The Washington Post recently published a controversial editorial titled “The pandemic has reminded us: We don’t need more sports in our lives — we need less.” In short, the piece insinuated that while sports are on hold, any sports-related talk shows, articles and documentaries should also take a break. In response to the Post’s op-ed, I would argue that the pandemic has actually reminded us that we do, in fact, need as much sports-related content in our lives as we can get.
Now, more than ever, people are realizing how much of an outlet sports provide from life’s daily hassles. We could all use a break every now and then from the stress caused by the pandemic. What better way to do so than to read about a Compton native football player becoming a first-generation college graduate from his family? Or watch a university cross country head coach reflect on the challenges his team had to overcome to win the program’s first ever national championship?
Sure, it can be tough for us working in the sports media industry to come up with relevant topics to talk or write about during the pandemic. Sure, you might come across the occasional article ranking the top 74 basketball sneakers ever worn by NBA players. But there are still plenty of inspiring storylines out there, and it’s our job as sports journalists to dig a little deeper and bring those to light.
If there’s anything to take away from ESPN’s recent documentary series “The Last Dance” and its viewership numbers, it’s that people do, in fact, want and need more sports in their lives. While the majority of sports leagues remain on hold throughout the world, sports media is still here to fill the void and give people more — not less — of the sports-related content we all want and need.
Josh Carter
Sports Desk Editor
