This week, I sat down with ESPN.com’s Page 2 columnist LZ Granderson. Granderson is also a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and host of Game Night, a talk show on ESPN360. As a regular contributor to Page 2, Granderson’s columns cover a variety of topics ranging from NBA commentary to editorials discussing sports and society in the United States. He has worked in print, online and television journalism, bringing his unique perspective on sports and culture to all three mediums.
Enjoy the interview!
--Max
MT: Hi LZ, it's Max from Bleacher Report.
LZ: Hey Max. How are you?
MT: Good, thanks. How are you? Are you hanging in there? (LZ was a bit under the weather when we did this interview.)
LZ: I'm doing okay. Doctor's orders were to not leave the house so I'm resting, watching Casino Royale for about the twentieth time and taking antibiotics and Vicodin.
MT: Well, thanks for toughing this one out and chatting with me.
LZ: Thank you for thinking of me to be a part of the series.
MT: So let's start with your background, where you grew up, went to college, your major and how you started on a path to a career in the sportswriting industry?
LZ: I'm originally from Detroit and I went to Western Michigan for undergrad, where I majored in Interpersonal Communications with a minor in Journalism. I worked for the student newspaper in college as well as radio and I interned at a newspaper called the Kalamazoo Gazette while in school.
And that was basically what I think is probably the last generation who studied journalism being taught that you only specialized in one medium.
MT: What do you mean by that exactly?
LZ: Well, I mean that was the last generation in which crossover was discouraged in terms of the different mediums in which you were a journalist. So if you were into print, TV journalists were vilified and online journalism wasn’t even considered at the time. And when I took my first job, I was told that if you wrote for a newspaper, you could never be a TV person because there was a different kind of mentality involved and if you were a TV person, you shouldn’t write.
MT: But in your work, you’ve done a fair amount of crossover.
LZ: Yeah, because I never believed in all that. I thought it was all bullsh*t.
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about 1 month ago
Awesome article Max, really good stuff. How do you do it?
from about 1 month ago
Ha thanks Dave....really liked your Oregon football article....i thought you were a Wildcat?!?
about 1 month ago
Great interview. I found the journey he went through to be really interesting and hopefully this can inspire writers to keep up with their dream.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Jeff.....yeah LZ really demonstrates what it takes to be a successful sportswriter.
about 1 month ago
Strong insight into the influence writers have on the next generation. Vicodin and Casino Royale, the new school of medicine.
from about 1 month ago
yeah i agree....it was interesting to hear that online media hardly existed, where as it's so commonplace with our generation...... and i don't contend with the healing powers of Vicodin and CR, but when i've got a fever the only prescription....is more cowbell!
about 1 month ago
Once again, great work Max. These articles are a great way of learning from the pros so to speak. Keep it up.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Rafal...I agree it's a great way to learn from some of the best, stay tuned...
about 1 month ago
Wow...I didn't know about LZ, but he sounded like a heckuva interview. Do you do the interviews over the phone? How do you tape the conversations? This is mind boggling. Great stuff. POTD.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah it was very interesting to hear his story....sometimes over the phone using a dvr, sometimes in person....thanks for the support.
about 1 month ago
Great job Max. I really like reading his stuff. POTD for me. And it's really not too hard to set up interviews.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Thomas.
about 1 month ago
there was one sentence i would really like to know more about in the LZ interview and thats when he said that in every piece if he does not have a line where he feels uncomfortable then he knows he has not dug deep enough............i think thats really revealing...........i feel he is talking about the act of creativity itself..........doing something new is a bit uncomfortable in and of itself and recognizing that one is a bit fearful of doing something new is important because in that way you dont let the fear or uncomfortableness stop you but instead realize that it means you are on the right track...........i wish you could explore that a little more with LZ..........is there any way you can go back to him.........
i really love your stuff max - your writing is getting better and better............the intro to the interview series on the blog is really well written.
mike from nj
from about 1 month ago
yeah i agree that was a particularly interesting part of the interview, and an answer that I wasn't expecting....i'll pass this on and hopefully LZ can respond directly to this when he finds some time as I know he has been pretty busy as of late...
about 1 month ago
more cowbell!!!............thats huge..........its too bad such a great line is burried in the comments section...........btw is there any way to respond to a comment or can you only respond to articles...........btw u should be a writer for sat nite live
from about 1 month ago
yeah just hit reply to comment, as I am doing now...
about 1 month ago
Let me give you a little feedback, Max, or actually a suggestion. Starting your interview and ending it, the small talk shouldn't be part of the interview. Hi, how are you doing, etc.
I do a sports radio show and when you're interviewing someone on the air, you're going to do a little bit of that. But when you write a story, that shouldn't be part of it. You can do the little chit-chat with the person, but it shouldn't be in the interview. What you're looking for and the readers are looking for is the meat. Setting things up, asking how did you break into the business etc. is good.
I would like a little bit more of how they actually got the job with ESPN etc. Did ESPN contact him, did he do it etc. It's hard to break into the business and I'm sure the people reading these interviews would like to know exactly what you need to do to get someone to give you an opportunity.
I"ve interviewed with the sports editor of both major Chicago newspapers and they like my writing, but with the newspaper business today, it's almost impossible to get an opportunity. I'm more old school, so that's the type of medium I would like to write for. I can and have done it on-line, but most of the sites don't pay for it, and if you want to support yourself, you have to find somebody to pay for your talents.
Good luck and keep it up. We all improve the more we do it, and no matter how good someone thinks they are, they can always get better.
from about 1 month ago
Hey Darrell....I really appreciate the advice, in particular coming from someone with extensive interviewing experience such as yourself.
I have given a lot of thought to how much or how little of the small talk I should use, and I think you bring up a good point about trimming the chit-chat a bit. At the same time I purposefully want to set a very casual, conversational tone and I think this small talk can be a valuable tool in creating that atmosphere. So it is a bit of a give-take in that regard.
Also I think the details of how these writers got their "break" is very important as well and I am making a point to get more specific in extracting that information.
There are some great sports writers, broadcasters, and execs coming up in the series and I urge you to continue to critique my work with any suggestions, criticisms, and/or advice you may have.
Best of luck with your own writing and I look forward to hearing more from you...welcome to B/R!
about 1 month ago
Wow, really cool!!! This site really can catapult careers, I think you are on the right track with this, you must know people in high places or something...ha, good work!!!
from about 1 month ago
I'll try to lookout for those interviews. Give me a heads-up if you can. Best of luck to you.
I'm really not that big. I do a sports show on a small radio station. I don't write for any major paper, though I would love to. I have interviewed a lot of major people though, including managers, coaches, GM's, obviously players etc.
I kind of squeezed my way in, but it's still only fun and not my job. I love it and that's my goal, and even though I know a lot of people in the business, it's hard to get a gig. I actually know a lot of very talented people that are not working right now, including some columnists that worked for years in Chicago with major papers. It's tough out there, but keep the faith and don't accept the word no.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, thanks for the kind words but this site for me is just fun too, as is writing bout my team. I just have so much faith in my Jazz and that is why I am here, but some can really use this site as a caveat to becoming a real sportswriter, there are many talented writers on here but a legitimate interview with a known writer is unique and cool... :)
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Shan
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