Charlotte Observer sports team earns APSE’s Triple Crown honor
The Charlotte Observer was named one of the top sports news outlets in the country this past week by the Associated Press Sports Editors in the organization’s prestigious annual contest.
The Observer earned six total awards this year, including Top 10 designations for its sports print portfolio; its digital sports offerings; and its project reporting, a trifecta that earned the news outlet a rare Triple Crown designation.
Among The Observer’s top digital offerings, and its top project entry, was the acclaimed “Sports Legends of the Carolinas” series, hosted and written by Scott Fowler with video and images by Jeff Siner. The audio for the “Sports Legends” podcast was produced by Kata Stevens.
Fowler also earned a top 10 designation in column writing for his pieces on NASCAR’s ban on a derogatory slogan; Michael Jordan’s failure as an NBA owner; his press conference tiff with David Tepper; and the search for Lamar Lathon in Texas.
Observer writers earned four awards, led by Fowler’s wins in projects and columns.
Langston Wertz Jr. earned a top 10 in explanatory writing for a story on North Carolina high school athletes leaving the state for pop-up academies.
Alex Zietlow was honored with a top 10 for long features for his look at the intersection of sport and culture among Charlotte FC’s Latino fans.
The Observer competes in Division B, the second of four divisions in the APSE contest, based on circulation size. Among the other outlets against which The Observer competes are The News & Observer in Raleigh, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Indianapolis Star, Kansas City Star, Las Vegas Review-Journal and St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Observer’s sister paper, The News & Observer, also earned multiple awards at this year’s APSE contest — led by Andrew Carter, who was honored with a top 10 for short features, long features and projects.
