Barry Jacobs is well known in the community for his role as Orange County commissioner, but he plays ball with more than just local government.
An avid fan of athletics and a self-taught journalist, Jacobs began his career as a freelance sports writer in 1976.
Today Jacobs reports primarily on men’s college basketball in the ACC, and he said one of his favorite events to cover is the ACC Tournament.
“I can write about whatever I want when I’m writing for the ACC,” he said.
He said his role as chairman of the Orange County Board of Commissioners has had a profound impact on his relationship with the athletic field.
“Coaches love it that I get covered by the media. They think its really funny,” Jacobs said.
“They like talking to someone who knows what it’s like to be misquoted or to have something taken out of context or to be criticized for what they do.”
Jacobs said he thinks coaches generally wish media professionals had the added experience of being subjects of media scrutiny — which Jacobs has as county commissioner.
Jacobs first became interested in sports when he was growing up outside New York City and going to Madison Square Garden to watch professional hockey and basketball games.
And though he graduated from Duke University, he considers himself a “neutral professional” concerning loyalty to college athletic teams.
He writes for multiple news sources including Carolina Blue and GoDuke.com.
“I cover all the bases,” Jacobs said. “I used to write an annual on ACC basketball for 14 years and I always wrote about the teams in alphabetical order, in exactly the same order, treated the same way.”
He said he attends almost every game at the Dean E. Smith Center and Cameron Indoor Stadium, as well as half a dozen games each season at Wake Forest University and North Carolina State University.
“Having everybody in the same place, the unpredictability of it and the intensity of the competition is just kind of fun,” Jacobs said. “Duke/Carolina games are pretty fun too.”
Because it can be difficult to balance his life as a sports writer with his role of county commissioner, Jacobs said he prefers to make his own schedule as a freelance writer.
“I have night games and night meetings. Sometimes they overlap,” Jacobs said. “The time demands, especially if you’re going to write something, become a little intense sometimes.”
Jacobs worked briefly as sports editor for Indy Week when the publication was first founded and has also authored several books on topics ranging from women’s sports to the racial integration of college basketball.
“I’m pretty attuned to the things that are going on beneath the surface as well as at the surface — or at least I flatter myself that I am,” he said.
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