In 2007, after graduating from Harvard College [see resume], I joined Sports Illustrated. I’d previously interned at Fortune and SI.com and written for/edited The Crimson, where a piece I did on racial diversity in Ivy athletics was named the country’s Sports Story of the Year. (Also: I birthed a 114-page statistical and philosophical thesis about child homicide in America that was graded summa cum laude and won Harvard’s Albert M. Fulton Prize.)
In October 2012, I joined ESPN as a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine/ESPN.com.
Some recent news:
• “The Transgender Athlete” was named a finalist for the 2013 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Magazine Article.
• “Larger Than Real Life” was selected as “Notable Sports Writing of 2012” in the annual Best American Sports Writing anthology.
• In 2012 I wrote two consecutive SI cover stories on Jeremy Lin, whom I’ve written about since 2007 (and also covered thrice before for SI).
• In 2011 a piece on Shaka Smart and VCU’s surprise Final Four run won an award for feature writing from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
• In 2010 “A Light in the Darkness” won the Mental Health America Media Award for coverage of a mental health issue and an Association of Health Care Journalists award. (SI nominated it for a National Magazine Award.)
• In 2010 the Boxing Writers Association of America awarded pieces on The Fighter and Mike Tyson 1st place (under 1,750 words) and 2nd place (over 1,750) honors, respectively.
• In 2009 the Society of American Business Editors and Writers recognized “How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke,” along with two follow-up reports on SI.com, with a 2009 Best in Business journalism award for Enterprise Reporting. (SI also nominated the story for a National Magazine Award.) The SEC had sued Triton Financial, an investment firm, for defrauding investors in a multimillion-dollar scam, crediting those stories with prompting their investigation. A federal jury would find Triton’s CEO guilty on 39 criminal charges.
Some SI features:
How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke | SI, 3.23.09
A 6,000-word story (see above for more) that ranked as the most popular piece in SI’s online archive. According to The New York Times, it also helped convince the N.Y. Giants to adopt an unprecedented mentorship program in 2009.The story behind Triton Financial | SI.com, 3.18.09
Accompanying sidebar detailing Triton Financial’s improprieties.How Triton defrauded investors | SI.com, 12.23.09
The SEC’s lawsuit plus exclusive details on the company’s history.
A Light in the Darkness | SI, 6.21.10A story on the changing culture around mental health in MLB—and the people, like Ian Snell, brave enough to tell their stories. The piece would be internally distributed by organizations ranging from the U.S. Olympic Committee to MLB (it was posted in clubhouses, as well). As one baseball official recounted, it “led to players contacting [mental health professionals] to address serious personal issues they faced. These players cited the article specifically as to why they came forward. They felt that if the players you talked about in your story could come forward, so could they.”
Larger Than Real Life | SI, 7.4.11] [VIDEO]For the 7-foot set, basketball provides more than an occupation—it’s a life imperative. Take that away, and where does that leave a guy like a Mark Eaton?
The Transgender Athlete | SI, 5.28.12 [VIDEO]Playing fields are segregated on the basis of sex. But what happens to the athletes whose physiology doesn’t match their gender identity? Against whom do they compete? What obstacles do they face? And how are they treated by sports’ governing bodies?
Mike Tyson | SI, 8.02.10 [COVER]
The newly clean, sober, vegan former Baddest Man on the Planet.Tyson reflects on sex, drugs, spirituality | SI.com, 7.28.10
An expanded, barely censored Q&A with Tyson.
They Showed Him the Money | Fortune, 4.30.12
A story for both Fortune and SIon superagent Leigh Steinberg, Mr. Jerry Maguire.
And New Champion … | SI, 12.20.10 [COVER] [VIDEO]
The cover of SI’s 2010 Media issue. A piece about the making of The Fighter, which we dub the best sports movie of the decade. (More here.)
Freddie Roach Goes the Distance | SI, 11.16.09
A feature on brain damage and boxing’s best trainer. (SI received very nice feedback to this from an ex-president of the World Boxing Hall of Fame. The story also won a 2009 Boxing Writers Association of America award for feature writing.)The Civil Warriors | SI, 11.16.09
Sidebar previewing the Pacquiao-Cotto fight.
The Man With a Scam | SI, 8.1.11
Houston AAU coach David Salinas befriended and then defrauded coaches in a phony bond scheme before committing suicide. How did he gain the trust—and the money—of so many? And where will the NCAA’s investigation lead? An on-deadline investigative piece from Texas. (List of clients and investment values here.)Players, coaches in investment scandal | SI.com, 7.26.11
Breaking news about the investment scandal.
The Mystery Pick is Royce White | SI, 7.2.12
In a draft with only one sure thing, a top prospect’s mental disorder raises the question, How much risk are teams willing to accept?
Harvard School of Basketball | SI, 2.1.10
How do you revise a legacy of failure at America’s oldest university? Start with an Asian-American NBA prospect named Jeremy Lin.
Return to Sanity | SI, 7.30.12
Just five months after Jeremy Lin became an overnight global icon in New York City, the Knicks decided not to keep him, clearing the way for him to go back to Houston—where things promise to be significantly more relaxed.
Back of All Trades | SI, 9.26.11
He runs. He throws. He sings. He volunteers for charities. He makes the honor roll. RGIII can do just about everything—including make Baylor football relevant again.
Walk-On Home Run | SI, 9.26.11 [COVER]
Last year Dominique Whaley was serving footlong Italian subs. Now he’s Oklahoma’s top running back. One thing hasn’t changed, however: He’s still paying his own way.
Political Punch | SI, 12.08.08
The first profile of boxer/future congressman Manny Pacquiao.
The Name of the Game | SI, 2.07.11
Isaiah Thomas—with an assist from Isiah—has become Washington’s driving force.
Untangling Rick Pitino’s web | SI.com, 8.26.09
A feature on Rick Pitino and his inner circle.Surviving a Scandal | SI, 8.24.09 [COVER]
An on-deadline investigative report on the Pitino scandal of Aug. 2009.
The Blessed Lives of Herb Pope | SI, 1.30.12
The senior has cheated death—not once, but twice.
Black and White, and Green All Over | SI, 8.27.12
Who are the NFL’s referees? And why are they locked out?
“How Did I Get Here?” | SI, 3.07.11
Festus Ezeli conquered doubts and nerves to become the nation’s most improved player.
Get Ready | SI, 7.26.10 [COVER]
Will Miles Austin, last year’s breakout star in Dallas, keep his smile?
How One Man’s Death Is Saving Lives | SIP, 11.25.10
On Feb. 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt became the fourth NASCAR driver killed in a span of 10 months, and the 32nd in history. Ten years and precisely zero deaths later, a new question emerged: How did he become the last?
Some other stories:
Mark Fidrych was living the dream | SI.com, 4.17.09
A eulogy for the late Mark Fidrych, the pitcher known as The Bird.
Smart fuels VCU’s run with conviction | SI.com, 4.1.11
On the best day in Shaka Smart’s life.
Lin opens up about leaving Knicks | SI.com, 7.18.12
The first interview with Jeremy Lin after he signed with the Rockets.
Inside Griffey’s choice | SI.com, 2.20.09
Visiting Ken Griffey Jr. at his Florida home.
Rangers vow to support Ron Washington | SI.com, 3.17.10
The first manager to test positive for cocaine faces his team.
Ex-MLB players bilked in real estate scam | SI.com, 5.4.10
Breaking the news of a multimillion-dollar fraud. The attorney general of New Jersey would revoke the licenses of the two brokers on Dec. 7, 2010.
Dangerous Minds | SI, 8.15.11
An essay on how a rash of current and former athletes’ suicides underscores the importance of mental health care in sports.
Heirs to the Throne? | SI, 10.25.10
The departure of LeBron James will end the Cavs’ two-year reign. The Bucks—with center Andrew Bogut—are poised to ascend.
2010 Sportsman: Chris Nowinski | SI.com, 11.19.10
The country’s leading advocate for CTE awareness.
2009 Sportsman: Brendon Ayanbadejo | SI.com, 11.23.09
Gay rights has found its champion in the NFL.
2008 Sportsman: Josh Hamilton | SI.com, 11.17.08
He lost the home-run derby, and it didn’t matter.
2007 Sportsman: Joey Chestnut | SI.com, 11.21.07
In which I try to coin the nickname “Sybarite Splinter.”
Some online projects:
Goodbye, Joe Sixpack | SI.com, 10.08.08
A look at fans, stadia and the sports-industrial complex. Also reprinted as a chapter in the book Sport in Contemporary Society: An Anthology (Paradigm, 2009).
The Personalities of the Decade | SI.com, 12.11.09
I rank/describe the most outsized personalities of the ‘00’s. (Part of a package that was a 2010 EPpy Award finalist for Best Web Special Feature.)
