Edit Desk: Sports editor in the off season

Ever since I was little, I’ve loved watching sports. Even when next to nothing was on the TV, I always found a sport to watch.

Baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis, soccer — I’ve watched almost anything I can find. I can remember my mom’s perplexed looks when, as a 10-year-old, she saw me watching bowling on ESPN.

“There was nothing else on,” I said.

Sports have always been a part of who I am. I’ve felt attached to them.

In March, when the world was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, my itch for watching sports reached an all-time high. Then, there was truly nothing on. 

Slowly, as professional leagues around the world eased back into play, I eased back with them. Sitting at home, I found myself waking up in the morning and watching soccer via the German Bundesliga and English Premier Leagues, two of the first to return to action. 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the most popular mixed martial arts company, soon became a passion of mine as well. It was one of the first U.S.-based sports to return in May. I started watching after a suggestion from a friend. At first, I didn’t really get what was going on. Six months later, I’m a near-expert in my understanding of the sport.

As I’ve gotten older, my passion for watching and playing sports has turned into a passion for writing about them. I was never good enough at any sport to play in college, but that didn’t slow down my desire to stay attached to them. 

I’ve spent my first seven semesters at Lehigh working in The Brown and White’s sports section, the past four as an editor. While professional sports began easing back into action this summer and fall, Lehigh sports, understandably, did not.

If you told me a year ago that in my semester as our paper’s sports editor there would be no sports at play, I wouldn’t have believed you. 

As far as I know, I am the only sports editor in the 126-year history of our publication to have the entirety of their term devoid of sports. With the Patriot League’s recent announcement of an in-conference basketball season beginning in January, I hope I will be the last.

My friends joked with me that I wouldn’t have any work to do, that my job would be easy. This was the “BEST” semester to be sports editor. I had to explain to them that, in fact, my job would not be any easier than it otherwise would have been. 

As we moved back into classes this fall and started Vol. 139 of our twice-weekly print paper, there was never any discussion of shutting down our sports section. And I knew there wouldn’t be.

Several other college newspapers in similar situations as Lehigh did shut down their sports sections for the semester or have produced very few articles. I know those college newspapers have missed out on a unique opportunity. 

Journalism doesn’t just stop. It never has and it never will. Even in the absence of hard news or game coverage, there will always be stories to tell. 

This summer and fall, our sports section has kept chugging along. You may have been drawn to our website for election coverage or the latest on Lehigh’s coronavirus news. There have been a lot more issues going on than sports this semester, that’s for sure. 

I hope you also took notice of the work our sports section has done. With flashback stories, Q-and-A’s, features and reaction stories, we’ve kept going. From first-time reporters to editors, everyone has contributed.

I’ve learned a lot the past several months. I’ve become a better writer, leader and storyteller. I’ve fallen in love with writing feature stories. Had there been games, I doubt I would’ve developed those skills as much.

I love sports. I love watching sports. I love writing about sports. Don’t get me wrong — I wish we could have had sports this semester. Instead, we’ve been forced to get creative, to write stories we never would have otherwise.

As sports editor, the pandemic has challenged me in ways I didn’t anticipate. As I near the end of my term, I know I have a lot to take away from it. I can’t wait to keep writing, to keep telling stories. I know our paper won’t stop. I know I won’t stop.

Journalism won’t stop.