When I found out I was going to be covering track and field for the Alligator, two things happened immediately.
First, I knew jack diddly squat about how track and field works, so I started Google searching random things like: How tall is a hurdle? What is considered a fast 400-meter time? Who’s Kerron Clement?
You think I’m joking, but I’m not.
And then, I laughed out loud at the image of myself — a guy who doesn’t run unless he’s about to miss the bus — interviewing these world-class athletes.
But I wish I knew then what I know now about myself in my one and only semester at the Alligator.
And more importantly, how covering a sport I knew little about changed the way I view sports.
Before I tell how it did so, I’d like to say this: I know you don’t give a you-know-what about track. At least that’s what I thought based off where my articles were placed in the newspaper.
That’s no knock on the Alligator — it’s the God’s honest truth of it all. Sports like football, baseball, basketball, softball, gymnastics, lacrosse, tennis and volleyball take priority in the Alligator Sports section.
I didn’t understand at first. The team had just won a national championship the year before.
My thoughts were sports fans didn’t know a lot about the athletes involved in track and maybe if they got to know them through my articles, they’d start paying attention to the team.
First, I wrote about Kunle Fasasi, a sprinter who grew up in a part of Nigeria that was known for strictly pursuing academics, but he stuck with track anyway and helped UF men’s 4x400 relay team win an SEC Championship.
Then, Sharrika Barnett, a Jamaican sprinter who nearly quit running in Jamaica because of the competition, but came to UF and has helped UF’s women’s 4x400 team to its own SEC Championship.
Then, Lloydricia Cameron, a thrower who knew she wanted to throw this heavy ball called the shot since she was 3 and is now the best shot putter on UF’s team.
Then, Eric Futch, who was .01 seconds away from reaching the Olympic finals, which kept him humble despite winning the 400-meter NCAA Outdoor National Championship in 2016.
Then, AJ McFarland, who quit lacrosse and football to pursue throwing the hammer (I found out it’s not an actual hammer), a sport he fell in love with and landed himself a scholarship to compete at a Division I school, something he always dreamed about.
Then, Ebony Luster, a sprinter-turned-jumper because she said she hated running; Jack Guyton, a skinny finance major who listens to Kodak Black to get pumped for his 1,500-meter races; and Shayla Sanders, an Olympic hopeful who wants to go out with a bang in her senior season.
And finally, Futch and TJ Holmes, teammates-turned-brothers who support each other in every race, even when they’re competing against one another.
These are the stories that made me rethink the way I watch sports.
It’s not about the points scored. It’s not about the stats. It’s not about the trophies.
It’s not about air pressure in a football. It’s not about chugging beers after touchdowns. And it’s not about bashing an entire fan base because of its lack of dental care.
And sports fans, it’s definitely not about forgetting that there is a human underneath that jersey with a story to tell.
To me, fans can draw the most value out of sports when they get to know where their favorite athlete came from and get to know them beneath the surface. Maybe they overcame an obstacle. Maybe they have an interesting hobby. Maybe they think the world is flat.
In all seriousness, we should stop thinking of them as a piece to our favorite team’s championship puzzle and more as human beings.
Because when we humanize athletes, that’s when we make American sports great again.
Daniel Smithson is a sports writer. His column appeared on his last day working at the paper. Contact him at dsmithson@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @DanielTSmithson.
Sports Writer Daniel Smithson
