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Jerry Brewer

@jerrybrewer.bsky.social
1.6K followers 96 following 70 posts

Senior columnist for The Athletic. 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary. Bluegrass native. Kentucky Journalism Hall of Famer. In an alternate universe, I’m a 1990s R&B icon.

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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Thoughts, prayers and a whole lot of resilience: On what the Seahawks proved, while at their most vulnerable, in the first game of their title defense (gift link to read for free) www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...
nytimes.com
Thoughts, prayers and a lot of resilience: Seahawks survive first test of title defense
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Column: Why the Protect College Sports Act -- ambitious, imperfect and absolutely necessary for an out-of-control landscape -- deserves to pass (free to read): www.nytimes.com/athletic/749...
nytimes.com
Why the Protect College Sports Act deserves to pass, flaws and all (Gift Article)
Fan fatigue makes strongest case for the Senate bill, which standardizes what has been improvised and relitigated for five exhausting years.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
The moral of this World Cup: Our problems are enormous, but we can strive to be bigger. A final column on the tournament (with a gift link to read for free): www.nytimes.com/athletic/745...
nytimes.com
The moral of this World Cup: Our problems are enormous, but so are we (Gift Article)
For all that went wrong, for all that went unresolved, the event never ceased being what it promised to be. All credit belongs to the games.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
My column on Kylian Mbappe and the fine line between exceptional and immortal (gift link to read for free): www.nytimes.com/athletic/744...
nytimes.com
Kylian Mbappe and the fine line between exceptional and immortal
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
On Argentina's rocky World Cup road, Lionel Messi is unmoved. A piece about the greatness -- and stillness -- of a superstar lingering in the moment (read for free): www.nytimes.com/athletic/744...
nytimes.com
Still Messi: Legend does less, but means more to Argentina's survival
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
A day of sport, spectacle and sweat in Philadelphia: The World Cup, America 250 and a petty Mother Nature that wouldn't let it all be great. Read for free here: www.nytimes.com/athletic/742...
nytimes.com
Mother Nature, FIFA and France emerge undefeated on miserable, fantastic, volatile day
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Column: As the country celebrates Year 250, here's an essay about the World Cup reminding us of our capacity for generosity and the need for a shared identity that acknowledges our complications but celebrates pluralism. Read for free here: www.nytimes.com/athletic/741...
nytimes.com
The World Cup gives America a unified look. The rest is complicated (Gift Article)
Sports fandom would make an ideal mentor for patriotism. The essential characteristics: commitment, unity, aspiration, hope, accountability.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Column on Seattle's World Cup Pride Match: An exhausting, necessary, beautiful mess (read for free) www.nytimes.com/athletic/740...
nytimes.com
The World Cup Pride Match was an exhausting, necessary, beautiful mess
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
World Cup column: On Seattle, shining. And the U.S., rolling Gift link to read for free: www.nytimes.com/athletic/737...
nytimes.com
Soccer beacon Seattle shines on the World Cup stage (Gift Article)
The United States' good vibes continued with a 2-0 win over Australia at rollicking Seattle Stadium, as a three-decade dream was realized.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Column: On a World Cup opener for the U.S. that hit all the right notes (read for free) www.nytimes.com/athletic/735...
nytimes.com
USMNT's dreamy World Cup debut is something to celebrate and believe in
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Column: On America, and one awkward time to play World Cup host www.nytimes.com/athletic/734...
nytimes.com
Welcome to America, the problematic host of the World Cup
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Over the next 39 days, I'm locked in on the World Cup, focusing primarily on what this event means for America and the entire world during fraught time across the globe. A free link to my first essay in @theathletic.com: www.nytimes.com/athletic/733...
nytimes.com
Who, exactly, is this World Cup for?
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Mike Repole is a lot of things, all in the same day: billionaire entrepreneur, sports investor, St. John's super donor, philanthropist, visionary, agitator. Enjoyed writing this piece on the co-owner of Kentucky Derby favorite Renegade. Gift link here: www.nytimes.com/athletic/723...
nytimes.com
In his relentless pursuit, Mike Repole chases more than the Kentucky Derby
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Meet Lawrence Bennett, a former chauffeur at Augusta National, unofficial historian and protector of what's most sacred about the place. The real story of Augusta isn't green jackets. It lives in the people time quietly leaves behind. Gift link here: www.nytimes.com/athletic/717...
nytimes.com
The man who saw everything: Lawrence Bennett’s long drive through Augusta’s history
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The Athletic @theathletic.com · 04/04/2026
UConn coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina counterpart Dawn Staley engaged in a heated argument in the women’s Final Four on Friday. The confrontation wasn’t about a handshake, @jerrybrewer.bsky.social writes. It was about a shift in control.
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Jourdan Rodrigue @jourdanrodrigue.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Pause a moment with me, in memoriam, with the great @jerrybrewer.bsky.social words as a guide: www.nytimes.com/athletic/709...
nytimes.com
Let’s pause to remember Rondale Moore, another life gone too soon
Strong bodies. Fragile lives. It has been a devastating year for the NFL and college football, with nearly a dozen high-profile deaths.
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The Athletic @theathletic.com · 06/02/2026
This Sunday, the NFL will make its strongest case yet that the future doesn’t require choosing between America and the world. The NFL didn't choose Bad Bunny to make a political statement. It did it to help its global ambitions. ✍️ @jerrybrewer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Column: Sam Darnold didn't need redemption, just perspective www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...
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The Athletic @theathletic.com · 18/01/2026
The Seattle Seahawks have transformed into the most complete team in the NFL, and they needed only one quarter Saturday to show that. It wasn’t just about beating the 49ers. They’re on a mission to reach their peak. ✍️ @jerrybrewer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...
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The Athletic @theathletic.com · 14/01/2026
With nothing left to prove, Tomlin can lift his head, step away, and finally take in the impact he had. @jerrybrewer.bsky.social on Tomlin's place in history ⤵️ www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
nytimes.com
Why Mike Tomlin belongs among the giants in NFL history
Consider everything Tomlin represents, and his longevity-kissed Steelers tenure occupies a place among the NFL's most remarkable tales.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Mike Tomlin, colorful and coy, once said: "I can't give you all the ingredients to the hot dog. You might not like it." For 19 years, he was rigidly competitive, the master of finding a way. Now we can appreciate all his coaching ingredients. My column: www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
I'll file this date in my personal memory bank: Jan. 7, 2026. After some time away to reflect and form a new gameplan, my @theathletic.com journey has officially begun. My debut is on why the sports column matters -- and why I'm still writing one: www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...
nytimes.com
Jerry Brewer: Why the sports column still matters — and why I'm still writing one
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Chelsea Janes @chelseajanes.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
The Dodgers became baseball’s first repeat champions in 25 years. It took everything they had. www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
After a classic World Series Game 7, the Dodgers remain on top
Los Angeles tied the deciding game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning and went on to win in the 11th, becoming baseball’s first repeat champion since 2000.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Column on today's NBA bombshell ... Every betting scandal is a chip off sports' most valuable asset: Integrity www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | Sports leagues went all-in on gambling. Were they cashing in or out?
Every betting scandal chips away at the most precious asset our games have: Integrity. And once it’s gone, it’s gone.
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Tom Schad @tomschad.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
The honeymoon period is over for this new #Commanders regime, writes @jerrybrewer.bsky.social. "If the Commanders have been eating chocolate-covered strawberries and sipping champagne, well, now it’s time to banish someone to sleep on the couch." www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | Washington discovered a brave new football era. Sunday was a relapse.
The Commanders have too much character to crater, but what happened at Dallas on Sunday sure looked like rock bottom.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
Really enjoyed writing this one. On Cal Raleigh, his bootylicious nickname and 90s Seattle nostalgia giving way to a new era. And it's through the prism of one man who can speak to all of this: Sir Mix-a-Lot. www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | Big Dumper, Sir Mix-a-Lot and how Seattle got back
With Seattle’s latest booty shaker powered by Big Dumper, the Mariners aren’t stuck in the past.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Seattle's vibes are gone as the Mariners (and Humpy) lose at home again. Column from @jerrybrewer.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Column | The Mariners were on their way to the World Series. Then they came home.
There’s no home-field advantage so far in the ALCS as the Blue Jays win Game 4 in Seattle to even the series.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
To avoid a 3-0 ALCS deficit, Toronto went into survival mode last night, needing to show urgency yet remain composed. It was the perfect time for Shane Bieber to show he's still Shane Bieber. On his reclamation and the thundering bats that complemented him: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | Shane Bieber reclaims the Blue Jays’ hopes — and himself
In April 2024, the right-hander left the mound in Seattle knowing “something was wrong with my elbow.” He returned in Game 3 and tightened the ALCS.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
The Mariners advanced to the ALCS. Fittingly, it took 15 innings. Our @jerrybrewer.bsky.social with the scene in Seattle:
washingtonpost.com
Column | Sleepless in Seattle: Mariners win 15-inning epic the only way they know
Far from flawless, the Mariners are still in the MLB playoffs because they just refuse to stop.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Finally, against a quality opponent on the road, these Commanders looked like a team with a playoff pedigree. Column by @jerrybrewer.bsky.social:
washingtonpost.com
Column | This isn’t 2024, but the 2025 Commanders are proving resilient, too
After a somewhat ugly start — to both the game and the season — Washington shows it can still be a force by beating the Chargers on the road.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Good piece from Tashan.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh will renew their rivalry Monday night. Our @jerrybrewer.bsky.social breaks down how it has changed since they last clashed: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh’s rivalry is all grown up, but the fight remains
The coaches of the Raiders and Chargers haven’t clashed on the field since 2014, but their rivalry still burns. They face off Monday night in Las Vegas.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Excited to be on the same team as you, Tashan. Thrilled to work with @tomschad.bsky.social, too. Our Commanders beat is whole again.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Sylvia Fowles, the greatest center never to flaunt greatness, actually has a big personality; she just preferred to make room for others. Column from @jerrybrewer.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Column | The Hall of Fame will honor the power Sylvia Fowles didn’t shout about
The towering talent didn’t need to talk a big game. She just brought one every time she stepped onto a basketball court.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
I wrote about the greatness and grace of Sylvia Fowles as she enters the Hall of Fame. The entire HOF class is a good one, and the women's group is all-time special. But don't overlook Fowles, whose accomplishments grow even more impressive with time. www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | The Hall of Fame will honor the power Sylvia Fowles didn’t shout about
The towering talent didn’t need to talk a big game. She just brought one every time she stepped onto a basketball court.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
Any other generational, homegrown (drafted) stars that teams repping Dallas want to trade? It's officially a trend. Who's next in that city to do something really dumb?
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
The Big Ten and SEC are fighting over how to fix the sport they broke Read @jerrybrewer.bsky.social: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | The Big Ten and SEC are fighting over how to fix the sport they broke
College football’s power brokers need to focus on better instead of more.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
Jon Gruden will exhaust all legal tactics until he forces the NFL to confront some uneasy questions. column by @jerrybrewer.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Column | In fight against NFL, Jon Gruden becomes the unlikely antihero we need
The former coach is not someone worth rooting for, but it’s worth finding out why the NFL is so desperate to keep his case out of court.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
What drives a young man once chasing a football dream to take a rifle to the NFL's doorstep? The truths are hard. The answers aren't easy. Please read and reflect on today's column: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | The shooting at NFL headquarters raises hard truths, but no easy answers
Football didn’t turn Shane Tamura into a murderous gunman, but we need to take some time to wrestle with why he thought it did.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
As Beal works toward a buyout with the Suns, it’s worth looking back at the deal he signed with the Wizards to help ensure such an error never happens again. Read @jerrybrewer.bsky.social:
washingtonpost.com
Column | Bradley Beal’s contract will soon be gone. But it won’t be forgotten.
As Beal works toward a buyout with the Suns, it’s worth looking back at his deal, which he signed as a Wizard, to help ensure such an error never happens again.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Cooper Flagg enters the league as the new great American hope in an era ruled by international stars. Column by @jerrybrewer.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Column | The American-born NBA superstar is disappearing. Enter Cooper Flagg.
Can the NBA’s No. 1 overall pick from Newport, Maine offset the dearth of younger American players capable of dominating the league?
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Tyrese Haliburton must do more. He doesn’t need to operate differently, however. Column by @jerrybrewer.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Column | The breakout star of the NBA playoffs now has a new foe: Scrutiny
Tyrese Haliburton needs to step up in the NBA Finals. But he doesn’t need to step out of his body, no matter what the pundits and social media screamers say.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
The face of the NBA is a title with diminished meaning and murky criteria that punishes candidates as much as it promotes them. Column by @jerrybrewer.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Column | It’s finally time to bid farewell to the ‘face of the NBA’
The new NBA doesn’t want or need a single face anymore, but this transition will be a bit uncomfortable for a league accustomed to superstardom.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
Column: On the Sonics ... and the Thunder. Not the Sonics/Thunder! And Seattle's persistent passion to get a team back and continue its NBA story www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | In Seattle, the Thunder’s success reopens wounds never fully healed
Seventeen years after the Sonics left town, Oklahoma City’s run to the NBA Finals feels to fans like “they’re making you watch your ex get married.”
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
The NBA playoffs are usually a reckoning for foul merchants. But this year? Column by @jerrybrewer.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Column | Lay it on the line: Foul artists have ruled the NBA playoffs
It’s not a magic trick: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Brunson have hacked the system for their benefit.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Column: In a conference finals round of wet-behind-the-ears contenders, let us say one final farewell to the Dynasty Era -- the only era that NBA had ever truly known www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | The NBA will have another new champion. Get used to it.
Owners negotiated a financial system that has brought about a level of parity the league has never experienced
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Is the NBA draft lottery rigged? I mean, probably not, but ... Read today's column here: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Column | As the Mavericks go from broke to fortune, the NBA lottery looks sketchy
The league’s draft order process isn’t rigged, but Dallas landing the top pick months after trading a superstar certainly raised eyebrows.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Draymond Green is again playing the victim, when he is anything but, writes @jerrybrewer.bsky.social.
washingtonpost.com
Column | The only agenda targeting Draymond Green is the one he created
The Warriors’ star is a lot of things, but he’s not a victim.
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Post Sports @postsports.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Nikola Jokic deserves a Nuggets roster worthy of his basketball genius, writes @jerrybrewer.bsky.social.
washingtonpost.com
Column | The Nuggets might want to stop testing Nikola Jokic’s patience
Nikola Jokic has become the most responsible superstar in the NBA, but he deserves a supporting cast worthy of his basketball genius.
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Jerry Brewer @jerrybrewer.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
I'm so grateful!!! What a day.
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