Sportswriter
Nebraska 247
Journalism has been ever present in Mike's life. As a kid, he delivered the Omaha World-Herald and raced his brother home for the first shot at reading the sports section. That interest, combined with his love of writing and story telling, grew over time and into his career.
Mike is currently a sportswriter at Nebraska247 a website owned by the CBS Sports network. His work heavily focuses on football, Nebraska recruiting classes and high school players' interests in joining the Huskers. Additionally, Mike is part of a two-person team that runs the Nebraska247 website, manages message boards, hosts a podcast and shoots photos at games and practices.
Mike's most memorable career moment was during his coverage of the Husker's win over Michigan State in 2015. The game itself was dramatic, but it was especially exciting as a come back from the previous week's loss to Purdue. Taking down the undefeated Spartans was largely unexpected.
"The celebration of the fans, the players and the coaches is something I doubt I’ll ever forget. It was utter jubilation. In a world with canned reactions this was as raw of a moment as I’ve ever come across.
In college, Mike credits his work ethic to his professors. Kathy Christensen, and Scott Winter were all instrumental in pushing him to pursue his interests and go the extra mile. He took their advice to heart, and when it came time to look for internships, he stood strong in the face of rejection. Each obstacle drove him to search for something else, and while he may not have had his "dream job" right away, he took every opportunity available to hone his journalistic skills in preparation for the future.
"The College of Journalism and Mass Communications forced me to be competitive. It forced me to get better. It forced me to go to the Daily Nebraskan
When considering the future of sports communication, Mike thinks versatility is key. Luckily, in the sports communication and media major, you can mix and match classes from broadcasting, journalism and advertising to develop well-rounded skills.
Media companies are letting specialists go. The days of being exclusively a columnist or a photographer are over. Become a jack-of-all-trades and you’ll go much, much further with how this business is trending.