The World is His Oyster – And Sports is the Pearl
By Jacob Comello
Small towns fuel dreams as familiar streets and buildings give way to broad horizons. Timothy Daye Jr., a Henderson, N.C. native, has seen his horizons and is ready to go at them with all he has.
Timothy, 16, has a relentless smile and an infectious chuckle. He will talk to you about many things, but when the conversation changes to sports his true passion begins to show. Over the years, Timothy’s love of football and basketball has grown beyond the point of mere entertainment. He now sees sports as a nexus between cultural, economic and social boundaries.
“You see these soccer matches in the Middle East, and despite all the violence and division that might be going on there, people just forget for a while and get together to see a good game,” explained Timothy. “This is what sports should be about.”
He is disappointed with how little sports journalism has emphasized this in recent years.
“It lacks integrity,” Timothy said. “People today only seem to focus on the negatives of sports, just because it can bring a dramatic story.”
Timothy believes the mudslinging that takes place in sports reporting, such as the coverage of the Tiger Woods incident in 2009, shrouds the wholesome nature of competition and creates a tabloid culture that is more divisive than entertaining.
“Tiger was an inspiration to many athletes,” commented Timothy, “The fact that this one incident has tarnished his reputation really takes away from golf.”
He hopes to use his journalism skills to become a broadcaster and help promote diversity through sports.
Timothy himself is no stranger to diversity. An African-American, he resides in a town where minorities are majorities in schools and colleges.
“My ethnicity contributes heavily in my community since my town and schools are majority African-Americans and Latin-Americans. Yet there are even greater diversities inside these communities like socioeconomic ones,” Timothy said.
His desire to understand humankind blends with his love of sports to drive his writing efforts.
“I even wish I knew my own culture better. I wish I could learn more about my African ancestors and the struggles they faced as slaves and in America. I also wish I could understand European culture better, since it is the basis of life in America.”
Timothy looks to journalism as his best tool for encouraging diversity in the future because of the way it affects people.
“Many people express their opinions through journalism. It shows people the true nature of the world,” he said. “Ultimately, I want to cover sports in a way that allows human togetherness more than anything to shine through,” explained Timothy.