Clay Brown joins The Houston Home Journal

PERRY, Ga. — There’s nothing quite like attending a local sporting event. Cool winds offer relief from summer heat high in the stadium seats. High-powered lights beam down from the sky onto the field below. The smell of fresh cut grass, concession stand hotdogs and standing humidity blend in the air. With each ticking moment, the space becomes more electric as players and fans alike become more in tune with the game — and despite all that, you can’t make it to all of them. That’s why a good sports writer at your local paper is so important.

23-year-old Clay Brown joined the newsroom at The Houston Home Journal Monday and will lead the pack when it comes to covering Houston County’s local sports; all six high schools, their teams, coaches and cultures are fair game. He hopes to bring something fresh to the page.

Nestled between Thomasville and Bainbridge, Brown spent his earliest years growing up in Cairo, Georgia. After graduating from the Home of the Syrup Makers — Cairo High School’s affectionate nickname — Brown moved on to Georgia State University with the intent of getting his degree in computer science. He transferred to Southern Regional Technical College to get an IT degree. While getting his degree at Southern Regional, Clay learned a new love for journalism.

It was when he heard all about it through a friend that he started sports writing.

“It was my friend working at the Valdosta Daily Times,” Brown said. “He would tell me about all the cool stuff he would do, I would read a lot of his articles. I’ve always been passionate about sports, and I’ve always been a pretty good writer.

In the hope of getting a kickstart on his newfound love, Brown reached out to his hometown’s local newspaper, The Cairo Messenger. He asked to write for basketball in the upcoming season — he was reporting from courtside shortly after.

After a brief stint with the Messenger, Brown transferred to Valdosta State University and wrote for the Valdosta Daily Times. After two semesters at VSU, Brown continues his journey in education online at Southern Illinois University.

Brown’s first day with The Journal was May 15. He said he hopes he can help work to change the game for sports journalism in Georgia.

“I know that there’s people that care about local sports and getting the insight, more than just he or she scored so many points, this team won, and this team lost — that is boring, and I’ve hated reading that. I want to give people an insight into the teams, who the coaches are, who the players are, how programs develop and the inter-workings of sports.

“That’s really interesting to me, and I think a lot of people are also interested in that. I hope to connect the two.”

You can find Brown’s byline in The Journal’s sports section. As schools enter into summer, Brown works to close out the baseball season, and build up for football and other fall sports.

HHJ News