Hello Star Press readers and the Muncie community!
It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Cade Hampton and I’m excited to introduce myself as the Ball State University football and high school sports reporter for the Muncie Star Press, part of the USA Today Network.
I’m from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, about 30 minutes east of Nashville. I was born and raised there to two University of Alabama graduates. Growing up in a Crimson Tide family on the land of the Tennessee Vols instilled in me an avid sports fan. I quickly fell in love with football and basketball, despite never having the athletic ability necessary to participate.
My first experience in sports media was during my senior year at Mount Juliet High School. That year, I was the play-by-play announcer for live coverage of football games for the school newscast. After one game, I filled in for an sick sports reporter and wrote a post-game article for the local newspaper. I never expected for a second that one day I’d be doing exactly that as my first full-time job.
After graduating high school during the COVID-19 lockdown, I followed in my parents’ footsteps and went to the University of Alabama, where I covered Alabama gymnastics and baseball as an intern for the Tuscaloosa News. During this internship, I also covered local high school sports, boys and girls basketball, the retirement of legendary coach Nick Saban, the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League, and Major League Baseball at Birmingham’s historic Rickwood Field.
I immediately fell in love with the job. Interacting with student-athletes, coaches and fans, learning their stories and telling them was exactly what I wanted. I quickly knew this was what I wanted to do with my life. And now here I am in Muncie, a Southern kid learning my way in the Midwest.
A little more about me: When I’m not writing, I love collecting and listening to records. I have a collection of over 150 albums, a cosmic collection of genres and artists. Some of my favorite artists include The Eagles, Kendrick Lamar, Death Grips, David Bowie, Phoebe Bridgers, Jimmy Buffett, and my personal favorite, Father John Misty. Other hobbies include binge-watching TV shows (Mad Men, BoJack Horseman, and The Sopranos are some of my all-time favorites) and playing fantasy football.
My goal is to provide the people of Muncie with quality coverage and in-depth analysis on the teams and players they love. Additionally, I look forward to delivering quality feature stories that go beyond the scores and stats and shine a spotlight on the people who represent those teams.
That being said, if you have any story ideas, questions, restaurant recommendations (this Southern guy needs some good BBQ in his life), or just want to say hi, please feel free to contact me.
I aim to be as accessible as possible in this position and look forward to connecting with the people of Muncie, and I truly can’t wait to get to work and tell your stories!
To contact Cade Hampton, email cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or X (formerly Twitter) @CadeHamp10.
