Today’s Wellness Check is with Sun-Times sports reporter Brian Sandalow. Based on a chance meeting at a Cubs game with Brad, Brian actually got his start “journalism” with The Heckler, where he “interned” for a couple years while in high school. Listen here!
He went on to bigger and better things, which he and Brad chronicle in this conversation. Brian had some stories about covering minor league hockey in a small Texas town on the Mexico border out of college.
Brian eventually found his way back to Chicago where he worked for a few outlets, most recently the Sun-Times. He has covered the Cubs, Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, Wolves, Sky, Fire, Northwestern athletics and more. This work ethic prompted Brad to call him a hustler, which he quickly corrected to “grinder” which doesn’t sound much better in retrospect.
Brad and Brian talk about journalism’s existential crisis, some of the most memorable events Brian has covered, Brian’s much cooler brother who works for AS Roma, how being a sports journalist makes it tough to maintain your fandom, what a struggle it is to play as the Bulls on NBA 2K, what Brian would sacrifice for the quarantine to come to a quick and responsible end, and much more.
