Is it sports writer or sportswriter

From the desk of Dan Price


Is it sports writer or sportswriter?

For a guy like me who spends his time writing about sports, it seems like an easy question to answer. With nothing but time on my hands, due to the coronavirus, I decided to hit the internet and see if anyone really cares. I discovered Frank Deford, who passed away in 2017, said: "It is one word."

Well, that's all I need to know. Deford was a six-time Sportswriter of the Year. He is a member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame and the first sportswriter to be given a National Humanities Medal, which was presented by President Barack Obama in a White House ceremony, back in 2013.

Deford was one of my favorite sportswriters. I wish I could have met the man. I'd like to have walked in his shoes for maybe a day or two.

I'll stick with one word. Deford should know. As for me, I love writing about sports. My favorite sportswriting occurred more than 25 years ago. I covered high school sports in Phoenix, including the  surrounding suburbs of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Apache Junction.

I was asked to do a story on a kid in Chandler on a Thursday afternoon. By the time I got there, the kid had already scored three touchdowns and was going for more. He was a sophomore, if I remember correctly. He was a man among boys.

I went back to my desk at the paper and came up with a headline: Remember this name: Terrell Suggs.

Suggs has spent 17 years in the NFL as an all-pro defensive end/linebacker...and he is still kicking. In photo below: back in the day when Suggs was a running back for Chandler Hamilton High School.