For the Love of the Games: More Than Just Scores
Since its founding, People Newspapers has been dedicated to the community and placed particular focus on the great unifier: sports.
From Little League baseball to college football, its papers have diligently covered big moments in neighborhood athletics for decades.
I recently enjoyed going through archives of Preston Hollow People and North Dallas People, as the paper was once called, to see how coverage has evolved through the years.
Often, the paper was the best place to find game schedules and score reports, especially for high school athletics, and it was common to see the staff’s input on the year’s best recruits before a season started, even creating a “dream team” made up of top players from the area.
When the paper still came out weekly, readers often saw in-depth analyses of players and what it would take to get teams into the playoffs.
From December 1989 to June 1990, the paper’s “Teeing Off” column offered golf tips, such as the best way to swing a club or choose which iron to use for a difficult shot.
Hockaday soccer plays in the SPC tournament in 1993, which they went on to win. (PHOTO: Jeff Carver) 
A Jesuit player heads the ball in a game against Beaumont Kelly High School in 1991. (PHOTO: Patrick O’Sullivan) 
A Preston Hollow father and son practice batting during summer 1994. (PHOTO: David Westapher) 
W.T. White defenders tackle a runner from W.W. Samuell High School in 1989. (PHOTO: Patrick O’Sullivan)
When neighborhood schools prepared for summer sports camps, Preston Hollow People gave parents and students details in time to sign up (Today, the paper’s website – peoplenewspapers.com – has an events calendar, and any organization may visit it and submit details about upcoming activities).
When Sam Romano shot a 68 on the golf course for his 82nd birthday in 2000, Preston Hollow People applauded his achievement. Community sports coverage often includes athletic achievements of people of all ages.
After the paper transitioned to monthly issues rather than weekly ones, there was less space in print for the detailed game reports of years past. But plenty of games get coverage online, and no issues go to press without a page of sports stories.
Covering community sports often means keeping up with hometown athletes long after graduation.
When North Dallas native Jeff Agoos played for the U.S. national soccer team in 1994, the paper published a detailed article on his progress in the sport since his graduation from J.J. Pearce.
While Jordan Spieth is now a household name across the country, Preston Hollow People has been writing about the golfer since his junior year at Dallas Jesuit when he returned to Austin to defend his 5A state title for the Rangers.
Most recently, sports editor Todd Jorgenson wrote in the July issue about Spieth’s performance at his 10th AT&T Byron Nelson tournament.
However, of all the sports stories I researched during my trip through the archives, my favorite centers around my school. In 1993, Hockaday won the SPC soccer tournament after a grueling game against the Episcopal School of Houston. I loved reading about past Daisies fight for victory, especially watching my classmates play for (and win) the same title in 2020. If you have your own favorite Preston Hollow sports story, I encourage you to tell us about it by emailing editor@peoplenewspapers.com.
