Veteran sports journalist and author Harvey Araton joins me on the show for a deep conversation on how sports media has changed, what true "access" used to look like in the print era, and why great storytelling still matters in today's sports culture.

Harvey shares behind-the-scenes stories from a career covering elite athletics (including the NBA), plus his experience co-producing ESPN's 30 for 30: When the Garden Was Eden, a project tied to the legendary 1970s New York Knicks era.

A major focus of this episode is Harvey's newest project and his first-ever middle-grade children's novel, ** The Goal of the Game **, inspired by what youth sports has become in today's high-pressure, high-cost environment. If you're a parent, coach, athlete, journalist, or someone who loves sports stories with real meaning, this one will hit.

In this episode, we cover:

• What sports journalism used to be like and how access has changed
• Print media vs. today's creator-driven sports media world
• How When the Garden Was Eden became an ESPN 30 for 30
• The pressure kids face in modern youth sports and how early it starts
• The youth sports industry, travel teams, and the "future stakes" mindset
• Why Harvey wrote The Goal of the Game and what he hopes kids learn
• A powerful life lesson: don't enter a story with a preconceived conclusion, listen first

Harvey Araton's book: The Goal of the Game Amazon: https://a.co/d/4VkH2XF

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-goal-of-the-game-harvey-araton/1148082088

Website: http://www.HarveyAraton.com

If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe/follow so you don't miss weekly interviews with sports figures from around the world. And if you can, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. It helps the show a ton.

New episodes every week. Tap in today.