“The Big Dog” Mitch Vosburg
So you’re probably wondering what I mean by this heading.
First of all, I have no intention of leaving the Daily Press. It’s going to take a wrecking ball to get me out of here. The show continues.
Those two words “so long” are actually my mantra for 2025.
Some of you may have New Year’s resolutions. Some people want a lower number on the scale and a higher number in their bank account. Some people want to buy a shiny new car or build their first home.
I approach this tradition differently than others. To fully understand why, we need to chat.
Well, I wrote this on December 31, 2024, but who’s ready for some storytime with the Big Dog?
Let’s go back to December 31, 2021. Try to remember where you were that day. Now, take a moment to reflect.
For me, that day was a roller coaster of emotions.
You see, I was finishing up reporting for Central Michigan Life, a famous student-run media outlet on the campus of Central Michigan University. My last assignment at CM Life was covering the CMU football bowl game. That was the 2021 Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, scheduled to be held on December 31, 2021 in scenic Tucson, Arizona.
I was excited. My last hurray in CM life took me all over the country. Growing up in a town of 700 people and 200 cows, I had been waiting for this opportunity my whole life.
However, the news arrived four days before the match. CMU’s opponent, Boise State, was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues that occurred within the program.
For four hours, I didn’t know whether to choose violence, have a mental breakdown, or do something completely out of character.
Fortunately, CMU secured a bowl game opponent in Washington State. However, there was a catch. The game was not scheduled to be played in Tucson, but as part of the 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever planned a trip around this time of year. If you have, you know firsthand how expensive it can be to try to change plans at the last minute, especially for a school paper like CM Life.
So me and my amazing photo editor Aurora made a choice. We kept all our plans for the trip to Tucson, but on the day of the game we headed to El Paso.
We left Tucson at 3:40 a.m., flying 5 and a half hours through three different states and time zones. We arrived in El Paso by 9am. How do I explain Sunbowl?
Imagine two people walking on the American side of the U.S.-Mexico border in the 1930s. Someone decided that a 60,000-seat soccer stadium was needed in this particular part of the mountain range. Eventually they blew up a crater on the mountain and exploded with a bang. We have one of the most historic college football venues in the country here, and it was truly beautiful.
CMU won 24-21. The last assignment of CM life is over.
On the drive home, this time in bright daylight, I gazed at the mountains of southern New Mexico. As I gazed at the beautiful scenery for miles, an inconvenient truth hit me in the face harder than Ric Flair’s chop to the chest (woo).
Eventually I flew back to Mount Pleasant. I got on a plane and came home without any work scheduled. I was back to uncertainty, doubt, and all the reasons to panic.
I decided to set a resolution for this year. Instead, I chose a mantra.
My mantra for 2022 was: “Be who you were meant to be.”
Less than six weeks after returning to Mount Pleasant, I secured my first job at the Manistee News Advocate. I moved to Manistee during a snowstorm and only knew a handful of people around me.
I started this job because I lacked confidence in myself as a journalist and as a person. I felt like I was going to crash and burn like before.
But I was determined to become who I was meant to be. And I did just that.
My best track photo of the 2022 season won first place in the Michigan Press Association’s Outstanding Newspaper Contest. My article about Northern Michigan Dragways won first place in the sports writing category.
Only one journalist has ever won first place in both the Photo Story and Sportswriting categories in the same year. Only one journalist has ever won first place in both the photo story and sports writing categories.
myself. And I accomplished both historic feats at a time when I thought I was completely bad at both photography and writing.
In 2022, I am who I was meant to be.
So how did I follow it up? My mantra for 2023 was one simple word.
‘growing up. ‘
And holy smokes I did just that.
We left Manistee and headed to Escanaba. Nine months after the tragic and unexpected death of my predecessor, Justin St. Ours, I was tasked with rebuilding the athletic department. I moved into a new apartment for the fourth time in two years, without knowing anyone, while grieving the death of my grandmother, who was my spiritual source.
The process was tough, but I still found a way to maintain my confidence. More awards came in. My first column for the Daily Press also won an award, which I never thought would happen.
My piece reporting on the high school referee shortage finished second in the 2023 Better Newspaper contest. The only work that surpassed mine was co-authored with Tess Ware.
Not only was her desk cornered by mine at CM Life, but like me, she transferred from a community college and became editor 18 months after leaving CMU. Not to be embarrassed, but this speaks volumes about how strong our group actually was.
In 2023, I have grown up.
So what was your mantra last year? It was also one word.
“Conquer.”
If you follow my work, you are well aware that I have struggled with my mental health. In March 2024, I was officially diagnosed with severe anxiety and mild symptoms of ADHD.
I have spent the last seven months in therapy learning how to deal with this new information. I dug in and discovered the root cause of my anxiety. The good, the bad, and the incredibly ugly.
But at the same time, I can say that I did the best work of my career. I traveled thousands of miles and started the “Press Breakers” podcast. It’s currently available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music. I also became a storyteller and historian of UP. Honestly, this is one of the greatest honors of my life.
I have also completed therapy and can confidently say that I am mentally successful.
So why is “long” my watchword for 2025?
Because you can’t easily say goodbye to the past. No matter how hard I try, my past is a part of me, and it has led me to the multi-award winning sportswriter and photographer that I am today.
But for the questions I have as a journalist and as a human being, I can say “always.” One could say “a long time” for years of self-sabotage. You can say it’s been “long enough” to feel like a fraud, but that’s because it’s not 100% true.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said in his inaugural press conference that if the Lions were down, he would get back up and bite off his kneecap in the process. It was strange at the time, but now it’s accepted.
I adopted something similar.
When adversity knocks you down, you get back up, but you’re not going to hurt your kneecaps. I push adversity back to the ground and a life lands on its back. I stomp on its throat again and again until that cold, lifeless sound stops.
I’ve stuck to that mindset for the past three years. My travels and body of work bear this out.
In 2025, I will say “long” to many things. And I will continue to be my authentic self, continue to grow, and continue to conquer in the process.
And for that I am grateful.
Mitch Vosburg, aka “Big Dog,” is a multi-award-winning sportswriter and photographer who serves as the sports editor for the Daily Press. He can be reached at mvosburg@dailypress.net.
