Steve Criss, Editor in Chief

What appealed to you the most about GameDay, that made you want to join?

The thing about GameDay that most appealed to me was the fact that a lot of my friends were going to join as well and I heard about the Great James Li and Jake Wainwright and I knew that I wanted to work with them. Also, I knew that there would be opportunities for advancement and I like to be in charge of people so I thought I would give it a try and it ended up being a perfect fit for me.

So, what exactly do you do?

What I do as Editor in Chief is mainly supervise and assign writing tasks such as interviews and recaps for athletes and the larger games. I write a few articles myself when it is convenient and necessary but I mainly try to give my writers a chance to showcase their own skills to the website’s viewers because more variety is more interesting. I also oversee the photography department and make sure that both writers and photographers are at games regularly. I receive articles from my writers and then edit them for content and grammar and then put them up on the website.

What does it take to get where you are now?

To get to my position you have to be willing to organize, write, and read a lot. I was really just chosen for this spot by James Li because I wrote more articles than anyone else under the old Editor in Chief and because my articles made sense and were attractive enough. Organizing who can cover what games and which writers are better suited for what sport is essential because if you put a person who has never even watched volleyball on a volleyball game, the article is going to need a lot of work. So being smart about who I choose to cover games plays a big part; so I would say having good judgment. Writing has to be something you enjoy, not just another boring task. Sports interest me greatly and being able to write about them helps me understand them, so a basic interest in the athletic teams is necessary. Also, I like to learn about the thoughts of other athletes in other sports because I only know how the soccer and baseball players think and feel, but interviewing basketball and volleyball players keeps my job fun, so an interest in other people is important. And finally reading skills and patience with long articles is vital. If you cannot sit through a two page article, then this job is honestly not for you. I truly enjoy analyzing the different writing styles of each of my writers and having this interest in their different methods makes every article worth reading.

What are the best & worst parts about your job?

The best part about my job would definitely be being connected to the athletes of Oxford because it allows me to get to know people and teams that would otherwise be foreign to me. Being an athlete myself, I like to be recognized for my talents and accomplishments and being able to honor another athlete with a personal interview showing the website viewers his or her great strides gives me great satisfaction. Also, it is quite grand knowing that even though Oxford students do not necessarily widely support all the sports, they have the option to be able to go online and see how the big games went. I do not really dislike any parts of my job because if I did I would just change that aspect of it. Andrew and Arit give me a lot of freedom with my job so I really can make it my own and this is another great part of being Editor in Chief. They trust me (I think) enough to let me do what I think is right for the writing department.

Any last words or commentary you have say about GameDay?

If you are thinking about joining GameDay, I say do it. You really have nothing to lose because if you find out that it is not for you, then you just have to politely inform us of your revelation. This organization is a group of great people who work hard and know what they are doing so even if you know nothing about sports or any of the departments, there will always be someone available to answer questions and help you out. And most importantly, if you stand out enough, you may even get a chance to be in one of the famed GameDay commercials that are made by Kasra Jafroodi. As for the writing department, do not shy away from working in my department because you think that you are a bad writer. Remember, I read EVERY article and no matter how good or how bad it is, I edit it, so you have nothing to worry about. This department also is very low maintenance because I trust my writers to get the job done and so far they have done just that. I have the greatest respect for anyone who writes for me and I welcome anyone who wants to give it a shot.