em Still No Cheering in the Press Box: Dan Jenkins

Table of Contents ×

Still No Cheering in the Press Box

DAN JENKINS

...in his own words

Interviewed by George Solomon

My early influences were the humorist—James Thurber, S. J. Perelman, Max Shulman, and Dorothy Parker. Then the two greatest sportswriters who ever lived—John Lardner and Red Smith.

I’d copy the great ones, and then somehow develop a voice and attitude of my own. I think Red said this first.

‘I hope I’ve gotten better through the years. You never stop learning.’

My 23 years at Sports Illustrated were the glory years of that magazine. It was Writers Heaven. The Managing Editor stood behind us, defended us, gave parades down the halls for pieces he particularly enjoyed, drank with us, discussed coverages with us, told the business side to stay off our ass. What more could you want. You might say it gave us a swagger.

Like most newspaper or magazine guys, I suppose, I wanted to appear in hardcover. It was a far-off goal. I also wanted to try a novel. Not really knowing what I was doing, I wrote “Semi-Tough.” It took off and changed my life, opening doors to other opportunities—and challenges.

Sally Jenkins is the best sports columnist in America. I can’t think of a runner-up, although there are many “readable” people out there. Sally is a fierce worker, digger, reporter, and thinker, and she combines that with a literary style that reflects her strong opinions and thoughtfulness.

I like to joke that she and I agree she’s the best writer in the family.

I’m too partial to the past to think today’s journalism is better than it used to be. I saw it start to change when sportswriters wrote about nothing but money and pro sports were eating sports sections alive. I never cared what a player made, an owner made, what a franchise was worth, all that crap. None of that told me anything about an athlete’s heart.

Dan Jenkins speaks at the 2012 World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Too many writers today will sell out a fact for a joke. I have always lived by the words of Dorothy Parker: “Wit has truth in it. Jokes are just calisthenics with words.”

I will always believe the first obligation of a writer is to be accurate. If he can entertain at the same time, all the better.

My future is, I’ll type till I topple over. The future of sportswriting is in Sally’s hands and the hands of some spirited others on The Post staff like Barry (Svrluga) and Rick (Maese) and Dave Sheinin.

But of course, like everyone else, I have no idea what electricity has in store for us.

I think I know what Lardner or Red would say. “Got time for another?”

Back
to Top