Q&A with Austin Robinson

November 29, 2016

Where are you from?

“I was born in raised in Norman, so I didn’t go that far away. I’m double-majoring in journalism-communications. I finished my communications already and now I’m focusing on my journalism and trying to graduate with both degrees. I should be set to graduate in May.”

What track in journalism?

“Print. I started out as a communications major, just because I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do when I came into OU. Over time, I realized that I really like the writing and I really like the talking to people, and journalism just kind of seemed like the obvious route to go.”

So is journalism your first career of choice?

“It’s my first career of choice, but with how much things are struggling and how journalism is going through such a big change and no one really knows what’s going to happen to it, I just kind of wanted to give myself a back door [via communications] if I needed it.”

What sort of career would you seek out in the journalism field?

“I want to go into sports coverage — either reporting on air, whether it be on T.V. or radio, or I would love to write and cover it on a beat.”

If you wrote for a print publication, which would you write for?

“I want to go up North. My two cities — I guess I could probably say my three cities — that I’m really focusing on are Seattle, Chicago and Boston, because they’re media-focused. They have strong newspapers — Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe and the Seattle Times.”

So newspaper over magazine?

“As of right now, I’d rather do newspaper over magazine. But just going to those cities — I don’t know if you’ve ever been there, but the sports atmosphere is amazing, especially in Boston. It’s so much fun. I went there during a Boston Red Sox game. There was just so much chaos and passion, and was just so much fun. I would just love to live there.

“Seattle is kind of the same way during football season, with the Seahawks. I would love to live in that kind of atmosphere and cover sports for those kind of people.”

So I take it you’re a sports fanatic. What’s your favorite sport?

[Without pause] “Basketball. I’ve always been a basketball nut.”

College or NBA?

“Mostly NBA. I didn’t really follow a ton of college sports until, honestly, Buddy Hield came onto the scene. I followed a little bit my freshmen year, when Romero Osby was our best player, but I always loved the NBA.

“When I was a kid, I grew up as a Celtics fan. And I love like Rondo and I love that whole Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rondo crew — the big four. And finally when the Thunder got its own team, it was like… [pauses contemplatively] Christmas in July.

“It was a… [another pause] pretty awesome thing to get to go through. It’s kind of like how I never got into the NFL, because we never had a team in Oklahoma. So having a team here, it kind of felt like, as a Normanite — Oklahoman — we made it.”

Why the Celtics? Are your parents from the area?

“No, I just always liked them. Honestly, it’s probably something petty. I grew up with all my friends liking Kobe, and obviously the Celtics are the rivals of the Lakers. So I think I was just trying to rebel a little bit . . . pick the thing that was different. I was tired of everyone talking about Kobe so much, so I just wanted to root for the guys that were beating Kobe.”

All right… Would you rather focus on daily sports reporting?

“I would like to. I mean if something big, like Sports Illustrated or ESPN offered me a job, obviously I would take it in a heartbeat. But when it comes down to it, I think newspaper still has magazines beat as far as sports coverage goes. So that probably would be where my focus is, getting on a beat somewhere up north and going from there.”

Do you have any favorite authors/writers/journalists?

“Well most of my favorite writers are all sports journalists. So, along the lines of Zach Harper, Royce Young, Zach Lowe, Bill Simmons back whenever he was going strong.

“A lot of these guys I like because they found a way to put humor into their stories… talk about something like sports and almost make it somewhat satirical. That’s the best way I think it is to really reach people, is to throw a little satire in there and make them laugh a little bit, and that makes them pay attention.

“But as far as books goes, I’m kind of embarrassed to say I don’t really read a ton anymore as far as novels. I think the last book I read was for a paper my sophomore year.”

Next five years… Everything goes perfectly. You’re offered everything you want. Where do you go? What do you do?

“I would like to go to Seattle. With how amazing the media market is there, I would love to get a job there reporting sports. Maybe they get a basketball team by then — they get their Sonics back. Obviously they will still have their NFL team. Washington University has been doing well in sports; even Washington State, to a lesser degree.

“I would even love to go into advertising in Washington, because their business community is fantastic.

“As long as I’m covering something that’s remotely interesting. It doesn’t necessarily have to be sports, but just something that is a cool environment and is just fun. And I can actually go my into work and enjoy doing my job. That’s really all I want is to make decent money to be able to take care of my family, whatever family I have by then, and just to not hate working.”

Thanks much, Austin. Good luck.