It’s time for some change in Arizona high school sports.
I would be incorrect to say my column last week on fake offers and handlers didn’t ruffle some feathers and turn heads in the Arizona high school football community.
Luckily, most of it was positive feedback. Others just simply didn’t understand it. Maybe they’re the problem.
But I’m not here to harp on that. The purpose of this article is to incite change before we lose any more of one the main things that makes Arizona high school sports special: the media. Especially the media covering football.
Some of you probably rolled your eyes. That’s fine. But you’re the same people relying on us for updates from games across the state every Thursday and Friday night during the fall.
Let’s continue.
What exactly do I mean by the statement above? Arizona high school media is unmatched. From Tucson to Flagstaff, every part of the state is covered. That means border to border coverage of games. Where else does that happen?
Maybe there are some states, but I've yet to see anything exceeding how great it is in Arizona.
So why do things need to change? It’s simple, really.
There has been an influx of undisciplined mix-tapers and untrained "journalists" infiltrating what once felt like a sacred fraternity.
Sure, that may sound very cliquey, but it’s the truth. There’s a group of us media members who do make it a point to do things the right way. We go through the AIA for credentials, we bust our asses to provide top-notch content to earn the trust of coaches, players and parents. Whether you like it or not, it’s a dedicated – and small – group that does things the right way.
We don’t simply pick up cameras, put on our Yeezy slides and pajama pants, post on TikTok, and call ourselves reporters. That’s amateur. That’s not what journalism is about. That would be like people who make celebrity fan edits calling themselves "directors."
If you’re offended by that statement, good.
If you were offended by my last column and felt targeted, good.
It's possible you’re part of the problem.
Some of you may be asking why I’m writing such a passionate – and quite frankly angry – column. The answer is simple: If things don’t change, Arizona will lose the good journalists. The people who do the right things.
Kevin McCabe, the “Dean” of Arizona high school sports, announced on The Kevin McCabe Show on 98.7FM he would be taking a hiatus. He insists this doesn’t mean he is gone for good, which I was happy to hear.
I briefly texted Kevin Friday night and he told me he wasn’t in a good place mentally, and that my column last week lit a fire under him and made him realize the toxicity in Arizona high school sports top to bottom.
Let me be clear when I say this: Losing someone like Kevin McCabe won’t just be detrimental to the Arizona high school media landscape. It could kill it.
For several decades Kevin has been the face of Arizona high school sports. He made a name for himself, first in Tucson, moving up to the Valley and now covering the state as a whole. He’s represented athletes, schools, parents and coaches in the best way possible. He’s ruffled some feathers here and there, like any good sports reporter does.
But in a time where many “journalists” refuse to abide by the same ethics passed down by some of the Godfathers of journalism, Kevin always did it the right way.
While a hiatus doesn’t mean retirement, and I by no means hope or wish for that to happen, it is unsettling.
Kevin is more than just a guy who talks and covers Arizona high school sports teams. He is a mastermind at pulling at the heart strings and finding impactful stories not found anywhere else.
He’s highlighted the good, which includes Koa Peat’s youth camp. He’s highlighted the bad, including the rumors that swirled about two Tempe Union High School District campuses closing. Of course, there is way worse than he has covered, but you get the point.
Kevin McCabe has also singlehandedly led the charge to educate parents on the dangers of Fentanyl, and rid our state of the scourge that has killed so many young athletes and Arizona high school sports alumni.
To put it into perspective, Kevin is the Tom Rinaldi of Arizona high school sports. He’ll ask the tough questions, he’ll get to the bottom of a controversial story. But most importantly, he’ll bring out the emotion in people – which as a journalist is where we get our best quotes.
Again, I by no means think this is it. But I still want to share some memories with Kevin. Mostly because when I saw his initial post on social media hinting at an announcement I began to reminisce of my time sharing a sideline with him.
Kevin is more than just a colleague. He’s a friend. He was one of the first to text me to congratulate me on the birth of my second son back in February. On Saturdays, when I was part of the AZPreps365 Saturday morning show, he would always text myself, Jose Garcia and Brett Quintyne, “Great show, boys.”
He didn’t have to listen. He had a competing show! But he wanted to.
I’ve sat in numerous gyms with Kevin. We’ve shared interviews. We’ve shared laughs and, at one point, he shared anger when Seth Polansky yelled at him back in 2023 because he was interviewing Hamilton baseball coach Mike Woods before the trophy ceremony. They made up … eventually.
But perhaps my favorite memory of working in the same space as Kevin was in October 2018 at a Chick-fil-A on Ray Road and I-10 in Ahwatukee. I was three months in at the East Valley Tribune and Ahwatukee Foothills News. That specific day was the Saturday before the infamous Ahwatukee Bowl between Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista.
Kevin called me up out of the blue and asked if I would come on the show. At the time, I still felt relatively unknown. So the thought of him, THE Kevin McCabe, wanting me to come on the show was an exciting moment, to say the least.
I was on for a full segment with Kevin. To this day I feel it was the best 15 minutes I’ve had on radio – and trust me, there have been some great moments (looking at you Jose with your Pizza Hut gift card). But what made it special was the recognition from Kevin. It made me feel I was doing something right. It made me feel seen and gave me confidence to continue doing what I was doing with the Tribune and AFN.
I would like to say I made a pretty good career out of my time there. Moments like that, appearing on Kevin’s show, helped.
The reason I share this is to put into perspective the type of person that has become so frustrated – albeit with some personal life things happening, too – that he feels the need to recharge. I assure you, with the current landscape, Kevin won’t be the last.
Let’s look at this from an age perspective. The number of journalists, and I mean REAL journalists, below the age of 30 is dwindling. Sure, 30 isn’t that old, but hear me out.
When I started, there were many 20-something year-olds just like me. Cody Cameron, Alec Simpson, JJ Digos, James Mello and many others. Compare that to today. James left Arizona high school sports three years ago. I’m 30 (sad, I know) as well as Cody and JJ.
Cody has remained a rockstar in the media landscape. Alec is off doing big things in California. JJ is one of the best photographers in the game. I recently moved to Colorado but am taking the Ralph Amsden approach in staying involved.
Who has replaced us? Adam Beadle. Rising star. Jacob Seliga, who- if all goes according to plan, will likely eventually shift to coaching only. Logan Stanley. Extremely talented, and the future of the Republic when Richard Obert calls it a career.
You can include Jordan Spurgeon, a rockstar for Sports360AZ, as well as Claudia Collins, another star but currently carrying her second child (congrats again, Claudia). She may want to one day shift her focus. BJ Media has built an outstanding company from the ground up. Pete Know – fantastic.
I may have missed some who are doing things the right way, and if I did, I apologize. Most of the others are in it for the clout. And I get it, kids like it. And even Kevin knows that- he taps into it by saying “lit,” “fire,” “bet” and “wessieede” every week on his show. But for someone like that, who is always so filled with joy on the sidelines, talking to literally everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, to be this frustrated, it says something.
So what’s the solution? I think the AIA needs to revamp its credentialing policies. And don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the AIA. I root for everyone who works there. But the old policies aren’t working.
Background checks are a must. Vetting every media member that applies is a must. If they can’t show more than a mixtape with fire emojis and weird transitions between clips, they shouldn’t be approved. I think schools need to crack down on it, too.
And as for the landscape as a whole, it’s time to get a grip and return high school sports to what it used to be. Sure, that’s asking a lot. But parents can recall what their time was like. There was less stress. There were less false promises. It was just high school kids playing a sport they love with friends they grew up with.
In closing, I leave you with this.
It’s time we take a look in the mirror and aim to get back to a place where real offers, video clips and articles/legit TV packages were celebrated. Because if not, we’re going to lose a group of people who do those things that make it special in the first place. That would be a sad sight to see.
