COMING SOON TO SPORTS MEDIA GUY: - The history of the NFL injury report and how newspapers have run it. - More conversations about insiders in sports journalism. - Advice for graduate students attending their first conference Subscribe today! sportsmediaguy.substack.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Sports Media Guy

Public scholarship, rabbit holes, and riffs about sports journalism and sports media, from Dr. Brian Moritz. Click to read Sports Media Guy, by Brian Moritz, a Substack publication with thousands of s...

sportsmediaguy.substack.com

Recent events sucking the joy out of your sports? Women's experiences teach us that if we make space for joy, it persists despite the challenges: open.substack.com/pub/herstory...

Joy Persists Anyway

Stories from women athletes in Western New York show that joy in sport is layered, ordinary, and surprisingly persistent.

open.substack.com

Women’s sports didn’t suddenly “find” an audience — the audience was always there. Back in the 1970s, the pro softball team, the Buffalo Breski’s, provided the type of atmosphere that rearranged a kid’s understanding of what was possible. #HerStoryWNY

The Fans Were Always There

Women's sports didn't suddenly find an audience. The audience was there all along.

herstorywny.substack.com

Preach

Sabreena Merchant@sabreenajm.bsky.social · 4mo ago

WNBA TV partners have to stop scheduling games in 2-hour windows; with all the fouls and reviews in 2026, they’re running 20 minutes over every time.

When you go to conferences, you have the opportunity to meet your people -- and not feel so alone in your challenges! Grateful to @nassh1972.bsky.social for the connections, and the ideas.

Amy Moritz@amymoritz.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The hardest part of documenting women’s sports history isn’t finding the women. It’s figuring out what to do with the men. New post up:

The hardest part of documenting women’s sports history isn’t finding the women. It’s figuring out what to do with the men. New post up:

The Edges of the Story: Where Men Fit in Women's Sports History

An oral history project raised an unexpected question: What role should men play in telling the story of women's sports?

open.substack.com

Love this.

George Pearkes@peark.es · 5mo ago

This was excellent.

Texlin Quinney made the Indiana Fever in 2000 because Cheryl Miller gave her a chance that didn’t officially exist yet. Today the WNBA finally pays players for that same path. New HerStory piece:

The Assist Cheryl Miller Threw Off the Court

How one conversation in Phoenix kept Texlin Quinney’s dream alive — and pointed toward the developmental system the WNBA would eventually build.

open.substack.com

The WCWS is a reminder: women in Western New York were building this sport long before anyone televised it. Their stories still shape the game. New Substack: herstorywny.substack.com/publish/post...

What an amazing time I had at @nassh1972.bsky.social conference in Toronto this past weekend. I met so many people doing important work in the field. As I return to my desk, I'm not only refreshed and inspired, but grateful for the welcoming community. #NASSH2026

There are 427 inductees in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Only 55 of them are women. Women weren’t underperforming — they were under‑recorded. And under‑recording becomes under‑recognition. Full piece on Substack ➡️ herstorywny.substack.com/p/we-can-do-...

With Val Ackerman and Bernadette McGlade both stepping down this year, I found myself thinking about the women doing the same kind of work at the grassroots level. The architecture of women’s sports has always been local and national. Read it here ⬇️ open.substack.com/pub/herstory...

The Architecture of Her Game

From Val Ackerman’s national leadership to grassroots pioneers , the real story of women in sport is how they built what didn’t exist.

open.substack.com

When UCLA won the NCAA title last week, the broadcast did something rare: they acknowledged the Bruins' 1978 AIAW title. Language matters. But for local programs, that history is often lost to basement archives and old newsprint. open.substack.com/pub/herstory...

A single moment at the Final Four sparked debate. The longer story is about power, memory, and why authority exercised by Black women in sports still feels unfamiliar. New HerStory piece:
 What the Geno–Dawn Moment Missed—and What We Often Forget
 open.substack.com/pub/herstory...

What the Geno–Dawn Moment Revealed—and What We Often Forget

How power, navigation, and institutional memory shape the way Black women are seen in sports—then and now.

open.substack.com

This is how I roll … rooting for the Illinois men because I covered Shauna Green, their women’s coach, when she played at Canisius. It always comes back to (1) Buffalo and (2) women’s sports.

Geno has now feuded with Pat Summitt, Muffet McGraw and Dawn Staley. Who just happen to be the only women who could beat him out for championships consistently. It's an undignified habit, and unworthy of his talent.

Reminder that my mom knew Tim Duncan was gonna be a star before any of y'all did.

Amy Moritz@amymoritz.bsky.social · 7mo ago

As we head into the Final Four, a reminder: Not everything about basketball can be measured. Some of it is just joy.
Some of it is just love. New piece: herstorywny.substack.com/p/basketball...

As we head into the Final Four, a reminder: Not everything about basketball can be measured. Some of it is just joy.
Some of it is just love. New piece: herstorywny.substack.com/p/basketball...

Basketball Was Our Love Language

Even in the era of NIL and brand deals, the game still knows how to hold us.

herstorywny.substack.com

18.87 million people watched the 2024 women’s title game. Some still framed it as a sign of men’s decline. Women’s sports deserve better stories than that. New piece on Substack. herstorywny.substack.com/publish/post...

Comparison is the Thief of Joy: March Madness Edition

From playgrounds to primetime, women’s sports are still measured against men’s—even when they’re setting records of their own.

herstorywny.substack.com

St. Bonaventure hosts a WNIT game tonight. It got me thinking about when they went Division I in 1986 and joined the Atlantic 10 -- one of the toughest conferences in the country. MJ Telford remembered it as “very exciting… but also very, very challenging.” Moments like tonight have deep roots.

HerStory WNY is an oral history project documenting the experiences of women who shaped sports in Western New York. Through interviews, stories, and historical reflections, this newsletter connects those voices from the past to the evolving landscape of sports today.

HerStoryWNY | Amy Moritz | Substack

HerStory WNY is an oral history project documenting the voices of women who shaped sports in Western New York. Through interviews, stories, and historical reflections, this newsletter connects past ex...

herstorywny.substack.com

In 1972, about 90% of women’s college teams were coached by women. Today it’s closer to 40%. When sports evolve, the people drawn to them can change too. My first piece connecting that history to today’s college sports landscape: #WomensSports #SportsHistory

What Women Coaches in the 1970s Can Teach Us About the Professionalization of College Sports

The evolution of college athletics has reshaped coaching before — and history offers perspective on today’s changes.

herstorywny.substack.com

I had a few thoughts on the University at Buffalo women's basketball team's WNIT championship run: www.linkedin.com/posts/amymor...

We need to talk about the University at Buffalo women's basketball… | Amy Moritz

We need to talk about the University at Buffalo women's basketball team. In case you missed it, Buffalo captured the 2025 WNIT Championship in front of a sell-out crowd of 5,650 at Alumni Arena. ...

linkedin.com

My husband is a hero for sitting with me at women’s basketball games while I jump up and yell “AND ONE” and “REBOUND.” And big congrats to University of Buffalo for getting to the WNIT Fab Four! #UBHornsUp

This headline doesn’t work in Western New York, but it’s time the country gets to know Mike MacDonald and Daemen: “College basketball’s last remaining undefeated men’s team is one you’ve never heard of. Can it win it all?”

College basketball’s last remaining undefeated men’s team is one you’ve never heard of. Can it win it all?

Division II Daemen University is the most underrated team in college basketball. Can it bring unlucky Buffalo a championship at last?

nytimes.com

What an amazing crowd - and amazing game - for the @thepwhl.com Takeover Tour in Buffalo.

For what it’s worth I am really impressed with Texas women’s basketball right now.

Rep AOC: "republicans, who have voted consistently against the violence against women's act, who have taken the rights of all women to have control over their own body, who as women are bleeding out in parking lots, now want to pretend today that they care about women."

“Look. If I have to explain to you why it’s messed up to allow gambling on the Special Olympics, you’re probably on the wrong part of the internet.”

Brian Moritz@bmoritz99.bsky.social · 2y ago

New at Sports Media Guy: Is it just me, or are more people talking about sports gambling being a mistake? On the vibe change in coverage of legal and accessible gambling. sportsmediaguy.substack.com/p/sports-gam...

So interesting how the framing changes. Any thoughts on the why of the shift?

Brian Moritz@bmoritz99.bsky.social · 2y ago

Some interesting sports media framing happening around Week 18 in the NFL and players extending streaks and earning performance bonuses. Not too long ago, these would have been decried as stunts and selfish, players just seeking money. Now, they're evidence of good team culture.