Going Deep with Tyler Dunn

For a man as intimidating as Dunn, (both from a star-struck position and physically intimidating one. Seriously, he looks like he could bench press me if he just thought about it hard enough) he was one of the most likeable and sincere guest speakers ever to speak in one of my classes.

Over the course of the visit, he was peppered with questions about the industry, his work week and his craziest stories. It was clear classmates wanted to get the inside scoop on some players, and while he was forthcoming with a lot of information, I got the sense that he was trying not to divulge some revelations he had been sitting on, which is totally understandable.

Before Bleacher Report requested and reached out to Dunn, they were a middling blogging site that most people could write for that had little national legitimacy. After building a strong following of fans, they began to change their image and start focusing on real, hard hitting journalism from trained professionals; they traded the bloggers for “newspaper guys”. In an industry that seems to be working in the opposite direction, (Newspapers hiring bloggers to remain relevant) Dunn’s journey is a unique one.

Dunn has seen it all when it comes to sports reporting, and has experienced a lot of the bumps and bruises that comes with the job. Circumnavigating PR teams and getting players with deeply personal backstories to open up are just some of Dunn’s obstacles, but as Bleacher Report’s lead features writer, he has more than proved that he is worth his salt.

My main takeaway from his visit is that the job never stops surprising you. Sports are defined by their characters, and it is our job to bring them to life in ways that they just don’t do when they’re actually playing. His features definitely shed a light on some larger than life athletes and give them a human element that is the key to a truly great profile.