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Covering Ohio State athletics can be a daunting task. Just ask 2001 Northwood High School graduate Adam Jardy.
Jardy, 27, grew up rooting for the Buckeyes with his parents, Todd and Reneé. He always dreamed of being a sportswriter, thanks in part to his idol, former Sports Illustrated columnist and currently the featured columnist for ESPN.com, Rick Reilly.
After he graduated from Ohio State in 2005, Jardy’s dream became a reality when he landed a job in the small town of Danville, Virginia, covering Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) athletics.
Not long after, in January of 2006, he received a long awaited call from Buckeye Sports Bulletin, an Ohio State athletics publication not affiliated with the university, and was offered a job to return to Columbus to cover his alma mater.
“The chance to cover one of the top teams in the country — which also happened to be the team I had a passion about — was a win-win situation,” said Jardy. “It’s so much easier as a reporter if you know the background already; you have historical context to draw from. When I was covering Virginia Tech and North Carolina State, I didn’t know what had happened in the program thirty years ago. I didn’t even know what had happened five years ago.”
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Adam Jardy is at Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor's
left interviewing the Buckeye prior to the Sugar Bowl.
(Photo courtesy of Neal Lauron/The Dispatch) |
Jardy, whose wife, Brittany, is a school teacher in Columbus, cannot believe it has already been five years since he accepted that job and couldn’t be happier covering the team he grew up rooting for because he shares the same passion the fans do.
“The best part of covering Ohio State is that so many people care about what you do. You’re not just writing things that just go out to a void and nobody reads. With Ohio State, there are always opinions, one way or the other. Anything you write will generate interest — whether positive or negative — and people will always have something to say about it. It can be overwhelming — a daunting task at times — but at least you know you are writing that people have a lot of passion for.
Jardy has been privileged to have covered several NCCA tournaments, one National Invitation Tournament, a Final Four, Ohio State’s debacle against LSU in the 2007 Allstate BCS Championship, and the Buckeyes’ big Sugar Bowl win over Arkansas this year in New Orleans.
His Final Four experience was one to remember because he was able to participate in interview sessions alongside famous broadcasters he admired growing up, even Rick Reilly.
“Growing up he [Reilly] was a big influence on my writing. Just getting to watch him and see how he interviewed people and what sort of questions he asked was a great experience to learn from and become a better writer and a better interviewer.”
Jardy not only is a sports nut, but he also has a passion for music. Said Jardy, who has written a number of his own songs: “Music is the other main driving force in my life.”
Growing up, he was involved with almost every musical organization — marching band, jazz band, choir, and musicals--at Northwood High School and currently plays at his church. Jardy uses music as a relaxation tool after rough days on the beat and says if he weren’t covering sports, he would be writing about music.
“If I wasn’t working for a sports publication, I’d love to be working for Rolling Stone,” said Jardy.
The successful sportswriter even has some words of wisdom for youngsters looking to enter the rigorous profession.
“All you have is your words. You have to remember that no matter what the situation is you have to believe in what you are doing and you have to stick to your word. You don’t write something if you don’t believe that it’s true and you have to write what you believe, rather than what people want you to believe. You have to make sure that you can back up what you are saying.”
Sports writing can sometimes be a tumultuous task and at times, it can feel like everyone is a critic. Jardy, however, has learned to develop a “thick skin.”
“If you write something that people don’t like, they’re going to let you know about it. You have to remember that it comes with the territory and at the end of the day when you come home and close the door with your family, that’s all that really matters. As long as you are writing things that are accurate, you have nothing to lose sleep over.”
Jardy is more than content with his current job and is grateful that he has a wonderful job in this downturned economy, but ultimately would love to continue to advance his career. The Northwood native humbly claims he is staying in the print medium because, “I don’t exactly have the face for TV or the voice for radio,” but isn’t exactly sure what his future holds.
“I don’t know what that next job will be or when it will happen, but I’m keeping my ears open and crossing my fingers that something great will come up and I’ll be able to take it.
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