The 3 AM Press Conference and The Global Hustle: Favian Renkel

If you follow soccer in America, you have likely seen Favian Renkel’s name. He has bylines in Forbes, Sports Illustrated, and OneFootball. He is everywhere.But the byline doesn’t tell you how he got there. It doesn’t tell you that for years, “covering the team” meant waking up at 3:00 AM in Japan to translate post-game press conferences for the San Jose Earthquakes, only to finish just in time for his infant son to wake up so he could start his day as a dad and an English teacher.On this week’s episode, we sat down with the founder of Futwrk to talk about the unglamorous reality of breaking into sports media.Here is the side story of a journalist who realized that in 2024, writing the story isn’t enough—you have to sell it, too.The Japan Chapter: Grinding in the DarkFavian’s big break didn’t happen in a press box in Los Angeles. It happened in a quiet room across the Pacific.Living in Japan with his pregnant wife during COVID, Favian spotted an opportunity. The San Jose Earthquakes had an Argentine coach, Matias Almeyda, and the local press corps needed someone who understood the nuances of South American Spanish.So, Favian lived a double life.“It was 3:00 AM press conferences... doing my journalistic work, and the conference would end at 5:00 AM. And then your son wakes up and it’s time to be a dad.”This wasn’t just about translation; it was about sheer will. That period taught him to report “on the fly” and handle the delirium of deadline pressure—skills that would later define his career when he returned to the States to cover MLS Cup and the Leagues Cup.The “Dirty Word” of Journalism: MarketingThere is an old-school belief that if you write a great story, the audience will find it. Favian disagrees.Coming from a background in sales (selling high-end plumbing fixtures, of all things), he treats content differently than most purists. He argues that modern journalists must surrender to the algorithm to survive.“You can be the best writer in the world, but you need to have people to read it... If you’re being naive on purpose [to get engagement], they’re going to interact. And that’s how you build your following.”It’s a controversial take, but an honest one. Favian admits that “rage baiting” or playing the engagement game is the price of admission in the attention economy. You can’t change the culture of soccer if no one sees your tweets.The Futwrk Aesthetic: Making Soccer “Cool”Favian’s latest venture, Futwrk, is an attempt to recapture a feeling he had as a kid. He grew up reading SLAM Magazine, looking at photos of Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant and thinking they were the coolest people on earth.He felt American soccer media was too stiff. It lacked that “magazine” swagger.“If I was a kid... would I think, ‘Man, I want to be just like him?’”Futwrk blends journalism with high-end graphic design and photography to frame MLS players not just as athletes, but as icons. It’s a project born from his time as a graphic designer, proving that in the modern media landscape, you can’t just wear one hat. You have to be the writer, the editor, the designer, and the hype man.The Burnout TrapThe danger of the “Side Story” hustle is that it never stops. Favian shared a pivotal conversation he had with veteran writer Charlie Boehm about the sustainability of the grind.“You have to train your work ethic like a muscle. If you go from zero to 100 right at the start... you’re going to burn yourself out.”Favian is still learning this balance. But he offers a reminder to every aspiring creator: The goal isn’t to cover everything. It’s to find your niche (like being the bilingual reporter who can joke with Jordi Alba) and own it completely.The Takeaway:Favian Renkel represents the new prototype of the sports media personality. He isn’t waiting for a newspaper to hire him. He is building his own platform, designing his own graphics, and sleeping when the work is done.Listen to the full conversation to hear Favian’s advice on navigating the “Wild West” of soccer media on the latest episode of Side Story Sports. Whether you’re a sports fan, a media watcher, or someone trying to tell stories in a world where every channel demands its own version, this episode digs into the practical reality and the philosophical trade-offs of modern sports journalism.Links & resources:* Favian Renkel on Urban Pitch / Leagues Cup* Favian on X / Instagram: @FavianRenkel / @iamfavianrenkel* Subscribe to Futwrk and follow his side projects This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sidestorysports.substack.com