Penn alum speaks on careers in journalism

Michael Bamberger, a 'Sports Illustrated' writer, spoke at Penn last night. Penn students have told Michael Bamberger that he was lucky to have attended Penn 20 years ago, since today, his SAT scores might be too low for him to be accepted. Regardless, the Sports Illustrated senior writer jokingly maintained that he's at least as smart as the 35 students who came to the Kelly Writers House last night because they, not he, braved the pouring rain just to receive some words of advice from a writer. Bamberger, a 1982 Penn graduate, came to the Writers House as part of the Alumni Writers Series. Bamberger discussed the roots of his budding writing career which began in the office of The Daily Pennsylvanian in 1980 when he wrote an article about students scalping tickets for a Bruce Springsteen concert at the Philadelphia Spectrum. "Read as much as you can, write as much as you can," Bamberger advised students interested in pursuing a career in writing. He appears to have taken his own advice, as his portfolio includes newspaper and magazine articles, sports novels and a play. Before arriving at Sports Illustrated -- where he has been a senior writer since 1995 -- Bamberger wrote for The Philadelphia Inquirer for nine years. Spending as much time as possible with the subject of the piece is the best way to capture his or her personality, Bamberger said. He should know: In his career, Bamberger has profiled the likes of baseball superstar Mike Piazza, former Major League Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent and the entire 1999 World Cup-winning United States women's soccer team. He did, however, admit that it can be difficult -- and sometimes even impossible -- to make certain athletes receptive to the idea of being followed by a reporter. Take, for example, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Albert Belle, who is as well known for his clubhouse tirades as for his home run power. Bamberger told a laughing audience of an encounter he once had with the slugger. Belle would not speak to the reporter, leaving Bamberger to write a feature story for Sports Illustrated that used only one quote from the subject himself: "Sports Illustrated can kiss my black ass." "He viewed me as a parasite," Bamberger said. Bamberger went on to field questions ranging from Michael Jordan's relationship with Sports Illustrated in the early 1990s to Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker's controversial remarks made several months ago to the magazine. Bamberger repeatedly stressed that the most important responsibility of the writer and the publication is to the reader. Bamberger admitted problems may arise when a writer has spent time with a subject and develops a personal relationship with the source. The reporter, Bamberger said, must always maintain his or her integrity because that is the most important attribute that a writer can possess. But the discussion did not focus solely on sports. In fact, Bamberger also discussed the art of writing and reporting. After the talk, College sophomore Lenya Bloom called Bamberger's message "excellent." "He did a good job balancing between sports and all interests," Bloom said. College junior Todd Wise introduced Bamberger. "A lot of people in the Penn community are interested in sports," Wise said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.