Meet Dispatch reporter Jacob Myers, telling the stories of the Columbus Crew and the people behind it
Jacob MyersI have covered the city's Major League Soccer team, the Columbus Crew, for The Dispatch since January 2019.
I have also have spent time covering the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and Ohio State women’s basketball. Aside from sports, I helped our newsroom cover the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on nursing homes.
Why I became a journalist
It’s an old cliché for someone in sports media to say some variation of, “If I can’t play it, I want to talk about it.” That’s exactly how I felt entering my freshman year at Ohio State.
I thought I would go into radio or television until I began writing my sophomore year. I found so much joy in the fact that, through writing, I could be a part of a community that shares my passion for sports.
Connect with me:Join the Columbus Dispatch's Crew fan group
What I like best about my job
I’ll forever cherish having the ability to present the human being behind someone’s favorite player they watch on TV. I believe knowing who an athlete or coach is on a human level enriches the experience of sports and can create a greater bond between a fan and a team.
What I try to do above all else in my interactions with people I cover is to take a humanistic approach. I don’t just care about the Xs and Os. I want to know them on a personal level because they’re more than an athlete or a coach.
Columbus Crew news:Kevin Molino's ‘easy move’ to Crew driven by new challenge and championship
A story I have worked on that has had a lasting impact on me
I don’t think I’ve done this job long enough to have that once-in-a-lifetime type of story. There are a few that I felt particularly grateful to tell, however. My first year on the beat, Crew midfielder Pedro Santos opened up to me about the death of his father during the best season of his career.
While the season was on pause during the pandemic and protests over racial injustice swept across the country, I felt very fortunate to tell the story of how a few Black players have experienced racism in their lives.
And for a fun one: Working with Crew defender Josh Williams on his memories of Crew Stadium was perhaps the most enjoyable story I’ve written on the beat.
What is the biggest challenge I face
There are two that come to mind.
The first is having a language barrier between myself and some players, which prevents me from getting to know them on a personal level, which I desperately want to do. I’m always in awe of those who can speak multiple languages confidently. I am trying to learn Spanish.
The other challenge I think of constantly is the one facing the entire news industry — beyond how to break through the lack of faith people have in institutions that were once trusted. How do I make my content appeal to longtime readers while attracting new ones? Like all of us, I’m searching for the answer.
Why journalism matters
I see my job as a sports writer much different than a traditional news writer. But the industry must survive because there will always be a need for independent sources to deliver news that is important to daily life and should be public knowledge.
We’re not perfect, but I find the news industry to be incredibly open to how to improve our work. At the end of the day, we want to serve people.
What I like to do when I’m not working
A day on the golf course — or at a ballpark, preferably with a hot dog and a beer — is never a bad day spent. I also like to think of myself as a cinephile. Every year, I try to watch as many Oscar Best Picture nominees as I can. And weekends are no time for catching up on sleep. I'm always up to watch the early Premier League games.
jmyers@dispatch.com
@_jcmyers
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