Frank Fear Talks Writing and Sports

As Managing Editor of The Sports Column, Frank Fear reviews submissions and gets them into print–just as he has done for me. 

The Sports Column is a site where writers can submit their work about sports–young writers, experienced writers, and writers from all walks of life. TSC has published over 4000 articles since Brett Dickison launched it in 2012.

Recently, I had a chance recently to ask TSC’s Managing Editor, Frank Fear, about writing and sports. Here’s what he had to say.

Kadin: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Frank Fear

Frank: Writing is a craft, art, and skill. To get better at any craft, you need plenty of practice. Art involves finding your voice and developing a personal style. And writing requires having a command of the language, including word usage and grammar.

Kadin: What are your goals for the future?

Frank: To help as many people as I can, and as much as I can. I also want to be fulfilled in all that I do.

Kadin: Define editing in one word.

Frank: ‘Care.’

Kadin: What was it like teaching all those years at Michigan State? 

Frank: It was an honor. I was lucky to have had so many great students–undergraduate and graduate. By ‘great’ I mean solid academically and people with integrity. I learned as much from them–probably more–as they did from me.

Kadin: I know you have a special interest in college sports, and you write a lot about issues facing higher education. As you see it, what’s the biggest problem in college sports today?

Frank: Money. There’s too much of it in the system. In my estimation, it has had a corrupting influence on programs and higher education. Sadly, the universities, conferences, and NCAA are doing very little to address fundamental issues.

Kadin: I also know you have concerns about horseracing in America. Comment, please. 

Santa Anita Protesters (photo, CBS)

Frank: As a former standardbred horse owner, I don’t want horseracing to end. I want it reformed. There are plenty of lessons from Europe (especially) that, if applied in America, can stop the carnage of American racehorses. The big problem is drugs–steroids to bulk up horses and drugs to keep horses racing when they should not.

Kadin: I notice that you don’t write a lot about your personal and family life. Why not?

Frank: Educated as a sociologist, I focus almost all of my work on social issues, especially at the institutional, community, and societal levels. In sports, I write sports commentaries. An example is the untimely death of thoroughbred horses and what we can do to reverse that trend. Another is the violence in sports–football, in particular–and the impact of violence on personal health later in life.

Kadin: Who is your favorite writer to mentor?

Frank:  You, of course! As a college educator, I devoted my 40-year career to helping younger people develop intellectually and professionally. I’m not teaching these days–at least not in the classroom sense–but I’m still ‘teaching’ by the editing work I do. You are a prime example.

XXLmag.com

Kadin: As you know, I’ve written a lot about how the music industry and sports are connected, specifically the rap-sports connection. A theme there is criminal activity. What’s your take? 

Frank: I admire what you’re doing. Each of us needs to identify at least one issue that we’re passionate about and, then, become an advocate/activist for change. I know your passion is figuring out how to help rappers stay out of trouble. It’s a tall order, but it’s well worth the effort.

Kadin: Thanks, so much, Frank. You’ve helped me, and I know many others, become the best we can be.