Meet 2019 Axthelm Lecturer Nancy Armour

The Pete and Bonnie Axthelm Memorial program was established in 1994 at Marquette University to acknowledge and recognize the life of Pete Axthelm as well as his sister Bonnie. Every year this program awards a scholarship to an exceptional student who expresses interest in sports journalism. Pete Axthelm is considered one of America’s foremost sports journalists. Although a Yale alum, Pete created ties to Marquette University while working on his critically acclaimed book, “The City Game,” which covers the glorification and tragedy of New York basketball. While writing and researching his book, Pete worked with Marquette notables such as Al McGuire, Pat Smith, and Dean Meminger. His journalistic skills eventually led to him to the role of sports commentator on NBC and ESPN. The Axthelm Memorial program awards this scholarship to an outstanding student who shares that same passion for Sports Journalism that Pete Axthelm exhibited throughout his distinguished career as a sportswriter.

The Diederich College of Communication proudly welcomed Marquette University alumna Nancy Armour as the 2019 Pete and Bonnie Axthelm Memorial Lecturer. In 2004, Armour began her current position as a columnist for USA Today Sports. She has covered major events such as the Super Bowl, Olympics, and World Cup. Prior to joining USA Today, Armour worked as an Associated Press corespondent for twenty years.

Nancy Armour never imagined that she would be a sportswriter, however she described always having an interest in sports from quite a young age, as she recalls having a Sports Illustrated subscription since the third grade. Armour remembers, “When I joined the Associated Press, my dream was to become a White House Corespondent.” Just as her own career path had changed, Armour described how sports journalism is changing with the rise of digital platforms. The Marquette alumna recalls a time where she worked for the Marquette Tribune and there were no such digital platforms. Armour described how the internet has rapidly change the jobs of journalists and how it has made these jobs easier. She described how the use of technology such as social media profiles and search engines have been used in the cases she has worked on such as Olympic coaches who continue to coach despite being banned for sexual abuse. Armour claims how along with her coworker, “the process took us the better part of three months. Without the internet, it probably would have taken us three years, and i’m not exaggerating.” With tools such as skype or google translate, Armour explains the significance of how technology has greatly changed her every day career as well as the field of sports journalism.

In contrast, Nancy Armour described the negative changes that have impacted the journalism we know today. Armour claims, “I don’t mean to tell you the challenges that the industry faces, but local newspapers disappearing, and hedge funds that are more concerned with profits than journalism buying papers and even chains. Too often the void is filled with people who care more about spin than they do about accuracy or fairness.” She describes how, “in a rush to be first, being right sometimes falls by the wayside”. Through this realization, Armour describes how the main lesson is to “trade information on social platforms with the same care and caution you would anything else.”

One of the main points that Nancy Armour made during the Axthelm Lecture was describing her duty as not only a sports journalist, but a Marquette alumna, ingrained with Jesuit values and tradition. She describes, as a result of being true to herself that many people will often disagree with her opinions, and this is an obstacle that all journalists must overcome. In addition, Armour described the role of women in a male dominated field. Although the world of sports journalism has seen an increase of more women within the field, many were able to resonate with the obstacles that Armour describes she has faced, as well as her counterparts.

In closing, one of the questions Nancy Armour was asked was, of the stories she has covered, what was the one that stood out? As a journalist, Armour found it difficult to answer this question, as there are numerous stories she has enjoyed having the privilege to cover. Armour stated, “I’ve covered Simone Biles since she was thirteen or twelve. When you asked her a question she would laugh or giggle”, describing the athlete as a typical teenager. I found Armour’s next response heartwarming. She said, “She was twenty when she came back and she also announced she was a victim of Larry Nassar, and watching Simone transform from that very shy, very unconfident girl to this very confident woman who recognizes the power she has and uses it was even more impressive than watching her as a gymnast because she is just simply amazing.” This story reaffirmed the passion that Armour has for sports journalism and displays her dedication to this field of learning. Although new technology and terrain continue to redefine what it means to be a sports journalist, Armour makes it clear that we must respond to these changes and use them to their advantages.