The Athletic’s Adam Crafton has been named the Sportswriter of the Year at the SJA British Sports Journalism awards.
David Ornstein is the Football News Reporter of the Year while The Athletic has been crowned Digital Sports Publisher of the Year.
Crafton’s work in 2023 was praised by the judges for the significant impact it made. The award was decided by a vote of leading figures in sports journalism.
Crafton, 29, wrote some important and powerful stories last year, including revealing Manchester United’s plans to bring back Mason Greenwood and the detailed plans the club had drawn up as part of that process. That story led to the club changing their mind after fan backlash over the allegations that were made against but then dropped.
Another piece that had huge impact was his interview, alongside David Ornstein, with Jordan Henderson. This was the first time Henderson had spoken since his controversial move to Saudi Arabia and Adam made sure he was asked tough questions, particularly surrounding his perceived hypocrisy over being an LGBTQI+ ally.
His investigation into the British government’s role in the takeover of Newcastle United raised important questions, while his revelation that Henry Mauriss, a potential buyer of Sheffield United, was in fact a jailed fraudster was befitting of a Hollywood movie.
Adam’s impact is not just as a written journalist. He is a regular on The Athletic Football Podcast and is brilliant at getting to the heart of a story, finding the angle that others haven’t considered.
If you haven’t read Adam’s work, you can follow his author page here.
Now it is time for this year’s Sports Writer of the Year. For the impact his stories made in a truly stellar year, the recipient of the John Bromley Trophy is @AdamCrafton_. Congratulations Adam! #SJA2023 pic.twitter.com/PPU59AeSgl
— Sports Journalists (@SportSJA) March 25, 2024
David Ornstein, meanwhile, won the award for Football News Reporter of the Year. David broke news of some huge transfers in the last 12 months, including Harry Kane to Bayern, Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid and Mason Mount to Manchester United.
As the judges noted, David has a depth of knowledge and a breadth of contacts that is unrivalled in the industry.
Next, it’s the Football News Reporter of the Year and the winner is @David_Ornstein. According to the judges, his depth of knowledge and contacts are almost unrivalled. Congratulations David! #SJA2023 pic.twitter.com/cVJZnFkjtc
— Sports Journalists (@SportSJA) March 25, 2024
Matt Slater won silver in the Sports News Reporter category, Katie Whyatt won bronze for Feature Writer of the Year while Crafton also won bronze in the Football Journalist of the Year category.
The following writers from The Athletic were also shortlisted for awards.
The Athletic’s documentary on the Turkish earthquake (hosted by Adam Leventhal and produced by Adonis Pratsides) won Best Audio Documentary.
Podcast documentaries on the behind the scenes at Brentford (presented by Jay Harris and produced by Abi Paterson, Jay Beale and Mike Stavrou), the sound of Arsenal (with Amy Lawrence and Paterson) and a stunning recreation of Sir Bobby Robson (hosted by George Caulkin and produced by Ollie Bellwood) were also nominated.
The Athletic as a whole won the Digital Sports Publisher of the Year Award for its written, audio, video and social work.
Next up, it’s the Digital Sports Publisher of the Year Award, and the winner is @TheAthleticFC! Judges highlighted that their exclusives set the agenda for weeks. #SJA2023 pic.twitter.com/zhtdNafWm7
— Sports Journalists (@SportSJA) March 25, 2024
(Top image: The Athletic)
Read the full article here