New sports editor no stranger to S.D.

The U-T and its readers will welcome a new sports editor this month.

Ryan Finley joins the paper Jan. 9. He succeeds Jay Posner, who retired in December.

Although Finley comes to the U-T from the Arizona Daily Star, he is truly local, with deep roots in San Diego.

He grew up in the College Area. He graduated from the University of San Diego High School in 1998. As a teen he worked as a vendor in the stands at Qualcomm Stadium. “In part so I could watch the Padres and Chargers for free and up close,” he said.

His parents were journalism majors at San Diego State. And his dad, Bill, was a sportswriter at the Union and Tribune in the 1970s and early '80s.

His younger brother and his family live in Del Cerro; his sister and her family are in Carlsbad; and his mom lives in the Murphy Canyon area.

Finley graduated from the University of Arizona (where he was editor-in-chief of the college paper) with a journalism degree and soon after went to work for the Arizona Daily Star. He started as a high school sports reporter, then covered college football for seven years. He's been sports editor there for the last nine years.

Journalism runs in his family beyond Finley and his dad. His twin brother, Patrick, covers the Chicago Bears for the Chicago Sun-times, and Patrick's wife, Kori, works at the Chicago Tribune.

Q: Why sports journalism? What attracted you to it?

A: “I've always been a sports fan. I've enjoyed writing from a young age, and I find other people fascinating. Sportswriting was just a natural fit. Why sports instead of, say, features? Sports has an ability to bring people together; in fact, today's world, it's one of the few things people have in common. My home for the last 18 years, Tucson, is made up of retirees, students, natives and transplants; they agree on almost nothing … except for their love of University of Arizona sports. San Diego's the same way. I was in the stands when the Padres eliminated the Dodgers from the National League playoffs in October. The crowd was the ultimate cross-section of San Diegans ranging in age from 5 to probably 80; to see them high-fiving, hugging and celebrating together reminded me of the power of shared experiences, and the importance of sports.”

Q: What are some of your plans for U-T sports coverage? How does digital — e-edition, video, podcasts, web — play into that?

A: “I have a unique perspective, I think — for the last 18 years, I've consumed the U-T daily in the online space and not at all in print. I've seen the website evolve from the old Signonsandiego days to what it is now. While the U-T is as sophisticated as it's ever been in the online space — Kevin Acee's email newsletter, for example, is one of the best I've ever read — I think we can take another step forward. It's simple: We need to reach our readers where they live. For some, that means dropping a newspaper in their driveways. For others, it means sending newsletters to their inboxes and push alerts to their phones, and producing an e-edition that provides the look and feel of a print newspaper, with a few extras baked in.”

Q: Some readers complain the Chargers should be covered like any other NFL team. In other words, stop giving them coverage as if they were a local team. What are your thoughts on that?

A: “It's probably too soon for me to give you a philosophy on covering the Chargers. I think Jay Posner did a really good job of putting Chargers stories in the paper without treating them like the hometown team. (My guess is the U-T runs 10 percent as many Chargers stories as it did a decade ago). The Chargers are simultaneously the most-loved and most-hated team in San Diego. What's the right answer when it comes to coverage? I'm not sure, yet. Although I think my perspective as a native San Diegan will help.”

Q: What are your thoughts on prep coverage?

A: “High school sports coverage is local journalism at its best, shining a light on kids and their coaches. Preps might also be the toughest topic to cover well. The U-T is lucky as heck to have John Maffei and crew in charge. They focus on more than just the final score.”

Ryan Finley