean "a walk in the park," at least not to predominantly black fraternities and sororities. Strolling is more than just dancing. When I hear "P! B! P-B-S!" from across the room, kiss the journalist in me goodbye for the duration of the stroll.-- Damian Reynolds

SJI opening doors

Although I still have a couple more years of college ahead, I’m already thinking about what I want to do afterward. We toured the University of Missouri journalism school this week and it went above and beyond my expectations. I’ve previously toured the University of Florida j-school, but there was something different about Mizzou. I was accepted to both universities during the application process in high school and ended up staying close to home  (in Utah) because of tuition. However, if the opportunity should present itself for me to attend grad school at either of those other places, I would give it serious consideration. And after hearing great things about Mizzou’s program, it will be something I keep in the back of my mind. This is what I love about SJI and the boot camp — it’s opening the door to so many opportunities. --  Kimberly Brenneisen

Ortiz brings inspiration

For the second day at SJI, I'm blogging about a speaker who inspired me. Jesus Ortiz is a sports columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the first Hispanic president of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Ortiz spoke about issues facing minorities on the field and in the media, including the unfairness of quoting Latino ballplayers verbatim when they speak broken English, and the challenge of finding a mentor in a media industry that is short on diversity. On the issue of verbatim quotes for those not entirely comfortable in English, Ortiz led a discussion of a recent piece in the Houston Chronicle in which Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez sounded illiterate because he did not speak English--which is not his native tongue--perfectly. Ortiz, who previously worked at the Chronicle and knows Gomez, described him as “a very bright guy and a very proud guy.” But the verbatim quotes did not portray him that way. Though I cannot adequately explain why I appreciate this man in just 200 words, I hope my post explains why he encouraged me to be a better sportswriter, and I can’t thank him enough for the motivation.-- Chris Yangas

Ethical debate

Today, Greg Bowers of The Missourian, did a presentation on sports ethics. The foundation of the presentation was set around one key concept, “Ethics is a moving target” as Mr. Bowers said. Things that would pass for quality journalism in the 1920’s would not pass in the 1970s, and today that ethical pendulum has swung again, making what was acceptable 30 years ago, inapplicable today.
But does that mean ethics are solely relative to the times? Don’t they coincide with moral values? Aren’t there ethical guidelines that remain through the years? In some ways, it feels like ethics being a moving target is a cop out or an excuse to let someone do or continue unethical work. If the ethical guidelines keep changing, and in part foster bad behavior, then aren’t we just deluding ourselves into thinking we do well intentioned things, when it’s the exact opposite? I’m not saying Mr. Bowers is wrong, or what I briefly said in the past 100 words in the sole basis for his argument, but I don’t think you can keep widening the ethical and moral spectrum. --  Javier Cortez

Solve The Problem

Matt Dulin, the community outreach director for the Missourian, said something in class that resonated with me: “We shouldn’t ask ourselves if we’re giving people what they want or what they need. We should be asking what the problem is and how do we solve it. The true value of a storyteller is finding something that isn’t thrown at you." Dulin’s presentation centered on how to reach out to audiences via social media, but his words also apply to his work as a professional. He came to Missouri two months ago from Houston, and he’s on a mission to meet 100 Columbian residents within 100 days in order to broaden his knowledge about the community. I find his idea to be not only very authentic, but it’s also a way to engage community members who feel underrepresented.
Because society is much bigger than even the needs of one person. As journalists, we have a responsibility to embrace the humanism in our profession in order to paint a bigger, better picture of the reality we share as a community. What this man is doing serves that purpose: reaching out to the voiceless who desire to be heard, not resorting to covering those who suit his own biases. And as a minority, I certainly respect that. -- Chris Yangas

The Changing Media Landscape

Digital-first. Millennial audience. Multimedia platforms. I’ve heard the new 2016 media buzzwords before, in fact, I’ve studied these terms and concepts in my journalism classes, but these ideas took a new meaning yesterday afternoon. In a skype session with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch, I gained a fresh sense of confidence and positivity about the future of sports journalism in the technological world, and I became more certain that this is the field I need to enter. "In the time we live in, we have the most talented group of sports writers that we've ever had,” Richard said during his talk. As a future graduate of SJI, I look forward to applying my newly developed skills to my internship to cover the sports world with accuracy, intelligence and creativity. Richard also said he teaches a class addressing race, gender, sports and media relations at Columbia University with fellow standout journalism Jane McManus, and while I’m excited to start my internship, Richard simultaneously increased my interest in Columbia as a grad school possibility. To learn more from Richard would be a gift, and I would love to sit in his classroom and soak up knowledge from the reporter who has made such a name for himself in one of the nation’s leading sports magazines.-- Shannon Scovel

SJI lessons

Halfway through my SJI experience and I am having the time of my life. Can we do another week of this? The amount of information I’ve soaked in, the career advice I’ve received, and the quality time I’ve spent with my peers has been unbelievable. I came into the program expecting to learn a lot and expecting to meet like-minded individuals, but I didn’t expect this. Honestly. Leon Carter, Greg Lee and Sandra Rosenbush are three of the most intelligent, funny, and personable individuals I have ever met. I appreciate the seriousness and taking care of business attitude they’ve approached the program with, which have made the moments where they’ve joked around and told us stories that much more appreciable. One of the key pieces of advice I’ve received so far has been to make a good first impression. I hope I’ve done that with Mr. Carter, Mr. Lee and Ms. Rosenbush. -- Daniel Ynfante

The Future of the Business

There are few who understand the landscape of sports media better than Richard Deitsch. The longtime Sports Illustrated reporter spoke to the SJI class on Tuesday afternoon about the sports journalism and media industry, from his relationship with personalities like Colin Cowherd to navigating interviews with public relations representatives. As someone with a close ear on the business, it was natural for the class to ask about the future. “If I knew where sports media was going five to 10 years, I would be an entrepreneur,” Deitsch said. “Not a reporter.” But he did have a good idea. The first big takeaway from his talk was sports journalism will need to be more interactive. It will need to bring content to people, for example, through live events. The second big takeaway was niche-driven content will also play a significant role. Getting in on the ground floor of off-beat topics like e-sports could prove fruitful, as the demand is likely to increasingly reflect individual interests.
Either way, it will be an exciting evolution. “The time we live in,” he said, “we have the most talented group of sports writers we have ever had.” -- Katie Richcreek

We all have a voice, and they matter

If there is anyone that understands the value of having diverse voices, it’s The Undefeated Managing Editor Raina Kelley. A former aspiring playwright, Kelley’s duties now include finding fresh voices to tell unique stories on race and sports for ESPN’s newly launched website. This summer, all 12 of us from the SJI Class of 2016 will ship off to different publications across the country. Some of us will be at digital publications. Others will hone their print craft at newspapers. All of us will be looking to find our own voice. Kelley believes that, for us, there will be nothing more important than finding our own distinct voices. “A lot of people think voice is about I,” Kelley said. “Voice is about how you put words together.” As young aspiring sports journalists, we need to remember our voices matter. They’re what separate us from each other, and other writers. It’s what allows us to tell important stories about different people in unique narratives. Finding voice is a lifelong process. But like Kelley reminded us, every voice matters. We have the power to shape sports coverage with our words, and it’s crucial that each and every one of us gets heard. -- Hayden Kim