Monthly Archives: August 2013

08.24.13
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Arena Football League

I was a media intern at the Arena Football League in summer 2013. I wrote games notes, press releases and interviewed players and coaches for feature stories. I also assisted with social media duties. Here are most of the stories I wrote:

Features

Calculated Risk

Center of Attention

New Life in The Graveyard

Retiring from Retirement

Opponents, Teammates, Coaches… Hall of Famers?

Back to Football

Boltus Seizes Starting Opportunity

Regaining an Identity

Football Genes

Perry Making Plays, Impact with Rattlers

Michna Off to Hot Start with SaberCats

Top 10

Conference Championship Game Performances

Division Title Finishes

Games in Arizona/San Jose Rivalry

Question & Answers

Jeremy Geathers

Jermaine Smith

Kurt Rocco

 

08.12.13
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U.S. vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina Preview

The United State men’s national team travels to Sarajevo on Wednesday August 14 for an international friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Jurgen Klinsmann’s team is on a historic 11-game win streak including three World Cup qualifying victories and a Gold Cup championship.

Most of the summer the U.S. has been playing CONCACAF teams on American soil. Wednesday will be a different challenge for the U.S. when they play a solid European team away from home. The roster for the U.S. was announced on Monday. It is predominately made up of players who play their club soccer in Europe.

Tim Howard, Brad Guzan and Cody Cropper are the three goalkeepers called in. Howard was named captain so it’s safe to assume he will start in Sarajevo.

The backline features several players that will look to impress Klinsmann. MLS-based Matt Besler and Omar Gonzales played well together at center back in recent World Cup qualifiers, but neither are making to trip to Bosnia. This opens the door for several players. The most intriguing name is John Anthony Brooks, who was born in Germany and has an American father. Brooks helped Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin get promoted into the top flight of Germany last season and scored in the first Bundesliga match on Saturday. The 20 year old has played for the U.S. and German national teams at youth levels and his future is undecided on which country he will represent at a senior level. The call-up is a positive sign that Brooks will pick the U.S.   Continue reading →

08.01.13
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The Seven Most Over-Covered American Sports Stories In July

Sports news in July can get really boring. The only sport going on is baseball and it’s still the middle of the season. It’s awkward period of time where fans start looking forward to the football season even though it’s two months away. Because we live in a society that is dominated by Twitter, people have become hungry for news and they want that news as quickly as possible. When there isn’t many sports highlights to show ESPN and other sports news sources talk about a handful of stories everyday and it gets annoying. This July was no exception. After a great sports month in June, the stories become repetitive and make you miss football even more. Here are seven stories that got way too much coverage this month on TV or the internet:

1. Johnny Manziel- When he won his Heisman Trophy he was Johnny Football. This summer he is a 20 year old, rich kid from Texas that has off the field issues. It started when he showed up late to a Manning quarterback camp and may have been hungover. The story went on all month and no one is really sure what happened that got him sent home from the camp. Then last weekend he came up with the bright idea to go to a Texas frat party, and he got kicked out and a beer was thrown on him. The next day he wore a Tebow Jets jersey to another party at Texas. Manziel has a chance to quiet critics with his actions on the football field. If he beats Alabama against on September 14, then most will forget this summer. Continue reading →