Drew Jubera: Author of 'Must Win'

One thing that I have learned since the beginning of this semester is that sports reporting isn’t just about writing game stories. Sports writers must also be able to write feature stories like profiles and long-form narratives. Last Tuesday (Oct. 8), Drew Jubera was a guest speaker in my advanced media writing class.

Jubera is an award-winning journalist who has written for The New York Times, ESPN, Esquire, and more. He is also the author of Must Win: A Season of Survival for a Town and Its Team. The book tells the story of the Wildcats from Valdosta, Ga., the most often winning high school football team in America.

It was very interesting to hear all about Jubera’s approach and process when writing the story. In the first chapter of his book, Jubera describes one of the key players he focuses on with such detail and color, you almost forget he’s a journalist and mistake him for a poet.

Anyway, I feel like getting a chance to read Jubera’s work will be very helpful if or when I write other player profiles in the future. It will make for a good reference when I need to add some creativity and description.