al.coms newest reporter has a message for auburn fans

[aubiefifty 16,740]

Welcoming Nubyjas Wilborn to Auburn sports

By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com

4-5 minutes

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My name is Nubyjas Wilborn, and I’ve joined AL.com to cover Auburn sports alongside Tom Green. Before we get started, the correct way to say my name is New Buy Us. Think of it as going to Publix and buying something new for us.

With that out of the way, let’s get into why I’m moving to the Plains during a pandemic to cover Auburn. Before, AL.com I had stops at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Marietta Daily Journal, Fox Sports South, Cleveland.com, plus bylines in Sporting News, the Athletic, and Boston Globe, to name a few.

All good, right? Not so fast, my friend. I wasn’t always highly regarded.

I made mistakes. I failed. I was ready to get out of journalism.

Thankfully, so many people never stopped rooting for my success. One of my biggest supporters was my brother James Wilborn. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many people who let me sleep on their couch on road trips or bought me a meal, but if I named everyone here, I’d crash the servers at AL.com.

I wanted to focus on my brother because when I was going through what I believed was the most tumultuous year of my life, he had two strokes in a six-month time frame. The roughest part is my brother was only 31 with a daughter, a son, and another son on the way. My brother’s resolve to fight congestive heart failure forced me to challenge myself. If he can overcome a heart operating at 10 percent function, I can continue to pursue storytelling.

MDJ editor and UAB alum John Bednarowski called me. He needed a reporter to cover the Atlanta Braves. Yes, the job didn’t pay a lot, but you take it when you get a chance to cover a pro ballclub. I met Bednarowski through Tommy Deas, who I met through Tim Stephens. I met Stephens because I applied for a job when he was the sports editor at the Orlando Sentinel that I didn’t get. Stephens connected me with Deas, who was working as a sports editor in Tuscaloosa.

Through those connections, I’d eventually meet Larry Graham and Lisa Wilson. Graham runs some excellent programs to help connect newsrooms with journalists from diverse programs. Graham has worked as a sports editor in San Diego and several other places. Wilson is an NFL editor at the Athletic and president of Associated Press Sports Editors.

What does all of this do with why I’m covering Auburn football? I’m here because of people like Tyler Batiste, who gave me a chance to cover the Pittsburgh Pirates for a major outlet. Batiste helped me transition to reporting on Penn State football, which reignited my passion for college sports.

I’m here because the best college athletics are in the SEC. No offense to my old friends in State College. I’m here to honor the craft and all the people who’ve poured into me.

I’m here to learn from top-flight reporters such as Mike Rodak, Michael Casagrande, Roy Johnson, Joe Goodman, Izzy Gould, and Shauna Stuart.

I’m also here because my brother is still in Atlanta, recovering from a heart transplant. Getting an opportunity to be closer to him and my niece and nephews matters, especially as we all try to figure out what’s next.

I’m excited to learn more about head football coach Bryan Harsin, hoops coach Bruce Pearl, and athletic director Allen Greene. I want to learn everything I can about Auburn sports. I’m not an alum or a fan. I have no emotional investment in wins and losses. That’s what happens when you grow up watching Atlanta teams break hearts. However, I am passionate about the stories.

Auburn fans deserve unbiased truth. If the team is good, I’ll tell you why. If they’re bad, well, some readers may not like me as much. It’s okay, we’ll learn together. I’ll be at the games and covering the press conferences, but the press passes belong to the people. The Alabama Media Group hired me. However, I work for the readers.

My email is nwilborn@Al.Com, and my Twitter is @nwilborn19. Feel free to reach out if there’s a story you feel should be told. Reach out if I get something wrong. Reach out if you have a restaurant recommendation.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as an Auburn beat writer. Next Saturday, I look forward to meeting some of you as the Tigers take on Ole Miss in a pivotal matchup at Jordan-Hare.

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group

[aubiefifty 16,740]

here's to hoping you guys do not run me off for posting this. but i am pretty sure they understand auburn fans do not care for al.com. hell goodman pretty much apologized before he moved on. and the gina girl that moved on was really good to us. but do not change your minds on my account but al.com is one of the few non pay sites i can get any info from and i like to try and think i am helping the board. i am not posting their articles to make anyone mad for the record. and if anyone has any idea's or things you would want to see and i can do it with my poor puter skills i will try my best. if i had my way aufam would be a one stop shop where you could get it all without have to search the net. i will take complaints if they are not insulting and they are fair. again i just want to help the board.

[AUGoo 2,659]

Welcome NoBias!

Believe it when I see from AL.com

[aubiefifty 16,740]

5 minutes ago, AUGoo said:

Welcome NoBias!

Believe it when I see from AL.com

i understand believe me. i have had my behind kicked at the sonic too many times over al.com from unhappy posters. gina or it might have been gena was gold to us for a fact.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,653]

The Pennsylvanian gal that got a ton of hate here really went through the ringer for almost nothing. I still feel bad for her. 

[Guest MustardSeed]

Well his “unbiased” reviews will be filtered through the extremely biased al.com…which he probably isn’t aware of or he wouldn’t have likely taken the job so he isn’t likely to get much support.  I hope he’s the guy to change all of that but I’m not counting on it. Outsiders tend to just do what their boss tells them, and his boss will tell him to be hard on us. It likely just is what it is. Here hoping this changes something. 

[Hank2020 3,198]

Welcome to the Plains. Looking forward to unbiased reports. Thx

[tsande07 271]

This is the same guy that authored the "Five defining plays in Auburn’s 38-23 win against Arkansas" article, correct?

Not off to a good start, "New Bias" Wilborn.

[alexava 6,973]

It’s al.com…. Welcome new guy. 

[auburnphan 6,050]

I look forward to reading his articles that you post on the board @aubiefifty.  I also really enjoyed reading Giana's articles and she is doing a great job covering the Flyers right now.

[Hspoprn 199]

al.com ? Hope you are preparing for a better future.

[Chaotic_zx 1,040]

You guys and gals can have your fun over there. I will not again. Once shame on you, twice shame on me. I don't owe them the opportunity. 

[DunderMifflin 60]

It is a vicious cycle, IMO.

Auburn fans have little to no trust in al.com so they don’t follow, click and interact with it much.  So what gets clicks on al.com if your job is to cover AU and generate activity and interest? Auburn related articles that attract bama or other fans enough so they will click.  Stuff like the AU coach approach to vaccine or whatever.  Anything bad, controversial, eye-catching.

I almost think a bit of a reset is what is needed to build the trust back so AU people will click/interact with AU content on the site so AU beat writers don’t have to feel like they must cater to bama fans or others to drive interaction.

If you have any thoughts for the new guy I would encourage you to reach out and give him your perspective.  I plan to do that this weekend.  I think it would be good for AU if we could somehow break the vicious cycle described above.  He posted this at the end of the article I saw:

“My email is nwilborn@Al.Com, and my Twitter is @nwilborn19. Feel free to reach out if there’s a story you feel should be told. Reach out if I get something wrong. Reach out if you have a restaurant recommendation.“

[aubiefifty 16,740]

i am gonna dress up like al.com for halloween and go scare a few auburn fans. grins

[bdc81 89]

Easy costume fifty

Pig in a poke

[creed 1,635]

Al.com , now where have i heard that before. Oh yea, I used to read Auburn articles there when I was young and dumb. Not now. LOL...

[aubiefifty 16,740]

6 minutes ago, creed said:

Al.com , now where have i heard that before. Oh yea, I used to read Auburn articles there when I was young and dumb. Not now. LOL...

they are almost all that is left not behind a pay wall. usa has a guy that has upset auburn fans as well. anyway we have folks that want articles to read so i am just helping out.

 

16 minutes ago, bdc81 said:

Easy costume fifty

Pig in a poke

i have actually played those boards when i was a rugrat. looking back i cannot believe it was legal if in fact it was. and i never won doodley............lol

[aubiefifty 16,740]

the good thing about this thread folks is if you read something you do not like on al.com you have his email addy so you can tell HIM what you think.

[Hank2020 3,198]

6 hours ago, DunderMifflin said:

It is a vicious cycle, IMO.

Auburn fans have little to no trust in al.com so they don’t follow, click and interact with it much.  So what gets clicks on al.com if your job is to cover AU and generate activity and interest? Auburn related articles that attract bama or other fans enough so they will click.  Stuff like the AU coach approach to vaccine or whatever.  Anything bad, controversial, eye-catching.

I almost think a bit of a reset is what is needed to build the trust back so AU people will click/interact with AU content on the site so AU beat writers don’t have to feel like they must cater to bama fans or others to drive interaction.

If you have any thoughts for the new guy I would encourage you to reach out and give him your perspective.  I plan to do that this weekend.  I think it would be good for AU if we could somehow break the vicious cycle described above.  He posted this at the end of the article I saw:

“My email is nwilborn@Al.Com, and my Twitter is @nwilborn19. Feel free to reach out if there’s a story you feel should be told. Reach out if I get something wrong. Reach out if you have a restaurant recommendation.“

Must be getting some activity. They actually have 2 people covering AU now.

[bdc81 89]

Last time I read AL.com was to ask them why half the stories under the Auburn football tab were about another school.

Forgot who emailed back but was an AU grad just named sports editor, must be a tough career to earn a living.

[toddc 13,194]

Who cares, don’t read it on here or online.

[aubiefifty 16,740]

2 hours ago, toddc said:

Who cares, don’t read it on here or online.

so you are saying you have never joined a discussion on here on a thread that was started by an al.com article?

[toddc 13,194]

24 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

so you are saying you have never joined a discussion on here on a thread that was started by an al.com article?

Sometimes I join the discussion, but I seldom, if ever, read the article because it’s usually been covered somewhere else that’s not so bumma biased. Why?

Edited October 24, 2021 by toddc

[aubiefifty 16,740]

1 hour ago, toddc said:

Sometimes I join the discussion, but I seldom, if ever, read the article because it’s usually been covered somewhere else that’s not so bumma biased. Why?

just curious. enjoy your evening!

[Farmer Brown 2,391]

Anyone can go read AL.com. This is cut and paste central. The majority of threads are AL.com cut and paste threads. I know, I could just not click on them, but there isn't much else.