As both members of the sports section are preparing to graduate, we wanted to share the lessons we’ve learned as part of Sun News and the importance of covering sports as a whole.
Spencer Rodak — sports writer
Sports have always mattered. I’ve known that for many years. But it wasn’t until this past year that I was really able to experience it in a way I hadn’t before.
It’s easy to think of sports as just games, scores, wins or losses. This year, however, through my hands-on experience for Sun News Daily, as the sports director for 91.3 Radio Blaze, and through my senior project, I saw something different. Attending nearly 120 games in a school year will do that.
Sports aren’t just played or watched; they are shared.
Covering games for Sun News continued my appreciation for the storytelling side of sports. After the game has ended and most people have gone home, the work is just getting started. Interviewing players and coaches, checking stats, and writing recaps and game stories show that there is more to a game than meets the eye.
It’s not just about who won or lost, but about the momentum swings, emotions and moments of individual and team brilliance that come with them.
Doing my best to capture that through my writing made me realize how important those details can be in telling the story.
There’s also a different kind of energy when you’re on a broadcast, as I was many times this past year as sports director.
A big moment occurs, and I’m not just watching it; I’m responsible for bringing it to life for those listening. In those times, you realize people aren’t tuning in for the outcome; they’re tuning in to feel something. Tension, excitement, even disappointment. But through it, sports give us reason to connect, even if we’ve never met.
That idea became even clearer as I launched Southern Utah Gameday, and it eventually became my senior project. Building a platform dedicated to covering collegiate sports in southern Utah showed me that there is a real audience for these stories. People care about their teams, athletes and communities. They want to be connected around common themes, and sports provide that connection point.
What really makes sports matter isn’t just what happens on the field of competition; it’s everything around it. It’s the stories that often go unnoticed, or the fans who show up, listen or support from afar. It’s the shared identity formed around a team or a school.
In a world where people are being pulled every which way, sports still find a way to bring them together.
Over the past year, I was able to tell the stories of local sports. Through that experience, it became clear that sports matter because they create something bigger than the game itself: a community.
Curtis Keddington — sports editor
Growing up, sports have always been a part of my life. I played nearly every sport growing up, and my parents often saw me watching ESPN instead of cartoons before school.
Prior to joining Sun News, I knew the importance of sports journalism from afar. After all, it was the reason I was able to stay up to date with my favorite teams and players while hearing all the breaking news.
After being the sports editor for the past two years, I have been able to see the personal impact that sports have on everyone involved.
Through the interviews I have conducted with players, coaches and students, I have been able to see how sports change people.
The impact sports have goes way beyond just the X’s and O’s on the field.
While covering the football team, I spoke to many students about the impact that the team and sports on campus have on people who aren’t directly involved.
Sports help bring together in ways that few others can. In a time with increasing tension over a variety of issues, sports are still one of the few things that connect people to a common goal.
I saw this again recently when both covering and rooting for our men’s basketball team, which was making a run towards the NCAA tournament. Those who went to the games to support the team forgot about all other issues or problems going on to support UT. I was able to see students rally around the teams on campus regardless of what else was going on.
This is why sports coverage is so crucial. While it may not cover as pressing worldwide issues as the news, it helps people regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs.
I’ve seen the impact that sports have had as both a fan, and for the campus as a whole as a journalist.
Through my time with Sun News, I have been able to not only grow my writing skills, but I have also been able to witness the impact sports have on the community and everyone involved.
Without my experiences with Sun News, I wouldn’t truly understand the positive impact that sports can have on entire communities. For the players and coaches, the journey to the goal unites them while the rest of the campus stands behind them in support.
If we forget the importance of sports journalism, we will forget about one of the few things that people can relate to and bond over, regardless of anything else.
