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When Emmanuel Morgan was hired as a sports reporter covering the NFL and combat sports for The New York Times in 2021, the job felt familiar. After all, Mr. Morgan, who grew up playing football, had been writing about the sport since high school. He covered the NFL for the Los Angeles Times for nearly two years.
“I knew the NFL and the UFC and all these other sports very well,” said Mr. Morgan, 27, who also covered high school sports and basketball for the Los Angeles Times, including helping to report on the 2013 NFL Draft. Death of Kobe Bryant In 2020.
So when the times disbanded its sports department Last year, he took the opportunity to push himself and break into a new dimension: the fusion of sports and pop culture.
“I'm not a film critic or a Broadway-goer, but I follow pop culture, I watch Netflix and I listen to music constantly — every day in the shower, on the subway,” he said. “I used to keep an eye on my pulse.” Over the past eight months, Mr. Morgan, now on the culture desk, has written about the pop culture phenomenon Taylor Swift and Travis KelceThe The growing relationship between the NFL and streaming services And this The Rise of Athlete Podcasts,
In an interview, he talks about how his daily news viewing habits have changed and what his favorite reporting experience has been so far. Edited excerpts of the conversation follow.
You've been in this position for about eight months. What's been going on so far?
I definitely have to be a lot more creative when it comes to finding story ideas. When I was on the sports desk, I knew the NFL and the UFC very well — covering sports is very formulaic. You know you have to do previews for big events like the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft, and as the season progresses, the major story lines and the goals for profiles and features become very clear. But with this new beat, I'm reporting on things you don't see on TV or Twitter, and there are a lot more options, since I'm not just focused on the NFL and the UFC anymore. I have to make a lot more phone calls and talk to more people.
A meeting with a publicist in March brought up a timely story about how Flojae JohnsonOne of the best female college basketball players in the country, she balanced her sports obligations with her music career.
What are some of your favorite articles you have ever written?
I worked on several pieces around the Super Bowl in Las Vegas this year – I A retired player was followed all day to Radio Row For a story on how it has transformed into a behemoth for the NFL, I wrote about how Parties at the Super Bowl have become a business And use the event as a playground for brand activation. It was great to show other people at the culture desk that there's more to it than just the halftime show.
I've also written about Joel Embiid, a basketball player who Started a media production companyWhich is a big deal in the sports world now. And I wrote a front-page story about how the NFL is trying to do more long-form projects for streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and Apple.
Did you play sports as a child?
I played football in high school. I was a running back and a linebacker. I also wrestled. I've always been an athlete, but I also loved writing. So it made sense to put the two together.
What's the most fun you've had the chance to do for an article?
I want to do Follow UFC announcer Bruce Buffer I was able to see how he prepares, including the color-coordinated index cards he reads in the octagon, with fighters’ names and stats written on them.
What has been your biggest challenge?
I'm trying to separate myself from the games. I have a tendency to cover everything that's happening on the field or court. I have to step back and look at things that are not related to the actual game. I'm training myself to think differently.
What are your future goals for sports and culture coverage at The Times?
It's been nice to keep pushing it forward — to experiment and try new things; to say, “The New York Times may not have covered that story before, but it's important.” I'm not even a year old yet, and I keep finding new stories to cover. There's an audience for this crossover between sports and entertainment, and my goal is to find it and tell stories that resonate with them.