ABOUT

Arrick Wilson

Sport Journalist and Sports fan

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. How was that even possible to communicate that quickly and with such personality. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! I would imitate those I’d seen on television and get a makeshift microphone out of whatever I could find and talk and talk and talk. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I hope that my career with supersede Stephen A. Smith with my continued hard work and dedication. In 9th grade, I embarked on a journey of having my own basketball blog; in my opinion, this has prepared me for the future in sports journalism. On my site, I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, Professional basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write- up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. My podcast has been extremely instrumental in molding my journalism with my tech skills. At first, my basketball blog wasn’t getting a lot of views, and it discouraged me. I was a 15-year-old timid freshman who has always been nervous about starting new projects and scared to interview others. Instead of succumbing to the low views and jittery nerves; I overcame fear and doubt and continued to press towards my dream. My site has picked up many more views, and there’s even a demand for me to interview coaches and players. I became more outgoing and worked harder on being an amazing Sports Journalist. Journalism has impacted my life greatly. I am able to communicate and convey my thoughts better in my everyday life. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I’ve looked up to? Why not?