The voice that roars: Jerry Sullivan visits campus

Controversial columnist Jerry Sullivan addressed a mixed crowd of students and local citizens on topics ranging from his personal experiences in the business to the current state of journalism in the digital age. Sullivan, a Buffalo News senior columnist, spoke at Fredonia on Oct. 25 as part of The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) campus chapter's Distinguished Speaker Series.

Love his opinions or hate them, Sullivan is the type of writer that is so polarizing his columns are must-read material no matter your predisposition. Sullivan mixes brutal honesty with flawlessly constructed, fact-based opinions to produce Buffalo's most popular sports columns.

Throughout his career Sullivan has covered six Olympic Games, 20 Final Fours, seven major golf tournaments, 11 World Series and the Stanley Cup Finals. He has also covered six or seven Super Bowls, so many that he is no longer able to pin down the exact number.

He has interviewed Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jack Nicholas, Jim Brown, Alex Rodriguez and a host of other twentieth century superstars.

SUNY Fredonia journalism professor Elmer Ploetz had the honor of introducing Sullivan. Ploetz, who himself worked at The News for 23 years, was one of Sullivan's copy editors during  the late 80's and through the mid 90's.  

"I would like to welcome a friend: Jerry Sullivan," Ploetz said. "I have known Jerry for 22 years since he started at The Buffalo News. When he first came, he brought with him a little bit of a reputation. Even better [than his writing ability] for Buffalo sports fans was the energy that he brought to the columns in taking on the voice of the common man Buffalo sports fan"

Sullivan's razor sharp wit was on full display from the moment he took over for Ploetz.     "I'm flattered," Sullivan said in response to Ploetz's introduction. "And you look good too by the way. When most people leave The News they tend to look better after they leave. I am wondering if maybe I should get out of there."

Sullivan's personality far exceeds his physical stature. Wearing a candy apple green sport jacket over an all-white polo shirt, Sullivan sat in his chair behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses in a way which made him feel even smaller. His laid back, inviting style fit perfectly with the conversational lecture that followed.

After graduating from the University of Missouri, Sullivan, a Rhode Island native, thought he would work in Boston, Providence or New York. Instead he landed in Binghamton, New York, a location he described as "the minor leagues for Buffalo newspapers." After proving himself in a smaller market and garnering a reputation as a hard-nosed writer, Sullivan made the move to The Buffalo News.

For Sullivan the attraction to Buffalo was, "Feeling like my work has an impact on my community, to the guy at the bar or the guy in my own neighborhood. I lived and worked in New York City and never had that same feeling. In Buffalo I got my dream to really feel connected to my community."

He went on to share some advice for green-horn sports writers looking to break into the business.

"My advice is always to read, write and be consumed with it," Sullivan said. "But not just sports. Be a reader and involve yourself with all parts of the world and engage your mind with things that make you smarter."

Journalism students are constantly reminded of objectivity. One would think that constantly being around the players and building relationships with them would make it hard to remain objective. This is not an issue for Sullivan.

"It's hard to say you're totally objective when people like Kent Hull die and you talk about how much you admired them and you write these glowing things," Sullivan said. "Objectivity goes both ways. Honestly, it's harder sometimes to not root against the teams. You kind of root for people but you have to guard against rooting for the team."

Despite constant questions from fans aimed at uncovering a secret alliance to the Bills, Sullivan maintains that he is completely objective and does not root for the Bills.

"I root for good stories," Sullivan said. "When they [the Bills] are 7-9 three years in a row I hate that. I'd rather they be 2-14 or 14-2 because the extremes make for more interesting writing."

Sullivan's writing style has been influenced by many of his idols including Peter Vecsey, Dick Young, Frank Deford and Sullivan's longtime friend and colleague Jim Kelley. Kelley, a legendary NHL writer, passed away on November 29, 2010 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. In 2002 Kelley was named to The Hockey News' list of "100 People of Power and Influence in Hockey."

One gift that separates Sullivan from other writers is his attention to detail. He emphasized the importance of this skill while recounting a story of his brief encounter with "the greatest" boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali.