MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS (March 25, 2025) — Patrick J Curry Jr has a nice ring to it, similar to one of his role models in the sports media industry, ESPN's Stephen A Smith.
Or maybe Curry, a Monmouth College junior, will one day choose another means of identification, something along the lines of Rusty Buckets or Swishout, two YouTubers finding success in sports talk. Together, they have more than 600,000 subscribers.
But whatever moniker he chooses, one thing you can call Curry is "driven." Over spring break, the communication studies major was selected for the competitive 33rd Annual National Association of Black Journalists Multimedia Short Course, and he's in the midst of interviewing for an Illinois Broadcasters Association Multicultural Internship. Should he be selected, Curry will work the entire summer for ESPN 1000 in his native Chicago.
"I've wanted to go into sports broadcasting since my junior year of high school," said Curry, who prepped at Charles A. Prosser Career Academy on the northwest side of the city. "I've always watched Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Kenny Beecham," who has more than 1 million YouTube subscribers.
With a career goal in mind, Curry needed a school to attend after Prosser. His high school track coach reached out to Monmouth's staff, and a visit to campus sealed the deal.
"This is someplace where I could run and keep doing that, and my mom was along to make sure I could check off the academic requirements," said Curry, a sprinter and high jumper for the Fighting Scots who's been a part of multiple Midwest Conference relay champions.
In addition to his academic major, Curry is minoring in journalism and sports-information/media.
NABJ's short course
In September, the NABJ will observe its fiftieth anniversary. Curry enjoyed being part of the organization's March event, hosted by North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, where he was part of "a rigorous four-day intensive boot camp for thirty aspiring journalism students." He worked closely with industry professionals and made new connections while honing his reporting, writing, digital, and video-production skills.
"They split us into two groups of fifteen and had us work on an hour-long newscast," said Curry, who was chosen as one of four producers for his group.
After hearing the pitches for stories about such topics as the Target boycott and flu season, Curry helped put the script together for the newscast in his producer role, utilizing the writing skills he's honed at Monmouth.
"Being competitively selected for the NABJ short course is quite an honor for Pat, but to me not surprising," said his academic adviser, Chris Goble. "Pat is a talented student with a passion for sports media. This opportunity not only gave him more experience, but I think did two wonderful things for him. It introduced him to an array of mentors and colleagues who he can continue to learn from and grow with throughout his career. And it also opened him up to the wider world of journalism that will drive him to explore areas beyond sports, only making him more marketable when he graduates."
Curry might not be done with the NABJ, as he hopes to apply for next year's spring break short course. Events the organization is holding later this year in Cleveland and Chicago have also caught his attention.
Now back on campus, Curry is keeping busy with his commitment to both the track team and to the student newspaper, The Courier, all while keeping an eye on the progress of his IBA internship application.
"I've had two interviews," he said. "The first was one-on-one, and the follow-up interview was with a group of three people. I won't know yet for a while, but if I get it, I'll be locked in with an internship all summer in the city."
ESPN 1000 bills itself as "dedicated to the passionate Chicago sports fan," and Curry definitely qualifies. He's been on the listening end of such sports talk for several years, but he has his sights set on being the one doing the talking in the very near future.
