Mark Stewart has been a fixture at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for decades, and his return to the Wisconsin Badgers newsroom was like a homecoming. Except he never left.
After originally being hired as a Milwaukee high school sports reporter in 1992, Stewart, now a Madison resident, began covering University of Wisconsin athletics, particularly men’s basketball, in 1999. In 2009, he made an unusual shift back to sports reporter and editor, traveling to Milwaukee regularly to capture the best stories of the Milwaukee high school sports scene. And now he’s back in Madison, beginning his third full season as the Badgers’ reporter.
Following the retirement of longtime Badgers reporter Jeff Potrykus this summer, Stewart will resume a major role as UW football reporter this fall. Meet “Stew” (with questions from JR Radcliffe):
I know you’re from Cincinnati. Tell me how you ended up in Milwaukee and what made you stay so long.
It was the spring of my senior year at Miami University and I was in a bad mood because I had no prospects of getting a job. Then one night I came home and one of my roommates gave me a note from the Milwaukee Sentinel. They wanted to interview me for a high school sports reporter position. My question was how they got my resume since I hadn’t sent them one. It turned out that an editor at the Dayton Daily News knew someone in Milwaukee and had forwarded my resume. The crazy thing about my interview was that I almost didn’t make it. My flight to Milwaukee was my first flight and I had no idea how long it took to get through the airport and check in. When I got to my gate, the airline had already closed the door. Today they wouldn’t have let me board, but back then they reopened the gate and let me board. I was hired at the end of the interview but wasn’t allowed to start work until I finished the semester and graduated. The timing was good. The next day I was scheduled to travel to Elyria, Ohio, near Cleveland, to do an interview as a reporter. I would like to thank Bill Windler, Gerry Hinkley and Marta Bender for their trust in me.
I know that competitive sport and college sport are quite different, but you still work with young athletes. How are the tasks similar and how do they differ?
The duties are similar in that you’re still dealing with people, and the better you build a connection with them, the better the interview will be. At the college level, it’s a little harder to build those relationships because you get less one-on-one time with players and coaches. For high school athletes, being interviewed and getting media attention is new, and there’s a freshness to their commentary that I find unique. At the college level, they don’t get that as much; they’re much more sophisticated. Another difference is that at the college level, the coverage is more in-depth. In Milwaukee, we covered more than 100 high schools, and they played a variety of sports, so I was never able to focus on one team or one school.
Who are the most interesting athletes and personalities you’ve covered in the last quarter century? Bonus points if you covered them in high school. And in college
I covered Dick Bennett during the Final Four season. He was extremely honest when answering questions and was extremely media-friendly when it came to letting reporters watch practice, interview players or himself. I covered Bo Ryan when he was hired at UWM — I covered the Panthers for two years — and then when he took over Wisconsin. He’s a great storyteller and it seemed like he knew everyone or at least had some kind of connection or interaction with everyone. There are few guys I covered in high school and college. Mike Kelley, Andy Kowske and Freddie Owens come to mind. Julian Swartz, too. That 2000 Final Four team was full of great talkers.
What did you find special about the University of Wisconsin and the city of Madison?
As for Madison, living here was an adjustment at first because I really liked Milwaukee and my wife’s family is there. Now I really enjoy living here, but when I first came to town I was annoyed because people drove so slowly. Then one day I drove past a speed limit sign, realized I was the problem, and took my foot off the gas. LOL! Now I drive “slow” like everyone else.
The ecosystem of college sports is completely different this time around, with a revamped Big Ten, paid athletes and a transfer portal that has become the primary mechanism for assembling a roster. I know it’s a broad question, but what do you think about this version of college sports compared to the one you left in 2009, and how has the coverage of it changed?
I like this style of college sports. I never thought it was fair that players were not compensated for their contributions to the sport when there was so much money being made in football and basketball. It was a recipe for scandal and fraud. At least players can try to get what they believe to be their market value these days. The transfer portal has definitely made the offseason busier, but philosophically I like the portal. I never thought it was fair that players had to sit out a year after a transfer and a coach could leave one job for another and coach the next season. Also, college athletes only have four years to compete, so why not give every opportunity to find a place to play? The portal helps make that possible.
UW enters the 2024 football season with a monumental challenge in the talent-rich Big Ten, and they could easily end up with the same or worse record despite improvements. What signs would tell you right from the start that this team will be better in 2024?
This team seems stronger and more athletic than last season, especially on defense. The team also seems to be better positioned at receiver and in a better position to attack teams further back. I also think it’s a good bet that everyone will be more comfortable with the playbook the second time around and players will play more instinctively.
When the press box shakes because of “Jump Around”, it still makes you few nervous?
I try to put it out of my mind. I just hope that the engineers who said the stadium could structurally handle it are right.
We need to know what you think about the students who are always late to Badgers home games. Be honest.
It really doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t affect what I do. And for the big games, they’re usually on time or almost on time.
Excluding Camp Randall and the Kohl Center, which venues should be on every Big Ten fan’s wish list?
I don’t want to be cliche with this answer, but every Big Ten fan should watch an Ohio State-Michigan football game. Penn State is cool and Iowa Stadium has a cozy atmosphere. I’m looking forward to the LA Coliseum for the USC game next month. For basketball, Indiana is a must-see. Assembly Hall is such a uniquely built arena. Pauley Pavilion would also be worth seeing for UCLA’s history. Closer to home, the UW Field House was a special place for basketball and offers an electric atmosphere for volleyball.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of sports journalism?
Hobbies? I enjoy gardening, although parts of my yard are a mess. And being from Cincinnati, I follow the Reds in the summer and during football season I usually don’t miss a Bengals game, even if I record it and watch it hours later.
