Many of you know me as jpegJoe, a local photographer based in Amarillo, Texas. I’m also the Managing Partner of Press Pass Sports, working alongside my business partner, Kale Steed, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of PPS.
If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be at the forefront of local sports coverage in the Texas Panhandle, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But life is strange and it can lead you exactly where you need to be, even when you least expect it. My love of photography has always been deeply rooted in a desire to tell the stories of our community, which is what ultimately led me to Press Pass Sports.
“It started with a passion for capturing moments on the field, court or everywhere in between – moments that reflect the hard work, sweat and triumph of athletes from the Texas Panhandle. So when I partnered with Cale Steed a few years ago, it felt like a natural extension of what I was already doing. Cale founded Press Pass Sports with the idea that local athletes deserved to be in the spotlight, and I was excited to be a part of that mission.
In the two years prior to me joining the company, Cale did a fantastic job laying the foundation for Press Pass, along with Lee, Craig, Ben and Lance. The combined knowledge of the sport between those four is incredible. When I joined the company, we wanted to push the envelope – expand our reach with a new website and new branding, hire more writers and photographers and generally adapt to the needs of our readers. And so far, I think we’ve done a good job of that.
A growing sense of responsibility
What started as a fun, passionate endeavor quickly evolved into something much more serious. This year, we feel like we’ve shifted the burden from “doing what we love” to the burden of carrying the responsibility to preserve local sports coverage. Once a major player in local sports coverage, the Amarillo Globe-News has struggled to maintain the level of coverage our community deserves, and as a result, it feels like the baton has been passed to us, whether we were ready for it or not.
Let’s draw a picture.
The Amarillo Globe-News is owned by Gannett Media, a huge public company that owns hundreds of newspapers across the country. Over the past 18 months, Gannett has undergone one round of cuts and layoffs. I’ve watched talented reporters leave our newsroom; people who genuinely care about telling the stories of local athletes. But they’re working with limited resources, and there’s only so much one person can do.
Alarm bell
Currently, as far as I know, the Amarillo Globe-News does not even have a local sports reporter. Think about that for a moment: our community, with its rich sports tradition and incredible athletes, no longer has a dedicated sports reporter at the Globe-News, and we charge readers a fee to read the stories.
During the first week of Texas high school football this year, the lack of coverage was made painfully clear. Checking the Globe-News website, we found photos from two games, Dumas vs. Caprock and Tascosa vs. Palo Duro, state rankings written by a reporter in Corpus Christi, and a call to vote for an athlete of the week. And that was it. No in-depth analysis, no game summaries, no features on local athletes. This was a wake-up call for us, highlighting a widening gap in coverage that was once coming from a trusted source.
Press Pass Sports takes off
When Globe-News coverage began to decline, we knew we had to do something. In the past few weeks alone, we’ve seen a huge surge in traffic to our website. Press Pass NewsThe community craves local sports news and they come to us to get it. We’re incredibly grateful for the growth, but it also comes with challenges.
More traffic also means higher server and technology costs, which is something we completely did not anticipate. Great sponsors They have really worked hard this year and helped us cover our costs, and while we’ve been able to meet the demand, we know this is just the beginning.
We don’t expect things to get any easier for the Globe-News, which is why we’re working hard to expand our coverage in the Texas Panhandle, which means more reporters, more photographers and more in-depth writing this year. We want to make sure no game goes unnoticed and no player goes unrecognized for their efforts.
Calling out to the community
Now, I want to be clear about one thing: our stories will always be free to read. This was a promise we made when we started, and we intend to keep it. Our passion for bringing you the best sports coverage is a shared passion among everyone at Press Pass Sports.
Our mission is not to make money, but to recognize the teams, coaches and individuals who are the foundation of our community. But if you resonate with what we do and want to support our mission, please consider making a donation. Monthly DonationEvery small amount makes a big difference and helps cover the costs of running the site, allowing us to invest in even more journalism.
Your support allows us to continue doing the work we love: highlighting incredible talent in our community and telling the stories that deserve to be told.
Thanks to the team and the community
lastly, Great team Press Pass employs some of the best writers and photographers in the industry. They do it because they deeply love their community. Most of our writers and photographers have other jobs, but they believe in what Press Pass does and give their time and energy to it. If you see them at a game or event, please say thank you – they are the heart and soul of what we do.
I also want to sincerely thank everyone who sent us information, photos and stats from the games we couldn’t attend in person. We couldn’t do it without your support. Coaches, we are here for you. People coming together is what makes our community special. That’s why I love the Texas Panhandle.
Future outlook
Going forward, we are more committed than ever to providing the best sports coverage in the Texas Panhandle region. We are proud to fill the gaps left by others and thankful to our readers for trusting us to capture these moments and tell the stories that matter.
We appreciate your continued support – your help will help strengthen local sporting traditions and ensure our athletes receive the recognition they deserve.