From Minneapolis to Maui, from College Park to Chapel Hill, from Philadelphia to Florida State, my journey as a member of The Chronicle sports staff--and this year, as sports editor--has been an experience I will never forget.
Unlike some of my predecessors, who have used this space to vent their frustration at University administrators, coaches and athletes, I have few critical words to say about the subjects of my coverage over the past four years.
Does that mean I think that everything in the Duke athletic community is perfect, as its representatives would like us to believe?
Of course not.
I recognize that Duke and its athletic department contain many problems that need to be addressed. But generally speaking, Duke's teams still represent everything that is right about collegiate athletics. For example, the football team may not be able to win a game, but its players visibly exert their maximum effort every time they take the field. They give maximum effort in the classroom, too, where they achieve one of the nation's highest graduation rates annually.
Duke women's teams, on average, also score high marks on the field and in the classroom. For instance, virtually every player on the women's basketball team team is enrolled in a natural science discipline and all eight women's tennis players made the ACC academic honor roll last year.
Despite the critical microscope that has been focused on its players this year, the men's basketball team also has demonstrated consistent academic success. On this year's team alone, captains Mike Dunleavy and Jason Williams have made solid grades while taking overloaded course schedules (not to mention enduring the draining number of hours they spend representing their University in a dignified manner). Physics major Nick Horvath and civil engineering/economics double major Matt Christensen should also be lauded for their rigorous academic schedules.
Is every member of the team the next Einstein? No, but neither is every member of the Duke community, a fact students, professors and overzealous outside pundits often forget. We should hold our basketball team to high standards, but when its members are doing things the right way, which I believe they usually are, they should be duly credited.
The same could be said for Mike Krzyzewski, who lives up to his billing as America's best coach, professional or collegiate. In two intimate, lengthy conversations and countless press conferences with the 27-year coaching veteran, I have seen a man who cares deeply about his players and has a rare talent to motivate them to perform to the greatest extent of their capabilities. Admittedly, when Coach K said after Duke's 1999 national championship loss that his basketball team was about "relationships, not winning," I, like many skeptics, took his statement to be a cop out for a team that clearly had more talent than any of its adversaries. But after getting to know Krzyzewski during the past year, I accept his claim that his job is not solely about concrete success, but rather, a deeper purpose of teamwork and cooperation.
The Chronicle sports staff has also matured into an admirable team over the past year. Although cynics on the Duke Basketball Report message board (oh, and by the way, the DBR remains my favorite website no matter how much it bashes The Chronicle) deride our staff at seemingly every turn, I believe that we have done a commendable job of reporting on Duke athletics in a fair, responsible and interesting manner. Like any organization striving for perfection, we have had our share of mishaps, but by and large, the sports staff has fulfilled its duties and has provided a valuable resource for the sports-crazed Duke community.
Student journalists, especially those who work for an independent campus newspaper, have the difficult job of putting aside their loyalties to their university in order to disseminate the news in an unbiased and balanced manner. These difficulties are compounded for those of us who write about sports, because, at the heart of every sports journalist, lies a sports fan. Moreover, many opportunities for our sports pages hinge on the success of these teams (I'm still waiting for my trip to the Final Four in Atlanta!).
However, at the same time, we have a responsibility to report the news truthfully. If this responsibility did not exist, readers would only receive news that is spun in the University's favor, which sometimes represents an inaccurate portrayal of the truth.
In many respects, I look forward to the opportunity to become a fan once more. There have been so many times that I have yearned to cheer while sitting on press row, but couldn't because of the need to act in a professional manner.
I have absolutely no regrets, however, about my tenure as sports editor. Sure, it didn't do wonders for my social life, but it has taught me the valuable lessons of persistence, precision, work ethic, leadership and communication, all of which I will utilize later in life. Even more importantly, my interaction with a handful of members of the Duke athletic community--revered figures like Shane Battier, Williams and Krzyzewski--have given me a model for greatness that I hope to apply as I strive for greatness of my own.
Finally, it has allowed me to fulfill a dream. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted, in some way, to be a part of Duke athletics, and being sports editor of The Chronicle has allowed me to do so. I can only hope that my successors will appreciate the unique and valuable experience that has been bestowed upon them and that they will approach their job with passion and determination.
My reign as sports editor has been nowhere near flawless, but I could not have asked for anything more.
Craig Saperstein is a Trinity senior and sports editor of The Chronicle.
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