This is a story about a story. One of the very first stories I ever wrote for The Athletic, to be more precise. It’s about the time my company paid me to post up at bars around town.
It was late June 2018, an admittedly slow period in the college football calendar. I had recently moved to East Lansing, Mich., and remember driving around late at night to get a feel for the area. There was Spartan Stadium, dimly lit, calm and still on a summer evening. Over on Grand River Avenue, I drove past some local bars and restaurants — the ones you can just tell are institutions on Michigan State’s campus. I tried to envision what these places might look like on a game day in the fall, still months away from the season opener. Then I realized something: I didn’t have to wait.
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The concept was simple. The Michigan State football experience was brand new to me, but these community members have a unique perspective of it all. Why not write a story about these staples through the lens of those who operate them? Once I had the green light from the higher-ups, and a handful of recommendations, the research began.
Though these establishments were full of history, each offering a unique ambiance, I was more intrigued by the people behind the counter. Watching their eyes light up as they discussed their favorite memories was fascinating to watch as an outsider — and everything that makes college sports so captivating. You could tell there was a genuine sense of community, driven by this university and its athletic department. An unbreakable commonality. Years pass, and the names on the back of the jerseys change, but those moments never leave you.
My sole objective for that story was to listen and learn. Honestly, that’s how I approached the job from the moment I arrived. That won’t change in my new job, either, as The Athletic’s new Detroit Lions beat writer.
I joined the MSU beat in 2018 — a little more than a year removed from college — to cover a program about which I had surface-level knowledge. I didn’t grow up in Michigan. I didn’t go to Michigan State. I didn’t know anything or anyone. And the thing is, you didn’t know me, either.
What I did know was that it would take time to build up an audience. Convincing people to subscribe is part of the job, and early on, it was made a bit harder as a 23-year-old with little institutional knowledge. But I always hoped that the effort put forth to understand a town, its sports and its people would show in my writing.
Truthfully, I’m proud of that effort. Whether it was learning about the marching band’s annual tradition during Michigan-MSU week, writing about flag football games between student newspapers, profiling student-athletes, diving headfirst into recruiting, watching film, covering a coaching search, adding basketball coverage to my resume and generally finding my voice as a writer — I’m a better journalist because of these last four years. Those experiences prepared me for this next chapter covering the Lions.
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Now, about those Lions. Those of you who have followed me on the MSU beat know I’m a Midwest guy at heart. What you might not know is that I’ve wanted to cover the NFL for a long time. When I received word that the Lions job might be opening up, the fit felt entirely natural. I’ve gotten to know in recent years the incredibly talented staff here serving Detroit’s pro sports fans — Max Bultman on the Red Wings, Cody Stavenhagen on the Tigers, James Edwards on the Pistons. Not to mention Chris Burke and Nick Baumgardner — two gentlemen who have graciously passed The Athletic’s Lions torch to me.
These are two of the brightest football minds at this company. They’ve done a tremendous job supplying our subscribers with everything they need to know about the Lions roster, coaching staff, draft strategy, you name it. And though their day-to-day responsibilities have changed — Chris is now an NFL Draft editor at The Athletic, and Nick has become a national writer covering topics related to the draft — they’ll be an incredible asset for me as I make this transition and will still periodically contribute to our Lions coverage. I’m excited to learn from them.
Detroit is a city on the rise, and its football team could be mirroring it. On paper, the Lions appear to be laying a foundation. The organization has drafted well in recent years, with promising young players at key positions. Led by Dan Campbell, there’s a coaching staff in place that seems entirely unbothered by the losing teams fielded before their arrival. They’re doing this thing their way. The world will get an up-close look at Campbell’s Lions on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this summer, which should be entertaining for both you the reader and myself as a new beat writer.
All that to say: The Lions have a chance to be pretty interesting both this year and beyond. If so, we’ll be here to document it. And if not, well, they’ll always have the draft (and a pair of first-round picks to play with).
This is my first week on the job, and I can’t wait to dive into it all. Training camp is right around the corner. Before you know it, the season will be, too. We’ll have fun. We’ll talk ball. We’ll cover the emerging trends, the highs and lows, break down film, feed your football appetite and write about the people and stories that matter.
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I hope you’ll join us.
(Photo: David Reginek / USA Today)
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