Just like the professional athletes whose stories he chronicles, Mike DeFabo’s rise from editor of the Greater Latrobe Senior High School newspaper in his native Pennsylvania to staff writer with the Athletic—the New York Times’s sports division—took grit, determination, and plenty of practice. 

When he graduated from journalism school, DeFabo, SOC/BA ’12, who was already working as a consultant in DC, was 0–100 with newspaper job applications when the Times West Virginian decided to take a shot on the rookie reporter. 

“I cut my salary in half and moved to a small town where I didn’t know anybody,” DeFabo says. “I bet on myself, believing it would pay off.”

And it has.

After stops in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, DeFabo landed at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, covering the Penguins for three years before being called up to the big leagues, as the Steelers beat for the Athletic.

“I was a huge Steelers fan growing up, and I always thought it would be the best thing ever to cover them. But as I started reporting on other teams, I thought, ‘Do I really want to cover the team that I love?’ It’s almost like you have to shed that fandom in order to be an objective journalist. It was a sacrifice, but I’m grateful I did it.”

DeFabo likens a good sportswriter to a three-down running back. 

“They break and report news, cultivate sources, build trust, and explain not just what happened but why it happened and what it means,” he says. “Second, they understand the analytical side of the game and can write a story that the defensive coordinator of the local football team can enjoy, while also writing in a way that someone who’s new to the game can understand. Third—and thing that’s really in my wheelhouse—is that they’re able to write human interest features. 

“I love meeting people and hearing about their journey and what brought them to the NFL,” DeFabo continues. “My favorite part of the job is when I'm in the locker room and one question leads to the next and all of a sudden, somebody says something that I've never thought of or heard before. I’ll ask, ‘Have you ever told anybody that?’ And they say, ‘No.’ Or, ‘Has anybody ever written about that?’ And, again: ‘No.’ That, to me, is the most rewarding and fulfilling part of the job.”

The Athletic is anomalous amid the shrinking newspaper industry. The subscription-based site that provides national and local sports coverage in 47 North American cities and the UK showcases in-depth reporting and enterprise stories that can take journalists like DeFabo weeks or even months to research and write. 

“It’s not like you’re writing five sports stories a day, without much depth to them beyond the headline,” he says. 

“Sometimes sports writing is X’s and O’s—but it’s just as much about the drama that unfolds over the course of a season,” DeFabo continues. “There’s always a player getting hurt that creates an unexpected opportunity for somebody else. There’s always the thrill of the last-second plays and the newsworthy elements of trades, signings, and firings. If you have a passion for sports and a passion for writing, there’s no better job.”

DeFabo’s career covering professional sports and college football and basketball has taken him to more than 100 ballparks, stadiums, and arenas across the country. Here are his favorites:

• PNC Park, home of MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates: I’m not being a homer when I pick my local ballpark; PNC Park routinely tops nearly every list of the league’s best venues. It features a beautiful skyline that overlooks the Clemente Bridge (sit along the third base line for the best view), Primanti Brothers’ legendary sandwiches, and pierogi races (archrivals of the Nationals’ racing presidents). If only the Pirates had a team that deserved to play there.
• Wrigley Field, home of MLB’s Chicago Cubs: From the smell of the hot dogs to the peanut shells cracking beneath your feet, this park, with its famous ivy-covered walls, offers a timeless baseball experience. You can’t tell if you’re in 1921 or 2023. And the entire area around the park becomes a party when the game ends.
• Madison Square Garden, home of the NHL’s New York Rangers: I have covered the Jimmy V Classic, the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament, and numerous hockey games at MSG. But one of my favorite memories was covering a Penguins-Rangers game during the pandemic in a snowstorm. It was just me, one other Pittsburgh reporter, and a couple security guards (the Pens won in overtime). It was surreal; the world’s most famous arena became the world’s quietest for a night.
• Fenway Park, home of MLB’s Boston Red Sox: This was the first ballpark I went to outside Pittsburgh with my dad and brother when I was about 8 years old. We had so much fun, my dad decided to plan an annual baseball pilgrimage to a different park each year; we’ve since visited more than 20.
• Mackey Arena, home of college basketball’s Purdue Boilermakers: This doesn’t look like much from the outside; what makes it special are the passionate, diehard fans. Everywhere else in the country, football is king, but in Indiana, basketball reigns supreme. And because of the architecture of the building, when those fans get loud, the noise bounces off the ceiling and it’s deafeningly loud.Another thing that’s unique about Mackey: the student section (shoutout to the Paint Crew) sits behind both baskets, so if you’re shooting free throws with the game on the line, you have no reprieve.
• Assembly Hall, home of college basketball’s Indiana Hoosiers: This is shaped, structurally, just like a regular gym, but with sides that go up and up, all the way into the heavens. It’s one of the most unique arenas I’ve ever visited.
• PPG Paints Arena, home of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins: I’m probably biased because I have so many great memories over my three seasons covering the Penguins. Among them: I was one of only about 25 people who witnessed captain Sidney Crosby celebrate his 1,000th game during the pandemic. I also met my fiancée, sports anchor Jenna Harner, in the press box at PPG Paints Arena.
• Camp Randall, home of college football’s Wisconsin Badgers: The first time I covered a game here, a grizzled veteran reporter looked over and said, “Do you want me to hold your hand at the end of the third quarter?” I had no idea what he was talking about—but I soon found out. They have a tradition where they play House of Pain’s “Jump Around.” The entire stadium shakes; it was scary and awesome at the same time. 
• T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights: There’s an old saying in hockey, “I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out.” In this arena, it’s like, “I went to a Vegas show and a hockey game broke out.” It’s easily the loudest arena in the league with the biggest party atmosphere. 
• SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Rams: Tied for the newest venue in the league, along with Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium, it’s already vying for the best. The big glass roof allows the beautiful sunlight to shine through, and everything is just shiny and new.