You know him for his coverage of local sports, his picture-perfect action shots at games and his weekly sports column — or, maybe you just know him as Wade — but did you know his columns won first place in the 2023 Excellence in Journalism Contest?
Hosted by the Society of Professional Journalists Region 10 — which includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska — the contest is the largest of its kind in the nation and evaluates standout works of journalism published during the calendar year.
Our sports columnist and reporter, Wade Evanson, submitted three of his "From the Sidelines" columns for consideration, and won first place in the category among all similarly sized newsrooms.
And while he’d really rather be writing about sports than himself, we got him to sit down and answer our burning questions about Washington County sports, journalism and a decade of writing his award-winning column.
How did you get to be the go-to guy for Washington County sports?
Evanson: While I respect the sentiment, I can’t help but chuckle at the inference that I’m the “go-to guy” for Washington County sports.
With that said, I got here primarily on the back of my lifelong love for sports. I grew up playing and watching sports of all kinds in and around Washington County. Then, beyond school and after working and playing in the golf industry for roughly a decade, I started doing freelance work for local and regional recruiting sites, then parlayed such into a position with the News-Times in Forest Grove and Hillsboro roughly 10 years ago.
What’s your favorite sport?
Evanson: My favorite sport is probably football. Despite a wealth of experience and knowledge in and around the game of golf — which I, too, love — it’s hard to beat sitting down on a fall Saturday or Sunday and dialing up a day’s worth of college or NFL football games. And there are few things like the experience of a big football game live. With that said, I’ll watch and enjoy just about any sport if it means something significant to the teams playing it.
What spurred you to start writing a weekly sports column?
Evanson: Probably the narcissistic idea that I have something valuable to say. I’ve always had strong opinions when it comes to sports, and I guess I’ve always appreciated reading people who can communicate their opinion in a succinct and entertaining way. I always wanted to entertain people with my writing, along with making them truly think about whatever perspective I may have on a topic.
Why do you like to write these columns — what makes it more than ‘just a game’ to you?
Evanson: Going back a bit to the previous question, I like “arguing” and/or making a point. I truly believe the things I write about, and while I never aim to sway or convince someone that my perspective is the right one, I do strive to make someone think about my perspective, or question their own, in the interest of better understanding whatever it may be that I’m writing about.
How do you decide what to write about each week?
Evanson: It’s usually just something that’s sparked my interest, or potentially irked me. It’s also, at times, something that I’m puzzled by that I want to, in a way, talk through with the reader. Sometimes I’ll even move myself off my point in the process of writing, which can change my perspective and the angle at which I view something. While I typically have strong opinions, I’m not opposed to changing mine if a differing one becomes more sensible.
Have you ever changed your mind on something you wrote about? What swayed you?
Evanson: Absolutely! Like I stated earlier, while I genuinely believe the things I believe, I’d much rather get it right as opposed to just being right. So, with that in mind, I’m always trying to look at things from different perspectives in the interest of doing just that.
Newsrooms across the country continue to shrink — their sports departments included. Why is sports journalism important, and what can readers do to help support their local reporters and columnists?
Evanson: The easy answer to the latter part of that question is to subscribe. I run into people all the time who like what I, or we, do, and want more of it, but either aren’t subscribers or simply take for granted the machine that is journalism.
You can’t produce content without money. This is a business, and like any business you need money to make it go round. I think in the internet era people have been conditioned to think that news is free. Well, just like a burger at McDonald's or a coffee at Starbucks costs money, reporting the news does as well.
I work in sports, which quite obviously isn’t the most important thing going on in our world, but like most things, has a place and serves a purpose. I like to think I do what I do “OK,” and hope that, at times, makes someone’s morning, day or week a little better through information or entertainment.
After a decade of writing this column, are there any events that stand out to you as particularly influential in sports culture?
Evanson: Good question. I guess I would look at things that have especially touched on people’s emotions, for good or bad. The Colin Kaepernick protest comes to mind. Maybe even the ever-changing landscape with social media, which has significantly turned up the temperature on everything sport — and that, I would argue, is for the worse. I also think that the influence of politics in sports in recent years has become a rather hot-button issue, like it or not. I’m probably missing some more obvious specific examples, but I’m sometimes stupefied by the moment.
Has social media changed how you do your job?
Evanson: For sure. I’m old, so I’m probably not the best person to ask, but I’m a quality over quantity person. So, while I enjoy some aspects of social media, I don’t think it plays to my strengths.
If you could grab a beer with any athlete, at any point in history, who would it be?
Evanson: Jeez, I don’t even know where to start! There are so many people who would be fascinating to talk with, and for very different reasons. I’d love to talk with a person like Jackie Robinson or Jesse Owens, or even Billie Jean King, about their sporting lives amidst the turmoil of their off-the-field experiences.
I’m a golf guy, so Arnold Palmer would’ve been wonderful to speak with. But really anyone who reached the pinnacle of their sport. I’m fascinated by how elite athletes' brains work because it’s sometimes eye-opening, while at the same time sometimes far simpler than we can imagine.
What is something about yourself that you think would surprise people to know?
Evanson: Maybe that I never really studied writing at any level beyond the basics. Whatever acumen I have for doing what I do has come through reading, to an extent, and living life with my eyes and mind open to a greater one.
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