(Editor’s note: This article is part of a weekly series featuring temporary journalists in Columbus and their work in our community.)
Rob Oller is a sports columnist for the Columbus Dispatch, who has been working since July 1995.
On the dispatch, he covered the 1995 Cincinnati Reds (when he last won the playoff series), and then switched to writing sports features in 1997. Before that, he was a sports writer for Springfield News Sun.
Below, he answers some questions about his job.
Why did I become a sports writer?
Let’s fix the title of why I became a writer. Sports is my way of writing. I always enjoy writing, but for many, it’s similar to sticking a fork in the eyes. “Tell me a math problem, and I can solve it. Let me write an essay and a cave of my world.” I agree that the writing process can be painful, but there is value in return. Telling the story of athletes and documenting the ups and downs of sporting events is not a bad way to make a living. When it comes to sports writing, when I taught a college journalism class a message to sports fanatics in the room, I liked writing down much more words than looking at LeBron’s score points. Regarding the former, I’m over millions.
What I like most about my job
easy. Variety. I once covered a miniature golf tournament and the World Series one day. I wrote about NASCAR’s Lawnmower Racing about six College Football National Championship Games (5 Ohio State University, the other 2006 BCS title game between USC and Texas), seven Masters, one US Open, and two Stanley Cup Finals. He interviewed Michael Jordan, Jim Brown, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, LeBron James (high school and NBA), David Letterman and Paul Newman (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) to give just a few examples. I was screaming at the easygoing Fred couple (hard to do), talking about Ryan Day and Bourbon.
But my most enjoyable columns were about “normal” people who have never appeared on ESPN or have millions of Instagram followers. He is a beloved junior high school cross country coach who died of cancer. A World War II veteran who happened to play football for the Buckeyes. 17-year-old blacktop basketball king at a local park. The four-time state champion wrestler, who was away from ALS, maintained his faith and maintained his dignity despite his prognosis.
Sports come in all shapes and sizes, all speeds and make or break scenarios. And the best part is that it’s not all real, not all real TV.
The story I worked on, which had a lasting impact on me
There are so many options, but if forced, I think I’ll look back at the 1972 college basketball brawl between Ohio and Minnesota. It was far from a pleasant piece, but that’s what makes it so memorable. It is difficult to speculate that such violence could occur both inside and outside the courts, but it happened on January 25, 1972 at a gym in Minnesota. The one-sided brawl at the final minute of the game “eventually sent three OSU players to hospital, hurting several careers and ruining the love of at least one man by coaching.”
Essentially, a street fight broke out on the basketball court and moved to the stands. There, fans and Minnesota mascot Goldie Goper slammed the Buckeyes player.
“At the time I came and was about to wake up, at least one fan and Gopher stuffed me calmly under my chin,” OSU forward Mark Wagger said in 2022.
Never forget that sports seem fun, not life-threatening.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a journalist?
In today’s fanboy sports media world, he’s also the cheerleader of a team covered by too many reporters, but being objective is seen as negative. I grew up in the Watergate era. The journalistic saying was “If your mother says she loves you, look it up.” It is our duty to our readers to ask harsh questions that are now considered rude.
No whining about lack of player/coach access. Because why do you complain about things that haven’t changed? But because they missed the day when reporters could approach the subject of the interview without having to show that their passport, birth certificate, and questions were appropriate for the person responding.
Things I like to do when I’m not working
I can provide a one-word answer – golf – and that’s it, but since Columbus is not Florida in winter, I need to find something else. I’m not a large reader – “Every page, more words,” a joke from comedian and non-leader Nate Bargatze – I like to study history. I’m a second-rate “birder.” In other words, while my wife may object, she cannot take a walk through the woods. Once upon a time I ran a track in Ohio and was paroled from what I was running a few months ago. I was a sprinter. The long distance to us is at the end of the driveway and behind.
Why journalism is important
Everyone has opinions that include sports columnists, but it is essential that opinions are backed up with facts and empirical boots on the ground. As society is increasingly suffering from wise room syndrome, journalism remains the best distiller of educated information we have when done right. Journalists don’t know everything. So knowing that most of us tend to be curious and not everything helps us to get out of the pack of social media sites on the agenda frequently.
rolr@dispatch.com
@rollercd
