This episode of the Sports Business Classroom Audio Experience is a conversation between host Beau Estes and staff writer for Bleacher Report’s B/R Magazine, Mirin Fader. Prior to working for Bleacher Report, Mirin contributed features to espnW.com and was also a staff writer for the Orange County Register from 2013-17. Before attending Occidental College she played basketball during her freshman year at Lewis & Clark College.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Mirin fell in love with basketball
• Her personal parallels to the Gigi Bryant Story 
• What the future holds for Mirin Fader 

Mirin has profiled athletes at all levels of sports, from the NBA and WNBA to the NFL, NCAA, high school, and youth. In today’s episode, she talks about the process of writing The Legacy of Mambacita, a story dedicated to Gianna Bryant honoring her love and passion for the game of basketball. Mirin shares how she had the idea and talks about the process of telling the story from conception to completion. She discussed how it both personally and professionally affected her and her career once released. Mirin emphasizes in her episode to never let the obstacles hold you back from chasing your passion, and encourages people who want to be in her position to use their obstacles as motivation.  

Folio Magazine named Mirin a Top Woman in Media in the “Up and Comer” category in 2019. The Associated Press of Sports Editors (APSE) awarded her James Ransom Story with Top 10 honors for Best Feature Story in 2019. She also won first place in the 2019 Los Angeles Press Club Journalism Awards for best sports feature for her LaMelo Ball story.

Connect with Beau Estes: Twitter 

Connect with Mirin Fader: MirinFader.com | LinkedIn | Twitter

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WHERE TO LISTEN

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SHOW NOTES

• How does Mirin block out the distractions while writing (5:30)
• What Mirin’s latest writings are about (7:20)
• What Mirin’s childhood was like and how she discovered basketball (8:05)
• What did it mean to a young girl to have a place where women were professionals (9:55)
• Has Mirin met any of her idols through work (11:07)
• How far Mirin made it in college basketball (14:28)
• When did the spark for writing begin and when did it become a passion (16:10)
• How does reading inform Mirin as a writer (18:27)
• Books Mirin is currently reading (19:30)
• What is Mirin’s “stuck on an island” book choice (20:40)
• How did Mirin get her poetic writing style (21:20)
• Does Mirin read her old stuff and does she see herself evolving (23:36)
• The process of writing Mambacita from idea to completion, both personally and professionally (27:00)
• Did Mirin ever get a notification that the Bryant family read her story (33:05)
• After the process of finishing the story, was there any growth after it was released (38:45)
• Does Mirin have optimism for the upcoming year regarding the business of sports media (43:20)
• When Mirin survived a layoff did she ever feel a survivor’s guilt (46:09)
• What keeps Mirin motivated these days (47:30)
• Some of the practices the Mirin keeps up with that also keeps her successful (50:19)
• Powerful resources she uses to help herself grow in her career (51:58)
• What are Mirin’s career aspirations in 2020 (54:19)
• Advice for people who want to be in her position (56:40)

LINKS

• Sue Bird

• Cynthia Cooper

• UCONN Women’s Basketball 

• Sparks

• George Fox University Women’s Basketball

• What Are You Going Through 

• Such A Fun Age 

• The Legacy of Mambacita