Photo by Lauren Gdowski.

MATTHEW CRANE | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | mcrane@butler.edu 

When I was told I would have to write something like this, I panicked. I am not particularly good at talking about myself or explaining my own emotions, so this might be a doozy, but I will do my best. 

Growing up, I absolutely despised writing. I could not stand it at all, but I loved to read. I read all the time and so often that I even used to read during church services. I hope the Lord has forgiven me for not paying any attention to the church sermon, and instead focusing on the numerous sports biographies I was so invested in. 

Anyway, the only thing I loved more than reading was sports. The power of sports got me hooked early on, and it continued into high school. 

I played multiple sports in high school but did not want to play a sport collegiately. I was burnt out from playing and just wanted to be a classic student in college. I was also trying to decide what exactly I wanted to do in college and where I wanted to go. Though I didn’t know it at the time, all of that reading and sports I did as a kid set me on the path to where I am now. 

Butler stood out to me the moment I learned that they had a sports media program. What could be better than doing what you love to do — and especially something that involved sports?  

Coming into Butler, I thought I wanted to be a broadcaster. I had it set in my head that I was going to eventually call games, and that would be my career. 

While I might have thought I had a set plan, I most certainly did not. To make matters worse, I was going somewhere eight and a half hours away from home, where I did not know a single person. Needless to say, I was having doubts about what I had decided.

The first few weeks of college were difficult. I did not have those close friends quite yet, and I was shy and not going to attempt to put myself out there. 

Thankfully, I was saved by my class schedule. If Kobe Mosley had not been in three of my classes that first semester, I would have been in serious trouble. He was the friend that I desperately needed and someone who I found myself at ease around. 

Just as I was starting to get comfortable, COVID-19 hit, and we were sent home for the remainder of the spring semester. I was glad that we were able to come back to campus sophomore year, and I was excited to see my friends again and go to classes. 

But that sophomore year, I felt trapped in my room, only going to get food and go to classes like everyone else. But it ended up being another godsend because I met my other best friend, Ben Hutchinson. While we were always in our room at Fairview, we kept each other sane and bonded over our love of sports. He was always watching hockey and golf tournaments while I had baseball and basketball on. 

Also during that time, I finally called my first Butler baseball game and learned that maybe I did not want to be a broadcaster. I loved the game, but I realized I did not actually enjoy broadcasting or even have a passion for it at all. 

Mercifully, that school year ended, and junior year finally hit. The year got off to a good start when I found out that Kobe would be back on campus after being online for our sophomore year. Kobe, Ben and I lived together in South Campus apartments during what was probably the best year of college for me. 

Immediately it paid dividends to be around the two of them. I started noticing that Kobe was writing a lot, and he explained to me that he was one of the sports editors for the Collegian. I knew about the Collegian, but I was apprehensive about joining because I had always had negative thoughts about my own writing and writing in general. But then, I actually started to read articles in the Collegian and realized that I wanted to write about sports. 

Kobe pushed me to apply, and I ended up joining the staff the second semester of that year. I had zero journalism background at all other than the few classes I had taken at Butler. Nevertheless, I started to write and enjoyed what I was writing about. 

After the year ended, I wanted to take another step and be a sports editor. Even with the little experience I had, I applied and became a sports editor this year. 

If you had told me during my freshman year that I would end up being a sports editor of the Collegian, I would have thought you were crazy. But here we are with only a few issues left, and my three semesters on this staff are quickly coming to an end. 

Do I regret not joining the Collegian sooner? I think about this all the time, and what I would tell people is sometimes you have to go for something even if you are nervous or unsure of the outcome. If I had not finally decided to join, who knows what I would be doing right now? It probably would not have been anywhere near the amount of fun this has been. 

I know it can be cheesy to say that something changed your life, but the Collegian has changed my life for the better. I also have had help from lots of people, and I would not have gotten to this point without them. 

Thank you to the rest of the editorial board. I appreciate all of you more than you will ever know. You have all become my friends, and I am going to miss you. Also, thank you for putting up with me shooting that mini-basketball in the office on a daily basis. 

Thank you to the sports section. I have loved getting to know you all, and cannot wait to read what you write next year. I know the section is in great hands. 

Thank you to my co-editor, Sarah Hohman. You have dealt with my nonsense all year long, and I could not have made it through this year without you. I could not have asked for a better co-editor to work with. 

Thank you to Kobe and Ben. As I said, you guys are my best friends, but I am hoping y’all already knew that. You have helped me get through these four years and been there for me whenever I needed you. 

Thank you to my family for always supporting me while I have been away from home, and for receiving those late-night texts when my articles have been published. 

As I finish writing my last article for the Collegian, I now know what I will really miss, and it’s the people. 

Butler has brought me my best friends, and this paper has brought more people into my life than I could have ever imagined. I used to despise writing, but now it has become part of my life, and I could not be more thankful to be in the position I am in today.