Jenkins Medal Nominees
It’s a huge honor, and quite humbling, to be named in the company of these giants of narrative sportswriting. I feel like a minnow in a pond of trophy fish, up against winners of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Magazine Awards. Congrats to my fellow nominees, especially friends Michael Graff and Maggie Mertens! Please read their work at the links below.
The University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Sports Communication & Media announced its 12 nominees for Best Sportswriting of the Year for the fifth iteration of the Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting. The awards are presented annually in honor of the legendary Texas sportswriter and best-selling author, who defined the sportswriter’s craft for a generation.
The Best Sportswriting award cites accomplishment for a single piece published in the previous calendar year (2020). Both awards accompany a cash prize. The winner will be announced in September.
The nominees for the 2021 Best Sportswriting category are:
Howard Bryant, “Police, Protest, Pandemic and the End of the 9/11 Era,” ESPN.com – September 29, 2020
Kim Cross, "What Happens When Two Strangers Trust the Rides of Their Lives to the Magic of the Universe,” Bicycling – March 20, 2020
Allison Glock, “Walk, Run or Wheelbarrow: We Moved our Bodies Forward during the Pandemic,” ESPNw.com – December 31, 2020
Michael Graff, “Hook Shot Charlie is Spreading Hope throughout Charlotte,” Axios.con – February 6, 2020
Mitchell S. Jackson, “Twelve Minutes and a Life,” Runner’s World – June 18, 2020
Tom Junod, “The Hero of Goodall Park: Inside a True-Crime Drama 50 Years in the Making,” ESPN.com – July 7, 2020
Brendan I. Koerner, “The Cheating Scandal That Ripped the Poker World Apart,” Wired – September 21, 2020
Joon Lee, “Inside the Rise of MLB’s Ivy League Culture,” ESPN.com – June 3, 2020
Ryan McGee, “The Confederate Flag is Finally Gone at NASCAR Races, and I Won’t Miss It for a Second,” ESPN.com – June 10, 2020
Maggie Mertens, “This Woman Surfed the Biggest Wave of the Year: Here’s Why You Probably Haven’t Heard about It,” The Atlantic – September 12, 2020
Rory Smith, “The Most Human of Immortals,” New York Times – November 25, 2020
Tom Verducci, “Love, Loss and Baseball: Letters from the Hub, Chapters I-V,” Sports Illustrated – June 22, 2020
