DJ Summers: Aspiring Literary Giant

It was not until much later in his life where sports began to truly influence and impact Daniel Joseph "DJ" Summers.  

"I didn't really get into sports until I was maybe about 20 years old, I went through a kind of rebellious phase between the ages of 16 and 20, 21 somewhere around there and didn't really get into sports all too much."

Born in Texas, but growing up in several states mainly Utah, DJ currently finds himself at Newhouse School of Communications pursuing a Masters in Magazine, Newspaper, and Online Journalism with a Sports Communications emphasis.

DJ never thought of pursuing a career in sports let alone his masters.  

"Up until 9 months ago I never considered having a career in sports communications.  Up until then, I always considered having a corespondent position doing business reporting."

He aspired to work for companies like the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.  He now hopes to become a boxing reporter for the Las Vegas Review Journal or LA Times, and impact his readers with the numerous ideas and thoughts that he possess.

Though sports were not a huge aspect of his life, DJ does enjoy boxing and mixed martial arts.  As DJ sat comfortably in the couch with his leg folded over the other, he spoke with great fascination about the art of the two sports.  Not only does he find passion in the sport itself, but also in the literary giants and history associated with them.  

"On a deeper and resonate level, boxing is connected on so many different layers with culture itself.  It's just been saturated in our culture in absolutely every regard in communications, in history, in concepts of evolving identity in the United States from the industrial revolution onward.  All these different little pieces of American culture all have been tied directly to boxing somehow.  t has such a cultural draw to it where so many piece are attached.  I would like to be a part of that tradition."

He enjoys the evolution and connection boxing and MMA have to the American culture.  Through his writing he hopes to be a part of the cultural draw and influence boxing and MMA has.  He wants his readers to look at the sport in a more cultural aspect.

BJ - I want to first start off by asking where did you grow up at? 

DS - I born in Texas, then when i was a little younger we moved to New Mexico, then I moved to Salt Lake City. i spent the most time there but I also spent some time in Minneapolis, Denver, Boston, and now I'm here… But mostly Salt Lake City.

BJ - What were some of the sports you grew up watching or liking? 

DS - I really like baseball when i was younger. i like the history of baseball.  I like how embedded it was into this rich tapestry of American culture. My dad was a big baseball fan, I played little league.  I wasn't great.. i wasn't terrible but I wasn't great.  We watched that.  I didn't really get into sports until I was maybe about 20 years old, I went through a kind of rebellious phase between the ages of 16 and 20, 21 somewhere around there and didn't really get into sports all too much.

BJ - Later on in your life you would say you started to enjoy sports, but you decided to pursue the sports communications emphasis.  Why did you pursue that as a Master's degree? 

DS - That's a good question, I actually hadn't plan on doing the SCE until on the application for SU for Newhouse, they asked if you would like to be considered for the sports communication emphasis and tell us why we might be able to let you in.  I thought I have a lot to say about boxing and mixed martial arts, those are the two sports I'm really into the most.  So I wrote some stuff about some thoughts i was having, some kind of direction I'd like to take in reportage where that is concerned and they let me in.  So up until 9 months ago I never considered having a career in sports communications.  Up until then, I always considered having a corespondent position doing business reporting… Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Washington Post, that kind of thing.  But now I'm actually starting to consider the possibility of being a boxing writer for the Las Vegas Review Journal, LA Times, somewhere out west where all the really exciting fight stuff is happening now.

BJ - You say you want to be a writer for boxing or MMA, why do find such a passion in those two sports? 

DS - Boxing is a fascinating subject on so many levels itself.  For one I love the sport itself.  I love the physicality of it, i love the action and everything about boxing.  But on a deeper and resonate level, boxing is connected on so many different layers with culture itself.  It's one of the oldest sports that we do, that we still do.  It transcends sports in some other ways.  A lot of philosophers and sociologist talk about the concept of deep play which is what boxing really illustrates.  Where it resonates with us on a primal level.  It's just been saturated in our culture in absolutely every regard in communications, in history, in concepts of evolving identity in the United States from the industrial revolution onward.  All these different little pieces of American culture all have been tied directly to boxing somehow.  And it has a rich literary history, so many literary giants have loved boxing.  Hemingway loved boxing, James Joyce loved boxing, Joyce Carol Oates loved boxing.  Jack London was a boxing reporter, Lord Byron was a boxing reporter, everyone loved boxing.  It has such a cultural draw to it where so many piece are attached.  I would like to be a part of that tradition.  Mixed Martial Arts is very exciting and I actually find it as a boxing historian, it is repeating the same course that boxing took in the early 1900s, in the early 20th century.  A part from the sheer enjoyment i get from watching it, and the sheer enjoyment of the athletic involvement.  I love having the comparison of the evolution of mixed martial arts and the evolution of boxing in the early 20th century.

BJ - It looks like you want to do as a career, is basically let your viewers know the culture aspect and relationship with wrestling to the community.  Anyone you look up to in that career field you wish to pursue? 

DS - Yes, there is a lot of writers who have done a really good job in trying to tie all that stuff in.  Joyce Carol Oats that are really good, wrote a little book in boxing.  I really like Dan Raphael's coverage, he is ESPN's boxing blogger.  On the MMA angle, there's Ariel Helwani who has done a podcast from day 1 from 2006 when MMA really started hitting the mainstream.  And those are some names, there are some others but those names really pop out.

BJ - Okay great, well thank you for this interview.  Have a wonderful day! 

DS - You do the same.