Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Nichols.
Hi Ben, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a small town with only 1000 people and went to school with only 350 kids. In 2019 I just started my junior year of high school and I started a sports page back in my hometown of Ohio. I started going to my local high school games and it started to grow a huge following. We had the biggest basketball game ever that I’ve ever seen in our area which I was a part of. Then the Covid-19 pandemic started and everything went downhill. Fans and parents couldn’t go to games and some high school kid with a sports page gets priority over them. Heading into my senior year 2020-2021 the page had grown so much.
So during the fall of 2020, I was sitting in my high school media communications class. Our teacher said “we are gonna make short documentaries about anything you want” so me being the ambitious person that I am, stood up and said “we are gonna make the Wayne County Sports Documentary”, our teacher replied “ you have 2 weeks. Well that 2 weeks turned into The rest of the year and we started traveling and interviewing all these famous people from The Ohio State University, we visited Western Michigan University and got a full tour of their facilities back down to Michigan State and Michigan. we found some of the rarest Lebron James high school footage that had been lost for years. We found out we had the first ever black professional athlete ever in the United States WAY before Jackie Robinson and a fun fact Jackie Robinson’s manager played with this individual which was a stepping stone in the future to signing Jackie Robinson. We released the documentary and over 125 people came and watched it and it racked up over 50k views across all platforms. I gotta thank my guys Jimmy & max and will without them it wouldn’t have been possible
I graduated high school and worked all summer at my friend’s dad’s electric company. Then In September 2021, I left for the army and the world was quite shocked. I got my phone every Sunday for 30 minutes so during that time I would look at things and post things within those 30 mins I had to do that and call my loved ones. Shoutout to my dawg Dezi she kept the page going. I graduated from boot camp and then moved on to my school training. We got to come back home for Christmas and I came right back to where I left and that was my home school where tons of students were chanting my sports page’s name and screaming and yelling when I walked into the gym. That my returns were very surprising and shocking after that because I was on active duty in the army so during the whole period going into 2022 I didn’t attend many things. I returned home in the fall of 2022 for the football season and I went to a lot of games but I also had to drive six hours each way to go from base to home so I didn’t go a home that often.
On one Saturday, I emailed every school within Memphis Louisville Lexington Nashville Knoxville in every stay around Tennessee and I asked him if I could come and view their program’s work like a job shadow. Only one School ever got back to me and that was Murray State University. So I attended the homecoming football game and I was so embarrassed because I forgot my memory card to my Camera I felt so unprofessional and so embarrassed lol. I didn’t really return to anything like that until I made a trip to the university of Alabama, where I got to witness firsthand Heisman trophy winner, Bryce Young and watch coach. Nick Saban lead the Crimson Tide to a victory over Austin Peay university on the sidelines, not in the stands, but on the sidelines, and to have some kid from rural Amish country in Ohio standing on the sidelines in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with probably one of the most famous college football coaches of all time, and to be in the atmosphere that was unreal, and nobody has ever done before.
I stopped into a local pawn shop when I came home one time and I bought a camera for $180. I don’t know how to use it. I have no clue and the first thing I was gonna record with it was LeBron James’s alma mater, Akron, St. Vincent, St. Mary’s versus Akron Hoban, one of the biggest games in the state of Ohio, and shout out to Coach Burns. I love that guy. The video turned out amazing and the praise was what I needed to want to continue to do this. So I reached back out to Murray state and they allowed me to come back once again and take photos and learn more about working in a sports media department. So after I’d get done with the army for the day I’d jump in my car and make the hour drive over to Murray and enjoy the next 2 half of basketball with some of the best dang people I’ve ever met. These people I met have been doing sports photography and just photography in general for years. So I was a little intimidated at first and didn’t know how they would take my questions… and since then it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made and some of the best people I’ve met. After that first game I was hooked and attended any game I could go to that included women’s games also.
Then on December 10th, I got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The army was gonna send me to the army vs navy game in Philadelphia. I arrived in Philly and saw the Rocky steps and ate a cheesesteak at Geno’s and that was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I attended the army vs. navy game the next day and met the chief of staff of the army general James C. McConville we got a picture together and once the press saw what unit I was with they instantly flocked over and started taking pictures of us so it felt like an honor to represent the 101st airborne division and on top of it he actually commanded the 101st airborne division at one time so he turned to show off his 101st deployment patch. I then went up to Sergeant Major of the Army Michael A. Grinston and talked with him and we got a picture and he awarded me with a coin which is a huge honor in the military and to come from somebody like him was a huge honor. The game was awesome and I got to be right next to the ball when the army kicked the game-winning field goal and it came down the net.
I came back to Murray state and ever since then I’ve been working on my craft and trying to get better each night. I git invited out to the University Of Georgia for their spring game in April so I’m looking forward to that. And it’s pretty awesome when my grandparents and friends see me on national television.
The only sad thing is that my own home state school Ohio State still won’t let me attend a game of anything and that’s my end goal.
But I’ve gotta thank the following people:
My grandparents
Dave Winder & Scott Kopacz at Murray state
The whole Murray state athletic department
And all the great photographers at Murray
And ALL MY PEOPLE BACK HOME.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Constantly getting rejected for media credentials and comparing myself to others and their work is something I struggle with.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I wanna get into sports media at the highest level and hopefully one day attend an Ohio State football game. I’m known for having the biggest high school sports page in Ohio with over 11,000 followers and counting
I’m most proud of the fact that I’m more than a sports page. We held a fundraiser with a coach face on a T-shirt and for each T-shirt sold we gave proceeds to the charity of his choice so we raised aloft of money for that. We had an unfortunate event where a local student was killed in a car accident and we sold t-shirts and raised money for the family.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Invites to games just general conversation. I wanna shoot a Morgan Wallen Tyler Childers or Zach Bryan concert.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bennichols.myportfolio.com/?fbclid=PAAaZLc868c1BmKDq4lAq8ENpcnW2Jg17X1QDVZOGy0gEp9ZbtVukKK8QymAk
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waynecountysports/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/bennicholsmedia/?hl=en
Image Credits
Mathew Joyner @shots.with.mj
