Zachary Roberts
Portfolio
I believe that writing is the ultimate form of communication. It offers the ability to say what spoken words cannot. It offers the time to be thoughtful about what you want to say. That is why I am a writer.
I have written for many different places, including a sports blog, a small online news outlet, the school newspaper, the Southern Accent and now Sportskeeda. I spent last three years at Southern Adventist University learning how to be both a better writer and a better person.
Writing
Sports World Navigates a Standstill, Southern Accent
August 2020
"Sports, often a reflection of the state of our world, are directly mirroring what is going on today. There are no fans in attendance due to safety concerns over COVID-19. There are protests going on directly involving leagues, teams and players. Sports have often been seen as an escape from reality and many have decried the “political involvement” of sports today. However, sports can’t be an escape from reality when reality becomes too much to ignore."
The Hypocrisy in Sports, Southern Accent
November 2019
"The biggest offenders, the MLB and NFL, have repeatedly made it clear that they don’t really care about domestic violence. If you’re good enough to play in their league, it doesn’t really matter what you do. Not that that’s fine, but if that’s their stance (and it appears to be), then so be it. The problem is they both claim to stand against domestic violence."
#StopAsianHate, Southern Accent
April, 2021
"In late February, the NFL posted a statement saying, 'The rising acts of verbal and physical violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is abhorrent, disgusting and must cease as we are all a part of the same human family. We at the NFL stand in solidarity with AAPI community and are against all types of racism and intolerance #StopAsianHate.'"
Astros Cheating Scandal Far From Over, Southern Accent
February 2020
"The punishment handed down is done, although Manfred stated he considered stripping the title. Loss of draft picks, suspensions (and firings) for higher-ups and a fine were given out and that’s going to be the end of that. But if you think this scandal won’t carry over into next season and directly affect games played by the Astros, think again."
Former Olympic gymnastics coach commits suicide, Southern Accent
March 2021
"In 2016, the former Team USA Gymnastics doctor and Michigan State professor Larry Nassar was charged with sexual abuse and other charges. A Netflix documentary on his sexual crimes came out when a bombshell report broke about Nassar’s decades of sexual abuse. "
Giving Thanks for Football, Southern Accent
December 2020
"The reason Thanksgiving Day in the NFL represents a microcosm of where the world is right now is for one simple reason: This is not over. The virus is not done, despite how done we are with it. And while it is still running rampant, even in the NFL, we are still smarter than we were in the beginning."
Deshaun Watson allegations continue to pile up, Southern Accent
April 2021
"The first lawsuits stemmed from an incident dating back to March 2020 involving massage therapists that Watson had used. They allege that he threatened the massage therapists to stay quiet about it afterwards, according to Sporting News’ Jordan Greer. After those lawsuits, many more along similar lines came in."
NFL Free Agency Frenzy, Southern Accent
March 2021
"The New England Patriots are not content with 7-9, third place and no postseason. They’ve gone out and spent $162 million in free agent deals in an effort to reverse their 2020 fortunes. This is uncharacteristic for the Patriots and it nearly matches the amount current owner Robert Kraft spent on purchasing the team in 1994 ($172 million). Notable additions are tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, outside linebacker Matthew Judon and safety Jalen Mills. "
Southern Tiny Living is More Than Just a Project
October 2019
"Professor John Youngberg, who leads the students in these projects, has been working with Southern in the Construction Management program for 11 years. '[It’s good because] if we end up in an apocalypse or something like Hollywood is painting left and right… you’d be learning skills you need for that.'"
Coming to Adventism, Literary Journalism Class
May 2020
"It was a crisp, cool evening in Collegedale, Tennessee. January 2019 was the date. Winter semester had just begun, and the air reflected that. I stepped outside and felt a chill. I didn’t really have nice winter clothes, but I wore what I had for vespers. I began walking along the sidewalk. There wasn’t a person in sight. All the buildings around were dead. Southern Adventist University was like a ghost town. Wright Hall loomed in the distance. It was a great, big, dead hunk of brick that signified how things were at that time. The sun had gone down long ago, leaving behind it a cold, dark campus. I looked all around but not a light, nor a person was in sight. If it weren’t for the occasional streetlight and lamppost, it would be entirely dark. In my head, this is what the Sabbath was."
Studying Abroad, Southern Accent
October 2019
"These schools, however, still have various differences from Southern. According to Jake Miller, the standards at Newbold are very different.
“It’s really lax here [at Newbold], like with curfew. …The academic system is totally different… For some of my classes, the only assignment I have is a big paper at the end of the semester,” said Jake Miller. "
“Southern is safer and way more open…The school [in Spain] is smaller with a lot less people who are just closer together,” said Rebecca Andrade, a junior nursing major studying at Escuela Superior de Español.
COVID-19 and the Church, Magazine and Feature Writing Class
November 2020
"The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying religious beliefs, has found that 53% of Christians who attended at least monthly prior to COVID-19 say they now stream services regularly. Their research found that 32% of practicing Christians have stopped attending altogether. While there can be arguments made over whether or not online church is working or not, the pandemic and the digital age we find ourselves in has made streaming church services a necessity, not a luxury."
Politics in Sports: A Study on Athletes Speaking Out, Writing & Research Disciplines Class
November 2017
"When Tommie Smith raised a “black power” fist on the 1968 Olympic medal stand, he knew there would be backlash. Returning home after the Olympics, Smith was met with boos, no welcoming party for the gold medalist, and he struggled to find a job. Eventually, his life did return to normalcy, but he still to this day has to explain why he did what he did. His stand for black Americans during a time when it was still hard for them changed history. It is possible he did not know the full implications of what he decided to do, but he did it. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, with one stand, altered the course of athletics forever."
Animal Crossing: Nintendo looms over E3 2021 with a huge layer of disappointment for New Horizons players, Sportskeeda
June 2021
"Nintendo just finished their Direct for E3 2021, and overall, Nintendo fans are really satisfied. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's sequel got some new footage and a tentative release date. Mario Party is getting a new package of classics for the Nintendo Switch..."
How to use commands in Minecraft Pocket Edition, Sportskeeda
July 2021
"Commands in Minecraft can make the game a lot easier. Sometimes it's enjoyable to just run around and explore without needing to struggle to get there. It's not really the same in Creative mode, but Survival with commands or cheats on can help find that perfect balance between the two."
Other Work
School of Journalism and Communication Social Media Account Manager
December 2019
In a class collaboration, a few teammates and I ran the YouTube account for the SJC. With the help of the other teams, we wrote and produced this video to humorously inform new students about what we do.
