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2007 awards: Column writing |
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Thursday, 21 August 2008 22:12 |
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The North American Soccer Reporters is pleased to announce the winner of the 2007 Column Writing Contest. San Diego Union Tribune soccer writer Mark Zeigler’s hard-hitting piece about the U.S. women’s national team’s willingness to ostracize benched goalkeeper Hope Solo following the World Cup won the award. An excerpt from Who’s Sorry Now? It shouldn’t be Hope Solo:
Why is Solo apologizing again? Why, indeed, is she apologizing at all?
And if we're truly operating in the spirit of reconciliation, why isn't U.S. coach Greg Ryan issuing a public apology for suddenly benching Solo before the World Cup semifinals and for all the other bone-headed decisions he made along the way to the team's worst performance in a major international tournament?
Why isn't the federation apologizing for hiring him in the first place when a half-dozen other candidates had far more impressive résumés?
Why isn't Kristine Lilly, soccer's all-time caps leader for men or women and the team's current captain, apologizing for disappearing for long stretches of World Cup matches?
Why isn't the rest of the team apologizing for its lackluster and unimaginative play throughout the entire event?
Zeigler’s story earned a first place and two second place votes from the three judge panel. The judges were given a package of stories that included columns written during the 2007 calendar year and submitted by the writers or their editors. Bylines and publications were removed from the entries presented to the judges by contest director Tobias Xavier Lopez, who was ineligible to participate.
The judges voted independently by selecting their Top-3 choices. The judges were Star-Telegram deputy sports editor Tom Johanningmeier, staff sports writer Trae Thompson and former soccer editor Cody Bailey. |
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2007 awards: Feature Writing |
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Thursday, 07 August 2008 19:45 |
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The North American Soccer Reporters are pleased to announce the winner of the 2007 Feature Writing Contest. Chicago Tribune soccer writer Luis Arroyave’s moving story about Bakary Soumare and his sanctuary found in soccer was the unanimous winner.
An excerpt: November 18, 2007 Sunday
Soccer is his sanctuary;
Game, mates help Fire rookie Bakary Soumare deal with the deaths of his mother and brother
The phone in Bakary Soumare's pocket vibrates seconds after his name is announced as the second overall pick in January's Major League Soccer SuperDraft in Indianapolis.
He can't talk, not with a league representative leading him to the stage to shake hands with MLS Commissioner Don Garber, so his mother Bintou will have to settle for leaving a message.
Bintou Soumare, following the draft online from Paris, only recently had gotten a handle on what the draft is. Sure, it took Bakary's brother two hours to explain it, but she is proud and she will tell her son that once the interviews are done.
But the memory of that day will be bittersweet. As Bakary puts it, "I went from the best day of my life to the worst day of my life" only a few weeks later.
Arroyave’s story was a unanimous No. 1 selection by the three judge panel. The judges were given a package of stories that included feature stories written during the 2007 calendar year and submitted by the writers or their editors. Bylines and publications were removed from the entries presented to the judges by contest director Tobias Xavier Lopez, who was ineligible to participate.
The judges voted independently by selecting their top five choices. The judges were Star-Telegram deputy sports editor Tom Johanningmeier, staff sports writer Trae Thompson and metro editor Sonny Bohannan. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 21 August 2008 22:12 |
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