Finding Compelling Stories in Sports

My first exposure to sports journalism was through the baseball section in the New York Daily News. I vividly remember buying a paper everyday from the local newsman—miss you Boubacar!—and immediately flip through to see how my Yankees did on the train ride down. While the Daily News is not known particularly for its prose, it sparked a desire to better follow my hometown team instead of monotonously reading off their stats on ESPN. Tom Brady does not conjure the feelings one has of him because of his completion percentage, but rather the way he and the New England Patriots would methodically dominate the psyche of the NFL. Of course, the Patriots aren’t entirely what one would deem a “small” team, but what any sports team has are small, special stories nestled behind the brand.

This spark of mine was given oxygen when I opened a video created by sportswriter and video producer Jon Bois, simply labeled KOO DAE-SUNG. PRETTY GOOD. To avoid summarizing the video, Koo Dae-Sung was a player I probably would never have known about. He was never the best player in the league, let alone his team. But what made him remarkable was a handful of moments in which, finding himself in a situation where most would give up, he found a way through near-insurmountable odds. Now, it’s stories like these that pique my interest. Not every player has to be the best in their profession to be deemed remarkable, so long as they can evoke a feeling that compels one to support that player or team they play on.

I feel as though the atmosphere of sports around the world has seen an unhealthy balance focusing solely on victory above all else. In America, “small market” teams are at risk of being moved by their owners that care more about their net value than their team’s history. Soccer in Europe had a brief scare a couple years back with rebellious, wealthy, soccer teams attempting to make a closed off league designed to cement their power and the wealth that comes with it. Stadiums are increasingly branded, not by our team or hometown heroes, but by corporate sponsors that do not convey the soul nor history of the team that one supports. I suppose this is a call to the sports fans, both prospective and current, to find your local teams and know your local players. Find unsung teams and entities that spark your interest. Support our sports teams, from our NCAA III lacrosse team that made it to the national tournament last year to our club rugby team that just saw a player drafted to the professional rugby league. Support a team not because they win but because you see yourself as part of the fabric of the community that strengthens that team.