Matthew Futterman ‘91 is a senior writer at The Athletic, the sports unit of The New York Times Co. He has previously worked for The New York Times itself, The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Star-Ledger of New Jersey, where he was a part of the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news in 2005. While at Union he majored in English and was a member of the tennis team and the editor of The Idol, the campus literary magazine.
He is currently in Italy covering the Winter Olympics for The Athletic, the 10th games he has covered as a sports journalist.
In the world of sports journalism, where does going to the Olympics rank in great on-the-job experiences?
I think it's at the top. It only happens once every two years, or every four years, depending on how you do the math with winter and summer. For the most part, the athletes are barely known, very accessible and very appreciative of the attention. It's also a way to write about the world and its complications and politics and economic challenges through sports, which is one of my favorite things to do.
What are other can’t-miss sporting events for you?
I'm a tennis guy. I love the U.S. Open. Wimbledon is great. There's nothing like looking at a grass tennis court and Centre Court at Wimbledon might be the most beautiful venue in sports. That said, I'm not much of a royalist so I prefer the accessibility and diversity of the U.S. Open.
What does a typical day look like while covering the Olympics?
It starts early and ends late and there are usually any number of bus rides in between. It takes an Olympics or two to get a handle on the logistics and know where you need to get to and when. That said, you go to a venue of a sport that you don't generally cover that often, like Alpine skiing or biathlon, and take in the sights and sounds and try to transport readers into your world. I spend months doing interviews ahead of the Olympics so I go into any event with a notebook full of possible stories. And then you see which ones the sports gods have put in the stars that day. It's like anything else, you follow the news and the newsmakers where they take you.
I always choose outdoor sports, which can be cold but you're usually in beautiful settings. I'm writing this from high in the Dolomites at the Alpine skiing venue, the Olympia della Toane. It's pretty magical here, a nice office for a couple weeks.
At some point you do some writing. Some days you write more than others. On Sunday, when Lindsey Vonn broke her leg 13 seconds into the downhill, I ended up filing three stories totaling about 5,000 words. That was a day.
What’s a lesser known sport or athlete that you think deserves more attention this year?
Ben Ogden, the cross-country skier, just won the first men's cross-country medal for the U.S. in 50 years. He's Steve Prefontaine on skis. Full gas, all heart, all the time.
Best Olympic sport to watch live?
U.S. vs. Canada women's hockey. They're the two best teams in the world. They wait four years to meet in the gold medal game, and then they get after it for 60 minutes, and hopefully more when it goes into overtime. At the end, half the people on the ice are crying and the other half are deliriously happy.
Were there any classes, professors or experiences at Union that influenced your career?
Professor Jordan Smith, who taught creative writing, was so supportive of anyone with an interest in writing. He could find some morsel of hope even when you were turning in drivel. He could be critical and encouraging at the same time. He gave me a sweet combination of truth and love. I always felt like there was a subliminal message behind his teaching -- do what you love, love what you do, follow your passion.
We also had a nice little writing group at The Idol. We built each other up instead of knocking each other down. That was great and formative. Writing is mostly rewriting, and having some friends to help you along on the bumpy road is a tremendous thing.