Find the other six videos HERE.

Intent and purpose define what we do: our careers, the kind of humans we are, each person’s own sense of individuality. And for much of my young adult life, I’ve lived that way. Constantly looking for meaning and significance in every moment. A player walking off the field for the last time, the squeak a player’s shoes make before he attempts the game-winning free throw, an embrace between a head coach and the 13th man on the end of the bench on senior day. I think a lot of people in this industry think that way, looking between the lines, looking at the human aspect of sport. But in a way, that’s not what gets you jobs now.

For the first two years of my ‘career’ in sports media, I have had a tremendous struggle with feeling like the work I do actually makes an impact or difference in an industry where entertainment, money, and the business side of things have started to carry more importance than the reasons I fell in love with writing and broadcasting — people and storytelling.

How can I make a difference, stand out, or provide a service to a community where there’s an oversaturation of coverage and a constant race to be first, an insider, get ‘intel’ or ‘scoops’? The answer to that is convoluted. Only so many people can tell the same story in a different number of ways.

I’ve spent much of the last year just trying to keep my head above water, wide-eyed, curious, and eager to do well, but also scared and in a pressure-cooker of a shrinking ocean. Thrown out there with the great whites, I was a pup figuring out what works and what doesn’t, pushing some boundaries, but also hesitant about going too far.

So in March, when I was told I would be let go from my publishing position with Cardinal Sports, I was obviously devastated and confused in the moment, but it became a blessing in a roundabout way. Essentially, I had three months to live out the rest of my title and create work that I was proud of and felt good about, not what I thought people wanted to read about or what others needed me to do. In those last 90 days, I felt as good about my work in this industry as I ever had. I didn’t care about the KPIs (metrics) or what others wanted; I did what I was interested in. I started doing video essays, YouTube player bios, in-depth scouting articles, and featured recruit interviews. A lot more engaging for me than “WhO COuld BE the NeXt LoUISVille DeFenSivE COORdinaTor.”

The only control you have is the kind of story you tell. And that’s where I found purpose and meaning over the last third of the year. I created things for me and to fulfill what I wanted to feel about my work, not what I thought others wanted.

I’m prioritizing my voice, community building, need for connection/friendship, creativity, and passion for interacting with people, athletes, and coaches on a personal level from now on. Finding purpose in the little intricacies of my work rather than the metrics, feedback, comments, and survival.

I’m not entirely sure what will come of this Substack. My first year out of college, I just wrote about Indiana basketball on here, but It’ll likely be a mixed bag from now on, mostly focusing on college basketball, but more particularly the markets I’ve covered. It’ll (obviously) have a much more personal tone than my work at On3, so if that work is something you’re interested in, I’ll probably just pick up things and write about what interests me!

Currently thinking of an all-time quote from my high school English teacher: “So we’re not saying what we mean now?!”

He phrased it often. It sticks, though; being genuine, real, and true is one of the ways meaning attaches itself to us and carries with us throughout life. Putting others at the center of the story you’re trying to tell and gaining credibility through consistency and purposeful work.