I’m author and journalist Brandon Sneed. Welcome to my newsletter, Sports Ampersand. While I’ve been a career sports journalist, I’ve been always driven by questions about and deep love for life. This is about all that.
After growing up in a small town in the South, I fell in love with journalism in college and lucked into spending the last 15+ years exploring life and the world while writing for Rolling Stone, ESPN The Magazine, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, Outside, and more. I’ve also written a few books and worked on documentaries and produced and written a handful of narrative podcast episodes for companies like ABC, Religion of Sports, and Hi Barr Media, written or co-written a handful of (not yet produced) film and television scripts.
Based in Winterville, North Carolina, I’m also a single dad with two young sons, a black lab/pit bull named Bruce, and a small landscaping company. I teach at East Carolina University, where I’m also working on my Ph.D.
For more about me/my work:
Website: brandonsneed.com
X/Twitter: @brandonsneed
Instagram: @brandonsneed
Email: bmsneed@gmail.com
Some recent stories:
America’s First Olympic Breakdancer is Ready to Take Gold (Rolling Stone) — Victor Montalvo set out to be the best breaker in the world. Nobody ever thought that would mean spinning for a medal.
Taming the Wave (Sports Illustrated) — Surfing always came easy for Caroline Marks. At 22, she already has a world title and is headed to her second Olympics. But what she’s learned out of the water is the key to her long-term success and happiness.
Wolfe’s Hunt: The Meaning Behind a Former NFL Player’s Viral Quest for a Lion (Sports Illustrated) — The internet exploded when Derek Wolfe posted his photo with the beast. But for the former Bronco, bagging a lion had nothing to do with scoring political points and everything to do with who he is.
They Caught the Fish, but the $3.5 Million Prize Got Away (New York Times) — The guys aboard Sensation celebrated like lottery winners when they boated a monster marlin in the last hours of the fishing tournament. The party ended when they got back to shore.
Later, Slater? (Sports Illustrated) — Kelly Slater won the Super Bowl of surfing at 50. So, what’s next? He’ll consult some legends—Brady, Brees, Hawk—and wrestle his demons and keep stoking that fire. Until he doesn’t.
The Caretaker (Sports Illustrated) — Esther Lee’s physical therapy work is described by clients like the Williams sisters and Shaun White as life-changing, going beyond muscles and into matters of the soul. Now, facing down death, she’s learning to look within, too.
Where Are They Now: Shaun Weiss (Sports Illustrated) — Shaun Weiss went from child actor and star of the Mighty Ducks franchise to living on the streets and in the throes of heroin addiction. Now he says the internet has saved him.
Rex Chapman Isn’t Sure He Deserves Good Things (New York Times) — With 1.2 million Twitter followers and a new show debuting Monday, the former N.B.A. player appears to have an enviable life. But he’s haunted by what happened the last time he was famous.
From Heisman Hopeful to the Dark Side (Sports Illustrated) — The excruciating struggle to break Colt Brennan’s endless cycle of addiction: drinking and drugs, arrests and alienations, apologies and promises. Repeat.
Thank you for being here.
