Episode 62: Jerry Izenberg Talks About Sports Journalism and More

For close to six decades, Jerry Izenberg set the standard for the written word in sports information. During his years with the New Jersey Star-Ledger, which began in 1951, he brought sports to life not by recording hits or goals or transactions or salaries but by writing about the sportsmen themselves. Because of his straightforward reporting, Jerry includes among his friends the likes of Muhammed Ali  and Larry Doby, two of the many people he talks about in his bio Through My Eyes: A SportsWriter’s 58-Year Journey. Inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 2000, Jerry won the prestigious Red Smith Award from the Associated Press Sports Editors. In this interview he discusses many of the highlights of his career of the people he met and of the events he covered. A graduate of Rutgers University, he has a passion for sports journalism and discusses the state of sports and journalism and what makes a great sports writer.