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