​Dinner with Jerry Brewer, February 13, 2019

“I live in Arlington. We searched all over the DMV to find the best place to live with a preschooler and we kept coming back to Arlington.  I feel like part of a community here and that connection matters to me.” –Jerry Brewer
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The members and guests of the Better Sports Club who attended dinner on Feb. 13 were glad that he did. Jerry Brewer talked about his career in sports writing, currently with The Washington Post. He answered questions about various teams and trades. But the common theme in his presentation was the importance of his community. He asserted, “Readership is not something I take for granted. What matters most to me is my community. I ask, ‘How can I, with words, enrich my community.’”

Jerry said he always knew he wanted to be a writer.  And when he discovered that he could write about sports, that set his path at the young age of 15.  He reasoned that his writing has evolved over time from more flashy to more streamlined and simple, but with added spice where it’s needed. He described his method as a “5-Tool Columnist” using the following techniques:

1. HUMOR – Make people giggle a little. Sports are fun!
2. HAMMER – Strike the hammer when necessary. Jerry says, “If I say it, I believe it. You have to have integrity of thought.”
3. REPORTING – Canvass the crowd. Listen to what people are saying and gauge other perspectives.
4. Write the BIG Event – Every journalist wants to write that story that someone will clip and post on a wall, but also one that will hold up over time.
5. COMPASSION – Try to feel what the athletes and coaches experience, the highs and the lows.

Several years ago, Jerry Brewer wrote a book, Gloria’s Miracle, about a young girl in Seattle with terminal cancer. It began as a series of articles covering Gloria’s father, who was a local coach. It became more than that. Brewer claims to be most proud of this work: “I hope to give a gift through my writing, but this story changed me.”

Follow Jerry Brewer's columns in the sports section of The Washington Post.