Background & Ethics

BACKGROUND

Growing up, I played so many different sports: soccer, baseball, basketball, football, tennis and track and field. Sports have always been a major part of my life for so many reasons. Not only are sports a fun way to exercise and pass time, they have also helped me meet some of my best friends and create bonds with them. I have grown so much as an individual – both physically and mentally – as a result of my involvement in sports through a multitude of practices, games and individual hours of preparation.

The two main sports I follow and play are football and basketball. I have played both since I was about 3 years old, and they both have been tremendous influences on who I am today. Football and basketball are sports that require exceptional teamwork, in addition to extraordinary individual performance. They require you to cooperate with and to sacrifice everything for your team around you. I truly believe sports are a phenomenal metaphor for life.

I was a lineman on both sides of the ball for my football team – in addition to being the kicker – until 8th grade, where I decided to focus on my main love: basketball. I played basketball competitively up until my senior year of high school. Also, during my senior year of high school, I became a school-record holder for discus, and I broke my own record six times throughout the season. I never even considered participating in track and field growing up, but it taught me hard work, perseverance and dedication.

I am a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, where I majored in broadcast journalism and earned two minors – business and sports studies – in addition to a certificate for sports journalism. During my time at Penn State, I was blessed to be able to cover multiple Division 1 sports, high school football and even sports internationally through a trip to Scotland.

My podcasts, articles and sports Twitter – @EricSFensty – are all dedicated to my future in sports journalism, in addition to this website. I am branching out and interacting with a wide sports audience. I’m open to all conversations about sports, and I’m always willing to talk about anything. Although I’m a Philadelphia sports fan – Eagles, 76ers and Phillies – I am always more than willing to talk about any team or issue in the sports realm.

ETHICS

I, Eric Scott Fenstermaker, promise to accurately and truthfully cover all matters that I am assigned to or choose to report on. My first loyalty is to my audience, and I promise to do the best that I physically, mentally and emotionally can do. Journalism is a passion of mine and something I wish to spend my whole life doing.

To do this, I understand that I must never cut corners, lie, fabricate, plagiarize or deprive anyone of content that is truly theirs. As a result, any errors I believe I have made will be posted below. I encourage anyone to ask me questions about my work so that I may always be a truthful and well-respected source of information.

I believe that transparency and ethics are a huge deal in the journalistic community. If you don’t trust me, why should you trust my information? I don’t want to deceive anyone. People deserve the truth, and my future depends on my credibility.