Position(s): Daily Sports Writer
Section(s): Sports
Semesters at The Daily: 4
I vividly recall the moment I first realized that The Michigan Daily was different. It wasn’t a specific day or a special occasion. It could have been any day, actually.
I don’t know the date; I don’t know who was in the newsroom that day, but what I do know is the distinct sense of warmth that walked out the double doors of 420 Maynard St. with me hasn’t left since.
On some Sunday afternoon during my first semester on The Daily, I stood up from the Sports desk to make my Irish goodbye. I didn’t think I was established enough for anyone to care that I was leaving. I didn’t believe I had built any relationships strong enough to warrant a goodbye. So I got up without a peep, and I left.
A few steps away from the exit, I heard what might have been the last thing I was expecting. Someone had looked up from their editing, or their homework, or the early-season baseball on their laptop.
“Bye, Aaron!” Someone shouted out to me. The rest of the Sports desk followed in chorus.
I don’t know why this felt so monumental, but from that point on, I knew that The Daily was like no other community that I had encountered in my life — a community of people who didn’t care what you looked like, where you came from or how often you wrote about Michigan golf.
I want to thank everyone who made my experience at The Daily special — those who came before me, my fellow graduating seniors, younger writers old and new, and those I’ve had the honor of calling my friends from every section. I might never have made a superbed or written a flash, but I’ve made friends and memories to last a lifetime.
To the next generation of Daily Sports blue chippers, keep having fun, keep being loud, keep winning touch football games and keep being the best goddamned Sports section in the country.