Final look back: My favorite columns

This past weekend was the NFL Draft. While the draft represents a graduation from college to the professional ranks, it also signifies a removal from the cozy confines of the college experience. With Columbia’s graduation approaching, I can’t help but feel like a football player awaiting draft day. While I won’t be playing football, I am preparing to play the game of life. 

This is my final column for Spectator. Unbeknownst to me, the “Senior Columns” are supposed to be grand farewells. Honestly, I feel no need to purge my conscience or proffer any buried revelations. I’ve been a columnist for three years and during my tenure, I’ve never been one to bite my tongue. In fact, if anything, my outspoken frankness has been a point of contention between my colleagues and me. It’s no secret that I don’t fraternize with many Spectator staffers, and I’m sure that my presence in the office is not missed. At its core, writing a personal column is a solitary act. I have always believed that a columnist shouldn’t cater their writing to what they think people want to read, but rather that they should simply write what they want. Anything I’ve written has come from my heart, and this column is a slice of my soul. In many ways, writing this column has been cathartic. As a history and anthropology double major, I sometimes grow weary of writing within an academic framework. My biweekly musings in this column allow me to stray from the rules and structure of academic writing.

Any graduating senior will tell you that reminiscing has quickly become a favorite pastime as the semester comes to a close. As we prepare to depart, the inclination to look back at our four years in Morningside Heights is natural. With that being said, I’ve been reflecting on some of my cherished memories as a columnist. Although myriad stories come to mind, a few in particular stand out:
Soon after I became a columnist in fall 2007, I wrote a column comparing members of the Columbia men’s basketball team to their NBA counterparts in terms of skill and importance to the team.
Although some of the comparisons were flattering, others were comparatively scathing. A few days after the column was published, I was eating in John Jay Dining Hall and I bumped into former Columbia basketball coach Joe Jones.

He looked me up and down before asking, “Are you the guy that wrote that smack about my players?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“You were a little tough on my boys, don’t you think?” he continued.

“But everything I proposed was accurate. Right?” I responded.

He paused for a few seconds, looked me in the eye, and slowly said, “Yeah,” before breaking into a toothy grin.

We both chuckled, and then he walked away.

While on the topic of Joe Jones, I think that Kevin Bulger’s article a couple of weeks ago was phenomenal. It is rare that you get to read a player spill their heart to their coach, and I think that article was one of Spectator Sports’ finest moments.

The column I wrote about Ben Teitelbaum, CC ’08, will always have a special place in my heart. Ben studied abroad in England during his junior year and subsequently ended up playing varsity basketball for his host university. As a friend of mine, Ben constantly implored me to write a column about him. After my initial hesitation, I conducted an interview over dinner at Barnard and was surprised to find one of the most heartwarming athletic tales I ever came across here. This year’s profile on Columbia cheerleader Charles Green, SEAS ’10, was similarly gratifying. Sometimes the most interesting sports stories can be found in people who don’t see love at Midnight Mania or storm the field at Homecoming.

I’ll never forget finishing as Pixbox runner-up on multiple occasions. It was probably for the best, because my victory column would’ve been merciless.

More than anything, I’ll forever cherish the occasional moments when someone would declare, “I love your writing,” or ask, “When are you coming out with another column?”

We like to joke that no one reads Spectator, but the reality is actually quite different. Although this paper may not be the New York Times or USA Today, it is still—for better or worse—the voice of our community and the literary pulse of our campus. I respect the sanctity of that responsibility. Sharing my writing with all of you has been my genuine pleasure.

Jelani Johnson is a Columbia College senior majoring in history and anthropology.