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Wayne Drehs

@wdrehs.bsky.social
1.4K followers 161 following 235 posts

Visiting Professor of Practice, The University of Iowa. Storyteller for hire. Previously: 23-year ✍️ at ESPN. 🥎 ⚽️ Dad. I cheer for all the Chicago sports teams. It's not going well.

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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Thank you @iowapbs.bsky.social for sharing the story of our Iowa journalism students and the work they’ve done to keep community journalism alive in the Solon, Mount Vernon & Lisbon communities. It has been great to witness the impact they’ve had. youtu.be/HhJqY-lsbik?...
youtu.be
Community Journalism | Iowa Life
YouTube video by Iowa PBS
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Such mixed emotions about Kyle Tucker's start. On one hand, love to see any Cub have such success. On the other hand, along with the joy from each bomb comes this misery knowing the Cubs won't pay him. Tough to emotionally invest knowing the frustration that awaits.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
HUGE thanks to two of my favorite sportswriters & people, Sean Gregory from Time Magazine and @brett-taylor.bsky.social from @bleachernation.bsky.social, for joining my Iowa sportswriting class today to share their insights on sports media, writing, interviewing & creating content sports fans love.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
A great interviewer with a subject Iowa fans will love. Richard catches up with Lisa Bluder …
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Always great when Iowa football legend Quinn Early visits class to talk Frank Kinney Holbrook, Hayden Fry & more. Today we learned Quinn once bungee-jumped out of a helicopter into the Grand Canyon as a double for Will Smith!! His advice: “Always follow your dreams and never take no for an answer.”
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
What a story. About humanity. About loving one another. Yes, it’s sad. But at the same time it will lift your spirits. Make you smile. Laugh. And feel. This one will stick with me for a long time. Masterful work by Sam and his editors. www.espn.com/womens-colle...
espn.com
Love, Abby: The forever friendship between the UConn Huskies and one magical fan
Young UConn fan Abby Zittoun was fun, irreverent, caring. And for Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme, her friendship is forever.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
BEYOND PROUD of @thedailyiowan.bsky.social crew which tonight won IOWA NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR & BEST SPORTS SECTION at the Iowa Newspaper Awards! Among the many winners, Iowa SJMC student Joel Kellar won best sports story & best sports feature photo for his work at the Solon Economist! BEAMING! 👏👏
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
I know half of our country doesn’t care. Their hero is a disruptor who makes America great. When he fails he blames someone else who those devout followers crucify. But damn. Trump has 99.4% of his presidency remaining. I fear what our country will look like when he’s done.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
There are few things more Midwest than a college campus full of kids wearing shorts during a brief 45-degree mid-winter thaw.
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Razzball @razzball.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Mike Sweeney adding to the Ichiro mythology
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Seth Walder @sethwalder.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
ESPN's sports analytics team has an opening for a data engineer: disney.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/disneycareer...
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Call me a sucker and it doesn’t guarantee winning football games, but damn Ben Johnson is impressive. The eye contact. The direct nature. No stumbling around. Dude means business.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Fall semester began with me sweating buckets because the AC was out in the journalism building on a sweltering August day. Spring semester begins with frozen icicles in my beard from this morning's walk to class. I can't win.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
I still don't think ND has any shot to force overtime, not to mention somehow win this.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
As a Bears fan, today was a good day. No promises Ben Johnson will be a great head coach. But he was clearly the best candidate and the Bears didn't mess around or get cute. They identified the guy they wanted and got it done. That's promising. Now they have to do it on the field.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
I have a feeling our kids will look back at alcohol consumption the way many of us looked at our parents and smoking. “OMG, you smoked cigarettes!?!? At dinner!?!? Next to me!?!? And in the car!?!? When I was a baby!?!?l What do you mean ‘everybody did it!?!?’”
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Mike Tanier @miketanier.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
New Years' Resolution: Share and amplify good ideas and positive messages instead of dunking upon (and propagating/legitimizing) bad-faith stupidity.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
I love college football overtime rules, sorry.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
This is why we watch. This is why we put up with all the garbage games, the commercialism, the NCAA BS. For games and drama and stars like this.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
Considering the lack of drama in these playoffs so far, I vote six OTs.
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Bruce Feldman @brucefeldmancfb.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
Michigan's 7-5, Bama was seen as the biggest snub of the CFP. The Tide had all of its top draft prospects play in this bowl game (Milroe, Tyler Booker & Jihaad Campbell). The Wolverines had all their top guys opt out (Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant Colston Loveland) and UM is dominating this game. Wow.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
God I love fired up Kirk.
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Aaron Weiss (no relation) @aweiss.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
After nearly three decades, a Minnesota summer camp for kids with HIV/AIDS is closing and up for sale... because retroviral drugs are so effective that there aren't enough campers. Science works, y'all. www.startribune.com/closure-of-n...
startribune.com
Closure of northern Minnesota camp is ‘the greatest story.’ Here’s why.
Willow River, Minn., camp One Heartland is for sale after serving kids there for nearly three decades.
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Jon Bois @jonbois.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
the bears’ second half, down 3 points the entire time: - punt - punt - reach SEA territory, punt - reach SEA territory, punt - false start on 4th & inches - punt team sent out - timeout #1 burned with a stopped clock - they think about it - 1st down - timeout #2 burned with a stopped clock - int
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
Why do I watch this every week? Legit what is wrong with me? Laurence Holmes said it two weeks ago. Stop watching. It’s gonna be ugly. I need to listen better.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
Asked this as couple weeks ago and I’m still wondering/looking … is there anybody left who likes Aaron Rodgers?
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
“If you watched ESPN all weekend long, you would think that the 12-team playoff was an abomination … you would think there is no point playing any of these games and that we should just give things to teams that have great brand names who we “think” are “best.” Spot on.
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Jena Janovy @jenaj.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
From Howard Bryant, who wrote the book on Rickey Henderson - a beautiful remembrance: www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/...
espn.com
Bryant: Rickey Henderson wasn't as good as he says he was -- he was better
Henderson became one of baseball's icons thanks to his flamboyant personality -- and sheer dominance.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
Somewhat new to college volleyball and I can’t believe this is the first year a national championship team was coached by a woman.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
Those last fifteen minutes of the NCAA Volleyball championship were 100x more enthralling than anything that happened in the college football playoff this weekend. You’re missing out if you’re not watching.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
As awful as the Bears are to watch, I still have so much hope in Caleb. He still does things I've never seen a Bears QB do in my lifetime. Just hope they don't ruin him.
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Jayson Stark @jaysonst.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
If you're a fan of the late, great Rickey Henderson, this is the tribute you need to read. From the always amazing @tylerkepner.bsky.social
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
To be fair to the College Football Playoff it took the Super Bowl a couple decades ‘til the games were entertaining.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
All those Big Ten haters from last night are pretty quiet right now.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Twenty hours in it looks like maybe we should just have an eight-team playoff. These games have been awful.
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Bruce Feldman @brucefeldmancfb.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Sorry, Lane Kiffin: Indiana earned a Playoff spot. SEC teams that got left out did not. Not after losing to 4-8 UK at home or two other unranked teams. If you’re saying 11-1 IU didn’t belong in the CFP, you’re saying the regular season really doesn’t matter any more: www.nytimes.com/athletic/601...
nytimes.com
Sorry, Lane Kiffin: Indiana earned a Playoff spot. SEC teams that got left out did not
Because the Hoosiers were getting handled for much of Friday night at Notre Dame, it became easy for those who got left out to take shots.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
It is sports-packed days like today where I’m left wondering what the hell happened to the Picture in Picture of my youth? Need that PIP button today big time.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
I will guarantee you there is ZERO chance ESPN would take these shots at the Big Ten when they had the Big Ten TV deal.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Is this what is was like for everyone else watching Iowa in the Big Ten Championship?
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
My ten-year-old, looking up at the TV: “Why does that man look like Indiana Jones?” Said man: Nick Saban.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
I have no dog in this fight, but damn this feels like what a pre-Cignetti Indiana vs Notre Dame would have looked like. Hope the second half ups the entertainment value.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Old man get off my lawn take: I like Notre Dame’s jerseys far better without name plates.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
This is my first game watching an NCAA volleyball match that doesn’t include Creighton and OMG Olivia Babcock is ⛽️🔥😳!!
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Reading this @adamjahns.bsky.social Athletic piece about Bears coaching candidates and this sentence gives me the hives. It’s like a checklist of nightmares from Bears past. www.nytimes.com/athletic/600...
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Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Kylie Kelce's new podcast has been #1 on Apple and Spotify for 10 straight days, knocking Joe Rogan from the top spot. She says her political views skew "aggressively left" and she doesn't care what Trump fans think of her. Here's a gift article: www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/b...
nytimes.com
Why Kylie Kelce’s Podcast, ‘Not Gonna Lie,’ Is a Breakout Hit (Gift Article)
But in her first interview since her podcast reached No. 1, she does share ideas about why the show has become a breakout hit.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
I loved Sammy in college as a Cubs fan, disliked him as a young journalist. The few times I was around the Cubs I thought he was rude, difficult. With the on-camera and off-camera Sosa I found two different personalities. Never a fan. Glad to hear he has hopefully turned a corner.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Beyond proud of @jmartintrainor.bsky.social for this beautifully done @thedailyiowan.bsky.social profile on Jan Jensen. Jami wrote this for our Advanced Feature Writing class and absolutely crushed it. Don't tell me kids today don't know how to write! dailyiowan.com/2024/12/17/h...
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Does anybody actually still like Aaron Rodgers? And no, I don’t need your Vax status to answer.
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Because the Yankees are short on cash … (I realize it doesn’t work that way. Just wanted to try and be snarky once.)
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Wayne Drehs @wdrehs.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
For much of my life, I always wondered why I rarely met people from Iowa who cheer for the Bears. Vikings, Packers, Cowboys, occasionally the Chiefs, sure. But rarely the Bears. I finally figured it out. Unless forced by family, no one in a sound mind would choose this perpetual misery.
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