Alum
Matt Dollinger
Deputy editor, The Ringer
Matt Dollinger, BAJ’10, Deputy editor at The Ringer
“I worked at the IDS for three or four years, and I was lucky enough to go to Sports Illustrated right after that. There were ways where the IDS had a more sophisticated operation than Sports Illustrated. And that's not even to put down Sports Illustrated, that's really to point to the IDS's standards and they're not kitty-gloving you.
[My career] really jump-started when I transferred back to IU. I was able to work for the IDS. I worked everything from field hockey, which was my favorite beat of all, to men's basketball. Field hockey [were] the only athletes who ever actually wanted to talk to you. So, the interviews were incredible. And I knew nothing about field hockey going in. So, I had to learn it from scratch. And that was the most educational experience ever, too. You genuinely have to ask a question to understand something. You're not just doing it to get a sound bite. It's like, ‘Wait, no, how does that work?’ And that unlocked better answers from the players too, so that was great.
I got to cover a lot of turmoil at IU. It was the worst stretch in the IU basketball program's history. They were the worst they've ever been. They literally had to play two baseball players because they had so few scholarships. It was right after Kelvin Sampson, all the scholarships got taken away. This guy, Tom Crean, gets hired. I get to interview Tom Crean on his first day. The IDS gets the interview. I show up to Assembly Hall. I'm nervous, right? It's a big deal. Tom Crean, first day as IU coach, IDS gets an interview, I have my questions ready, Tom's like, ‘hey, let's go do it at center court.’
So we take two chairs and we go sit in the middle of Assembly Hall at center court, and there's a wonderful gentleman who takes our photo as we're staring at each other, and it was the most intense thing. And I said the worst icebreaker. Tom's wearing a red sweater…for a long time you think Bobby Knight, the basketball coach, since he was [known for his] iconic red sweater. Tom Crean, on his first day as basketball coach, shows up in a red sweater. I was like, ‘Ah, look at that, you're wearing a Bob Knight sweater.’ He's like, ‘Don't call it a Bob Knight sweater. Do not write that it's a Bob Knight sweater. This is nothing to do with Bob Knight.’ That's my most memorable day I'd say.”
I also got to work for the Colts for years as their website writer. While I was at IU, I got to go to training camp with Peyton Manning and the Colts, and they made it all the way to the Super Bowl that year and I got to go. They did lose, and it was one of the worst days of my life, and I genuinely haven't recovered. You want to talk about sadness, watch some guys lose the Super Bowl. That is as sad as it gets.
I'd say that my best skill is getting the best out of people. I'm really good at taking someone who's good and making them great. And I've worked with young writers too and tried to get people off the ground and get them up to speed. And I'm very invested in other people's work, and I think I'm a good communicator and a people person. I'm always down to hop on the phone for an hour and just talk something out, and that is what you need as an editor.”
Written By Emmerson Elledge
Photos By Ranen Biswas