Mark Eckel, long-time sportswriter covering for the Philadelphia Eagles, was guest speaker Wednesday morning. Eckel joked about the early hour and thought the meeting was at 7 PM, when he first was invited to speak. He covered 11 Superbowls and 4 Stanley Cup Finals in his extensive career that ended in 2017. Eckel currently has a blog that is updated a few times a week and is now residing in an oceanfront condo in North Myrtle Beach.
Mark told a number of stories about his interactions with NFL players including Troy Vincent from whom
he received a Pro-Bowl watch. He also recalled having had a one-on-one conversation by accident with Reggie White regarding White’s upcoming free agency. Consequently, his comments to a Milwaukee reporter may have helped pave the way for White to join the Green Bay Packers leading to their Superbowl championship in the 1990s.
At Wednesdays meeting, Eckel stated, “the industry has changed and I’m glad I’m out…” Rather than in-depth stories and really getting to know the players, the sports writing world has been reduced to short “blurbs” and “tweets.” Players and teams also tweet out their own information, so there much less “breaking news” that an individual reporter can provide to the public. Thank you (pictured) Rotary member Steve Sassi (left) and guest speaker Mark Eckel (right) for sharing your story.
Do you enjoy networking? Meeting new people? Getting the opportunity to help others? Breakfast? Come join us! Breakfast is on us! Wednesday at 7 am at the Legends Golf Resort Clubhouse. 1500 Legends Dr, Myrtle Beach, SC 29579.
