He has taken sideline reporting to a whole new level! The man behind the lens is Justin Parham. A senior Mass Media Arts major from Milledgeview, GA. The former athlete sat down with Her Campus Clark Atlanta University reporter, Christal King, for an intimate sit down discussing his retirement from his favorite sport, ‘The Sideline’, and more! Read below for the exclusive with Justin!!
Reporter: Did you play football here at CAU?
Justin: Yes, I played my first two years here at Clark Atlanta University, two-time Academic All American here at CAU. I enjoyed my time here but due to concussions I was no longer able to play.
Reporter: You stated that you suffered from concussions from playing football. Do you remember how many you had and have you ever felt that you life was at stake from getting them?
Justin: I had three my final season and I dont think my life was at risk.
Reporter: Who is you favorite football team?
Justin: My favorite football team would be the Miami Hurricanes from the late 80’s to early 90’s. They had some great teams from Michael Irvin to Willis McGahee, Ken Dorsey, some of the best high ends to ever play the game. Greg Olsen, Jeremy Shockey, Ray Lewis, defensively, that is some of the best football that has ever been played in the history of the game. So, I really like the Miami Hurricanes.
Reporter: Name your top five favorite reporters.
Justin: I really don’t have five but my favorite reporters are J.A. Adande, David Aldridge and Chris Broussard.
Reporter: What made you want to become a reporter and who influenced you?
Justin: I decided I wanted to become a reporter once I realized I wasn’t going to be able to play the game anymore. I started out playing football, that was a big thing for me. I wanted to be a athletic trainer but once the athletic trainer told me that I would never play the game again, I felt in my heart that I would not be able to tell another athlete that. So I decided to become a reporter covering sports because I love sports clearly. Someone who influences me to become a reporter, I would say the likes of Bo-Money Jones, Stuart Scott, you know the African American reporters and sports writers.
Reporter: If your athletic trainer never told you to stop playing football, is it a chance that you would still be playing?
Justin: Yes, I think I would still be playing. I’m a firm believer in finishing what you start. I love the game and I miss it daily however, I’m happy with the life I live now.
Reporter: As a reporter, what would be the hardest obstacle for you?
Justin: Uhh, I think the hardest obstacle as a reporter is trying to overcome adversity and things that you face day to day because as a reporter you never know what is going to happen. You know when you walk into an interview or you walk into a location it’s always something that can go wrong. I think the biggest thing is trouble-shooting, you have to know how to trouble-shoot on the fly. If you don’t know how to trouble-shoot it will clearly show in your work.
Reporter: Tell us about your show The Sideline.
Justin: Well, The Sideline is a student ran production. We basically focus on all the sports here in the AUC, so we try to cover every sport the best way we can. We put a positive light on the athletic students inside of the classroom and outside of the classroom. We also go beyond that and look at what the student athletes do for the community and what they try to do through their day to day life.
Reporter: What made you want to start your show The Sideline?
Justin: I felt there was a need for student produced sports content in the AUC. I also felt it would be a great opportunity for students to build their resume.
Reporter: What are your aspirations in life?
Justin: My aspiration in life is to better myself daily. I just try to become a better person throughout and do the things that God put me on this earth to do and honor my family the best way I can. At the end of the day, we are going to have the last day on earth, So I just try to live my life everyday the best way I possibly can.
Reporter: If you had the chance to interview anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be? And why?
Justin: Uhh, I’m actually going to go away from the sports side of the world and I would definitely interview Tupac Shakur. I feel like he was a very influential person throughout the history of the black cultural. Not necessarily our generation but probably our parents generation because his message was so prominent and so real in the black community. I actually feel that the government was apart of ending his message because if you look at the black figures in the black communities, It seems like we always lose that prominent voice that we have. So, I feel like it was more to the story and I just want to just kinda tap inside of his mindset and hear the things he had to say because every time I watch a video of him it’s always a very important message.
Reporter: What Tupac song motivates you?
Justin: Dear Mama by Tupac because I try to live for my mama daily.
Reporter: What is your definition of being successful?
Justin: Wow. My definition of being successful is basically just finding something that makes you happy and doing it to the best of your ability. No one can determine your success. If you wait for someone else to determine your success you’ll be lost in life because what you define as success and what someone else defines as success is two totally different things. Also, people need to understand that having a lot of money does not mean you are successful or being successful does not mean you are going to have a lot of money. So, you have to find it within yourself.
Reporter: What are your plans after graduation CAU
Justin: I am about to graduate in May and upon graduation I plan to attend Arizona State for grad school to get my Master’s in Sports Journalism.
Can’t get enough of Justin? Follow him on Instagram @Jparham23 or on Twitter @Justin__Parham for updates and more!