For as long as I can remember, both my parents would start their mornings with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. Seeing their morning routine, I began to incorporate reading the newspaper as a part of my daily agenda. I would skim through most sections as little interested me while reading through the titles and images. That was until I came across the sports page. I was always involved with sports from a young age, whether that be on a recreational soccer or basketball team, club sports, or private golfing lessons. So, it was not hard to come across why the sports section of the newspaper intrigued me. For years, I would study particular authors’ writing in sports, but it was not until college until I found a place where my love for sports and writing could coexist.

An overview of each writer’s articles using WordPress. WordPress offers access to links, tables, and SEO analysis in each article.

Over the Summer of 2020, I was fortunate enough to secure a spot as a writing intern for Lineups.com, an online sports company specializing in creating the next sports betting paradigm by providing data and expert predictions to their users. The site was essentially put into place to give viewers a guide on how to successfully place sports bets, make intuitive decisions in their fantasy drafts, and receive sports updates on any of their favorite teams. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I worked remotely from home throughout the entirety of my internship.

I was tasked at creating topics, utilizing data to back up my claims, and constructing articles through WordPress. Some of the most valuable information I learned during the internship was always to try and incorporate the use of data to help back up your claim. This was extremely useful in my writing, especially since numbers can influence a reader’s opinion on specific topics relating to sports. My boss, Sam Shefrin, would check up on me daily to offer feedback on my writing and provide suggestions on improving my arguments on opinion-based writing prompts. I appreciated the fact that he not only gave me valuable suggestions to improve my writing arsenal but that he trusted me to develop my own style as a writer.

One of my proudest moments during my internship was writing about the connection between social reform and sports. Most of my articles revolved around analytics and predictions in sports, so the chance to write about something that could be impactful far beyond the world of sport was amazing. Sam was very flexible with where I could take the article, and he allowed me to dive deep into my passion for civil rights in sports.

I was allowed to go beyond the surface of a conventional sportswriter, and to dig deeper into some of the social issues that are currently going on in the United States.

I believe this made my writing extremely versatile in what I could produce. These intimate, current topics added a different writing style compared to my other articles on the use of analytics and statistics in sports. The internship also allowed me to learn more about my creativity as a writer. New experiences and revisiting passions have been crucial to my development as an adult. My experience as a writer reminded me always to extend your comfort zone and be open to new ideas.