Jenkins Medal nomineess for Best Sportswriting

The nominees for the 2020 award for best sportswriting published in the previous calendar year are (in alphabetical order by last name):

• Roberto José Andrade Franco on the significance of Los Bravos of FC Juárez, playing their first home game
  • As the Border Bled, Juárez Watched the Game It Waited Nine Years For, published by Deadspin.com on August 7. 2019

• Karen Crouse's profile of figure skater Gracie Gold.
  • Gracie Gold’s Battle for Olympic Glory Ended in a Fight to Save Herself, published by The New York Times on January 25, 2019

• Scott Eden on NBA referee Tim Donaghy's sordid world and relationships that led him to discrage
  • How Former Ref Tim Donaghy Conspired to Fix NBA Games, published by ESPN.com on February 19, 2019

• Mirin Fader's account of LaMelo Ball, playing in Austrailia until he become eligible for the NBA draft
  • The Life of LaMelo, published by Bleacher Report on November 19, 2019

• Peter Flax's longread on the tragedy of an amateur cyclist's death
  • Robyn Hightman Found a Life on Bikes. In an Instant It Was Gone, published by Bycling.com on September 5, 2019

• Tim Keown’s chronicle of a high school football team helping a devestated California town to heal after a devestating wildfire
  • After Devastating Fires, Paradise Football Team Gives a Community Hope, published by ESPN.com on September 10, 2019

• Elizabeth Merrill's profile of Shelly Pennyfather after her youth as an elite basketball player
  • Whatever Happened to Villanova Basketball Star Shelly Pennefather? ‘So I Made This Deal with God, published by ESPN.com on August 2, 2019

• Brian Phillip’s takeout on soccer legend Diego Maradona
• The Two Sides of Diego Maradona, published by TheRinger.com on October 1, 2019

• Steve Politi's account of youth sports in the most unfortunate of circumstances
  • He Told a Kid to Slide. Then He Got Sued, published by NJ.com on November 12, 2019

• William Rhoden on the Colin Kaepernick
  • Kaepernick Called an Audible and Beat the NFL at Its Game, published by the TheUndefeated.com on November 18, 2019

• Jenny Vrentas’ profile on Megan Rapinoe
• , published by Sports Illustrated on December 9, 2019

• Seth Wickersham’s story on the drama of the Cleveland Browns
• The Clash of the Cleveland Browns: How Hue Jackson, Jimmy Haslam and Baker Mayfield Collided, published by ESPN.com on January 24, 2019

The nominees for the 2019 award for best sportswriting published in the previous calendar year are (in alphabetical order by last name):

• Greg Bishop on the Humboldt bus crash tragedy that killed 16 members of the Broncos junior hockey team
  • The Valley of Darkness, published by Sports Illustrated on April 13, 2018

• Heather Dinich, Adam Rittenberg and Tom VanHaaren’s account of the University of Maryland football program in the wake of Jordan McNair’s death.
  • The Inside Story of a Toxic Culture at Maryland Football, published by EPSN.com on August 10, 2018

• Ted Jackson’s saga on seeking out the New Orleans football legend Jackie Wallace.
  • The Search for Jackie Wallace , published by New Orleans Times Picayune/NOLA Media on Sept. 7, 2018

• Lee Jenkins’ profile of NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant.
  • Kevin Durant and the Dagger That Foreshadowed the Broom, published by Sports Illustrated on June 12, 2018

• Jere Longman on watching the World Cup with the 2nd Battalion of the Ukrainian Army’s 92nd Brigade
  • Watching the World Cup in A War Zone, Where Every Goal Matters, published by The New York Times on June 15, 2018

• Juliet Macur’s chronicle of depression among high school football players
  • Suicides, Drug Addiction and High School Football , published by The New York Times on March 8, 2018

• Dave Sheinin’s story of a Brian Mazone’s MLB dream, ruined by a rainout
  • A Lifelong Dream Washed Away, published by the Washington Post on August 30, 2018

• Danyel Smith’s profile of gymnast Simone Biles
• Most dominant athlete of 2018: Simone Biles, published by TheUndefeated.com on December 11, 2018

• Sarah Spain’s account of the Chiefs’ assistant coach Decland McCullough’s search for his birth parents
  • Runs in the Family , published by ESPN.com on September 2, 2018

• Katie Strang on the former gymnast Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly allege sexual abuse on the part of USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nasser
  • Rachael Denhollander, the Woman Who Brought Larry Nassar to Justice , published by the theAthletic.com on August 26, 2018

• Andy Staples’ deadline piece on Alabama’s rally in the National Championship game
• It Takes Tua , published by Sports Illustrated on January 15, 2018

• Seth Wickersham’s story on the dissension within the Patriots juggernaut
• For Kraft, Brady and Belichick, is this the beginning of the end?, published by ESPN.com on January 5, 2018

The nominees for the 2018 award for best sportswriting published in the previous calendar year are (in alphabetical order by last name):

• Chris Ballard on the personal tragedy endured by former NBA player and coach Monty Williams
  • You Can’t Give In, Sports Illustrated, April 6, 2017

• Sam Borden on the impact and aftermath of crash of the Chapecoense soccer team’s plane
  • Eternal Champions, E:60, ESPN.com, June 8, 2017

• John Branch on NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick
  • The Awakening of Colin Kaepernick, New York Times, Sept. 7, 2017

• Rembert Browne on NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick
  • Colin Kaepernick Has a Job, B-R Mag, BleacherReport.com, Sept. 12, 2017

• Chuck Culpepper on the British racehorses Simonsig and Triolo D'Alene
  • Two racehorses, both male, ‘fell in love’ and were inseparable. Until tragedy did it for them, The Washington Post, Dec. 25, 2017

• Lee Jenkins on NBA player Jimmy Butler
  • Don’t Try to Change Jimmy Butler, Sports Illustrated, Oct. 10, 2017

• Mina Kimes on NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers
  • The Search for Aaron Rodgers, ESPN The Magazine,  August 30, 2017

• Michael Rosenberg on NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick
  • Truth Teller, Sports Illustrated, Dec. 11, 2017

• Alexandra Starr on the US Olympic Committee’s response to sexual abuse
  • Pushing the Limit, Harper’s Magazine, November 2017

• Louisa Thomas on professional tennis player Nick Krygios
  • Nick Krygios, The Reluctant Rising Star of Tennis, The New Yorker, July 10 & 17, 2017

• Tisha Thompson and Andy Lockett on the kidnapping and torture of Niko Kollias and his University of Rochester football teammate
  • I just wanted to survive, Outside the Lines, ESPN.com, 29 June 2017

• Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham on NFL owners’ response to Donald Trump’s comments about National Anthem protests
  • NFL owners struggled to retain control after Trump's attacks, rise of player protests, ESPN.com, Oct. 1, 2017

The nominations for Best Sportswriting were conducted by co-chairs Sally Jenkins and Michael MacCambridge and a committee that includes Kirk Bohls, Bryan Curtis, Tracee Hamilton, Melanie Hauser, Kathleen McElroy, Jo

The nominees for the 2017 award for best sportswriting published in the previous calendar year are:

• Bruce Arthur on the meaning of the Olympic ideal in Rio,
  • Day of Contrast at the Rio Olympics, Toronto Star, Aug. 16, 2016

• Chris Ballard on the former NBA player Robert Swift,
  • What Happened to Robert Swift?, Sports Illustrated, Sept. 21, 2016

• Dan Barry on the boxer Anthony Taylor,
  • Fight: Two men entered the ring for their first professional fight. Then something went wrong, The New York Times, March 27, 2016

• Stayton Bonner on bare-knuckle boxer Bobby Gunn
  • Bobby Gunn, Champion of the Underworld, Men’s Journal, Apr. 2016

• John Branch on Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr,
  • Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World beyond the Court, The New York Times, Dec. 22, 2016

• Spencer Hall on Alabama in the national championship game,
  • Do You Really Want to Know What It Takes to Beat Alabama? SB Nation, Jan. 12, 2016

• Jay Caspian Kang on the fading African-American presence in baseball,
  • The Unbearable Whiteness of Baseball, The New York Times, April 6, 2016

• Mina Kimes on bat-flipping in Korean baseball,
  • The Art of Letting Go, ESPN The Magazine, Oct. 4, 2016

• Drew Magary on Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL,
  • We Need to Talk about Ezekiel Elliott, GQ.com, Dec. 19, 2016

• Terrence McCoy on Olympic ice skater Debi Thomas,
  • The Best African American Figure Skater in History Is Now Bankrupt and Living in a Trailer, Washington Post, Feb. 26, 2016.

• Bill Plaschke on the veteran sportswriter Joe Resnick,
  • He Has Always Been There for Fans, and Now Writer Joe Resnick Receives Honors He Earned, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 20, 2016

• Eli Saslow on Demaryius Thomas’ mother,
  • The Hardest Choice Demaryius Thomas’ Mom Will Make, EPSN The Magazine, Feb. 1, 2016

• Wright Thompson on Tiger Woods,
  • The Secret History of Tiger Woods, ESPN The Magazine, May 9, 2016

A 16-member jury of working writers and editors selected the 2017 Best Sportswriting nominees. Jurors for the inaugural award include: co-chair Sally Jenkins, Dan’s daughter and writer for the Washington Post; Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman; Chuck Culpepper of the Washington Post; Gerald Early, author and professor of humanities at Washington University in St. Louis; Houston-area sportswriter Melanie Hauser; Joe Posnanski of MLB.com; John Walsh, long time executive editor of ESPN; Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN; co-chair Michael MacCambridge, author of numerous books; Karen Crouse of The New York Times; Bryan Curtis of The Ringer.com; Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star; Kathleen McElroy, associate director of UT’s School of Journalism and former editor of The New York Times; Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated; Seth Wickersham of ESPN The Magazine; and Alexander Wolff, author and contributing writer at Sports Illustrated.