-Life as a NFL Sports Features Writer and Author–
Two hundred and eighty characters. Fifteen seconds. One minute. Likes. Emojis. Fiery takes. Does this mean anything to you?
Well, if you have been breathing these past ten years or so, it’s hard not to notice just how much our habits have been re-shaped by the digital world.
What I am referring to here is our desperate need to have everything we consume—media wise—condensed.
However, it has come at cost. Namely long form content like magazine articles, newspapers, books, essays and so on have been suffering immensely as industries have raced to fill this unquenched thirst for quick and dirty takes.
Our own responses to it all have been altered too. How many times have you found yourself in a fluster over trying to fit your own bursts of emotion and thoughts into short soundbites?
Enough of the doom and gloom though. Despite all of this, there is reason for optimism. As some of us begin to recognize some of the folly in all of this, there has been a rekindling of affection towards longform content and its consumption.
Need proof? Look no further than our guest today.
Introducing
Tyler Dunne is a long time NFL (National Football League) features writer and author based in Boston, NY. He is the founder of GoLongTD.com a daily newsletter publication dedicated to long form pro football journalism.
Skills & Background
He has covered the NFL since 2007 for various outlets, including Bleacher Report, the Buffalo News and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Tyler’s writing has been acknowledged by the Associated Press Sports Editors organization, as well as the Pro Football Writers of America organization. His story on the Green Bay Packers in 2019 drew the most reads for any story for Bleacher Report—a major online sports outlet.
National Acclaim
Furthermore, Tyler’s work has been featured and covered in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Herald and many other US and international outlets. His nearly 50,000 fans on Twitter could probably speak to the quality of his work too.
Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
Not only that, he is often a go to source of coverage for fans of two iconic NFL franchises, the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers in relation to his years on the beat for both clubs.
Reasons to Listen
First off, for anyone interested in pursuing the profession of sports journalism, Tyler offers up a blueprint about how to do it. That alone is worth the price of admission.
We also discuss the trends and current state of sports journalism from several fascinating angles. Those conversations unto themselves offer compelling looks at not only the state of journalism but their linkage to present societal issues at large.
Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers Saga REVISITED
Secondly, Tyler takes us behind the curtain relating to several topics. We dive into his infamous Bleacher Report story on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers back in 2019 which blew up and spread beyond the walls of sports journalism.
Sammy Watkins Story
Listeners will also be treated to a rather enlightening and interesting story about a sit down interview and conversation he had with Super Bowl winning receiver Sammy Watkins a couple years back.
Buffalo Bills Take on the 2022 Season
The chat also meanders into some Bills talk about their upcoming 2022 season and Tyler’s takes on the team including superstar QB Josh Allen, head coach Sean McDermott and of course the fans, Bills Mafia.
Book Preview
Finally, Tyler takes the time to preview his upcoming book, “The Blood and Guts: How Tight Ends Save Football.” Listeners will get a sneak peek into some of the stories and personalities covered in the book pertaining to the likes of past and present NFL greats Mike Ditka, George Kittle, Dallas Clarke, Jimmy Graham and Jackie Smith.
Listen in for all this and more!
A Memorable Quote from the Episode:
“You could read a four or five thousand word story in about fifteen minutes, however we’re all kind of trained to think about how long that story is. In actuality though, you just screwed around on Twitter for an hour. You could have read four or five stories in that time.”
Tyler Dunne
Check out the Video Conversation:
For those who desire to view the full video conversation of this discussion, you can do so via Youtube.
Words of Wisdom:
Hear from Tyler as he shares advice to those looking to break into the world of sports journalism.
Discover More
For those interested in learning more about Tyler and his work, you can find and connect with him through his website GoLongTD.com. You can also pre-order his upcoming book here. Finally you can follow him on the following social platforms:
Keep Listening!
I hope you enjoyed the episode. For more, check out additional episodes here!
