Five Questions with Steve Marantz: Sports Reporter, Columnist and Author

Steve Marantz is ready to go a few rounds. But instead of going toe-to-toe in the ring, the former staff reporter and columnist for the Kansas City Star, Trenton Times, Boston Globe, The Sporting News, and Boston Herald is doing some verbal sparring in preparation for his May release of, "Sorcery at Caesars: Sugar Ray's Marvelous Fight". Marantz is currently a researcher for ESPN Content Development and is also part owner and operator of Sportsmediaguide.com - "a website for fans, media professionals, and media students. SMG's mission is to humanize sports media while exploring the art and craft of sports coverage." While his upcoming book 'Sorcery' examines, "the most controversial split decision in boxing history," Marantz himself doesn't pull any punches in "5 Questions".....

How long has 'Sorcery' been in the making, and why did you choose this time in your life to write and release the book?

I started work on 'Sorcery' about 2 1/2 years ago. I had been writing screenplays for 15 years with limited success - a book seemed more practical. The story of Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler was accessible to me, since I had covered their careers as a Boston Globe reporter (Marantz. worked the boxing beat at the Globe from 1979-88 before becoming a full-time news reporter). It was a story whose time had come in the sense of increasing nostalgia for the 80s. And most importantly, nobody had written it.

It's a good story, by the way, if you aren't familiar with it. Leonard was a 3-1 underdog when he took Hagler's middleweight title by an arguable split decision in April of 1987. Basically, it's the story of how he-outsmarted Hagler, in a process that unfolded over several years. And how Leonard won because, in America's pop culture worship of the god "Entertainment", he represented a more seductive vision. Hagler remains embittered to this day.

Take me inside the boxing beat from your days at the Globe. Who was your favorite guy to interview and what's your lasting memory of that time as a reporter?

My favorite boxers to interview were identical triplets, Floyd, Lloyd and Troy Weaver. They were Hagler's sparring partners in Palm Springs before the Leonard bout. I never knew which one was which, nor did Hagler. Floyd, Lloyd and Troy thought it was hilarious. When Hagler sparred, you could hear him say, "Which one are you?'' The one in the ring would give the wrong name, and the other two would crack up, and Hagler would get steamed. "C'mon now, tell me who you are or you could get hurt."

The triplets were the younger brothers of Mike Weaver, who held one of the heavyweight titles in the early 1980s. They were gifted multi-sport athletes from Los Angeles, and were supposed to help Hagler tune up for Leonard's speed.

My lasting memory of the boxing beat is of the writers - Mike Katz, Pat Putnam, Ed Schuyler, Bob Waters, Greg Logan, Bert Sugar, Elmer Smith, Thom Greer, Red Smith, Dave Anderson, Dick Young, Rich Hoffer, Colin Hart, Royce Feour, and many others - who made it fun.

Part of that boxing writer fraternity is a big reason why you started Sports Media Guide.com (which Marantz maintains with Murray Sorkin and is affiliated with The Sports Institute at Boston University), correct? Can you describe the initial thought of the site and contributing factors to launching SMG?

I've always thought that the people in sports media are more interesting than the people and institutions they cover. I'm not sure why, perhaps because witnessing is a more considered existence than doing. Non--media consume media's work, but know little about the process or the people producing it. There was a vacuum of information.

Also, people within sports, and non-media consumers, tend to demonize sports media when unpopular or uncomfortable issues crop up. SMG tries to 'humanize' sports media so that non-media realize that we bleed - just like they do.

What's been your most compelling interview to date from SMG?

Most compelling interview was about a guy from Nebraska who worked at Pottery Barn in Manhattan while covering the Knicks and becoming a first-time father....Wendell Maxey.

I find that hard to believe Steve, even though flattery always works while conducting interviews....

I can't pick - that's like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. Everybody was compelling in their own way. Ken Burger, suffering from colon cancer, said that he's "not a fan of fans". Dave Anderson contrasted his writing style with the late Dick Young's. Jeff Duncan talked about being the first reporter into the Superdome after Katrina. Wright Thompson, who is from Mississippi, talked about writing with a Southern voice. Dave Krieger spoke out against 'homers' and apologists. Susan Slusser talked about her marriage to another sportswriter, Dan Brown, and how it helps to date within the business. Joe Posnanski gave an eloquent recounting of writing a tribute to Buck O'Neill, who passed away on a Saturday night, 50 inches in one hour, and struggling to control his emotions as he wrote.

I could go on and on. Every single interview has a nugget of something revealing, provocative, or beautiful. Writers are good story tellers, and good interviews, even though they're accustomed to being on the other side of the notepad.

Knowing your history in the newspaper biz, what's your feeling on the current layoff trend and what's the key to survival during these trying times?

Darwin teaches us about evolution and adaptability. Every media student should force himself or herself to be a techno whiz - learn to do everything - on the Internet, in a studio, in a newsroom - handle every piece of digital equipment - lighting, sound, editing - and absolutely learn how to build and manage a website. The techno types always have work, and are paid well, whereas the thinkers and idea types (like myself) are a dime a dozen. If you insist on being a thinker and idea type, focus on stats.

Stats nerds shall inherit the earth. The more reductive and inaccessible the stats, the more they seem to dazzle readers. Become a Get-a-Life expert on the NFL Draft, college Signing Day, and NCAA 'Bracketology' - those seem to be the stories that drive readers to euphoria. Remember, if your NFL mock draft is just one prediction more accurate than the next person's mock NFL draft, you will be celebrated in the blogosphere. Oh, and participate in as many fantasy leagues as possible, even if means sacrificing your health and family life. Otherwise, pop culture zeitgeist will leave you in the dust.

Finally, learn how to argue - loudly and with conviction. You must argue passionately about every and any sports topic - at the drop of a hat. When the time comes, on talk radio or TV, be forceful, outrageous, or zany. The worst mistake you can make on air is to say "I have no opinion on that." That's a career killer. Never, under any circumstance, have no opinion.

Oh, one final bit of advice: no existential doubt. Don't question whether a career in sports media has value to civilization. Remember, in wartime, it's sports media that makes life a little less grim. Somebody has to spend their next 40 years obsessing over the order of the NFL draft - it might as well be you. Good luck.

Thanks for your time and honesty, Steve Marantz.

Check out Sorcery at Caesars: Sugar Ray's Marvelous Fight, by Steve Marantz. A story about the most controversial split decision in boxing history, available in May at Amazon.com, bn.com, borders.com and powells.com. You can also visit Steve at Sportsmediaguide.com --"exploring the art and craft of sports coverage."