Sports reporting isn't the same as it used to be. In the past, sports journalists could get away knowing just the X's and O's and covering games. That's not the way it is anymore and for good reason. People want to know what goes on beyond the whistle, understand the legal jargon and read great stories. Below are examples of my favorite pieces of work.
Deadline
In-depth
The Post-Tribune
Churilla's two third place's lead Region's haul of state swim medals
Standing on the podium, junior Ethan Churilla smiled to dozens of Highland fans at the IHSAA state finals meet, knowing that among the medal winners, he's the only one that can do it again.
Ball State played Texas A&M in a game where it didn't stand a chance. The
The $1.2 million game
The Daily News
Cardinals were paid more than $1 million to take an almost certain loss in a common practice in college football called, "guarantee games."
The Star-Press
Wes-Del drops heartbreaker in sectional championship game
Throughout the game, Wes-Del led Southern Wells in what was on pace to be its first sectional championship in 15 years. The lead, however, dissipated in the final seconds of the game.
Ball State athletics signed a 5-year contract with Nike,
A closer look at Ball State's Nike contract
The Daily News
making the apparel company the exclusive brand of the Cardinals' 19 varsity teams, while offering a number of incentives to individual teams, as well.
Features
The Herald Bulletin
Months after gunshot wound, Cody Rudy earns scholarship
Two years after walking on to Ball State's football team and three months after he suffered a gunshot wound, Cody Rudy got some unexpected good news.
The redshirt sophomore fullback learned Aug. 18 that he was being awarded a football scholarship.
The 20-year-old Middletown man had suffered a single gunshot wound to his back early the morning of May 13 in the parking lot of Cadiz Christian Church.
Police ruled that the shooting was accidental, and Rudy recovered quickly from the injury.
Less than 100 days after he was wounded and just two weeks before Ball State’s season-opening 42-6 victory over Central Connecticut State, the former Shenandoah football star learned about his new scholarship. ...
The Daily News
Next step: Anthony Winbush's journey to the NFL Combine
... Being in the same group as top prospects like North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb, Washington’s Vita Vea and Arden Key from Louisiana State, to name a few, it’s easy to see how the Mid-American Conference star could blend into the 52 defensive linemen invited to the combine.
That prompted a question from one of the reporters.
“You’re here with some big names in this d-line group, some guys who’ve really gotten some A-list national attention. Do you feel like you’re playing behind a little bit coming from a MAC school?”
With a smile, Winbush delivered a confident response.
“Naw, it’s all good,” he said. “I feel like everybody’s got to be seen one day, if not sooner then later.” ...
Columns
The Daily News
Mid-major schools participating within the Football Bowl Subdivision are in a financial arms race with Power 5 schools — and they’re losing. Universities in conferences like the Mid-American Conference are forced to find and save money wherever they can just to keep their athletic departments afloat. Buffalo's decision to cut some of its athletic programs is only temporarily fixing the problem and could cause an unhealthy trend within the NCAA.
Washington Times-Herald
The Daily News
Geoffrey S. Mearns was named Ball State’s 17th president, and with that responsibility comes a need for a change from the administration. The university has been without a permanent president for almost a year, and during that time, transparency has remained a major issue among members of the Ball State community.
This is something that Mearns referred to during his speech and must continue to fix during his tenure.