Finding Devoted Sports Fans in the Coldest Place on Earth

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.Last summer, as I worked on an article about the global fan base of the N.B.A.star LeBron James, I bragged to a friend that I had interviewed a resident of every continent.“Even Antarctica?” she asked.Well, no.But I loved the idea, so I followed the thread, not knowing exactly where it would lead.

Surprisingly, it took me to a different sport, and a different fandom, entirely, resulting in one of my favorite articles of all I’ve written, about Buffalo Bills fans in the coldest place on Earth.It was a bit of a departure from what I normally cover.I came to The New York Times in 2021 to report on the N.B.A.for the Sports section, and moved to the Business section two years later when The Times Sports desk was dissolved.My job is to write about the business of sports, and I focus on the N.B.A.’s global initiatives.

I’ve traveled to Dakar, Senegal, to write about Africa’s growing interest in basketball; to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, to report on the ethical complications of the N.B.A.’s business there; and to Paris, where I covered the league’s future prospects in Europe, as well as its young star, the 7-foot-4 French player Victor Wembanyama.In Senegal, I met many people who said they loved basketball because of James.A few months later, in July, I flew to Las Vegas during a training camp for the U.S.

Olympic basketball team; there I interviewed James after a practice, while he recovered in a cold tub.It was 120 degrees that day in Las Vegas, the city’s hottest day on record.But in Antarctica, in the Southern Hemisphere, it was winter, and at the South Pole, the average winter temperature is minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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