Matthew Dayne Young is a small town raised sports fan who stays busy in his day-to-day life. He lives with his wife Lauren and two daughters Layla and Carter who are four and two years old respectively.
He currently acts as the program coordinator for the Carmical Sports Media Institute and the New Media Institute at Grady College at the University of Georgia. At UGA Young is also pursuing a master’s degree. When not on campus, Young is still an active sports reporter for UGASports.com where he also helps produce three shows centered on Georgia and its athletics.
Young is from a small town in middle Georgia in between Macon and Savannah known as Dublin, GA. “I would never want to move back and live in my hometown. I find reality in a college town,” said Young. His love of the south and sports was amplified when he went to college, initially at Georgia Southern and later transferring to the University of Georgia after two years. He describes the southern United States as, “flawed, but there are a lot of things about the south that is beautiful”.
His involvement in the world of sports has always been constant, but his status as a fan of certain teams has shifted throughout his career. He mentioned that covering the 2012 SEC Championship was a turning point in his emotions for sports.
That game was a heartbreaker for Georgia fans as the Bulldogs were defeated by the Alabama Crimson Tide 32-28. At the time, Young was only one year out of college and was a devoted Georgia Football fan. He did not want to feel how he did after that game again, and focused more on reporting than being a fan.
“I'm still a fan of sports…I just don't care who wins. I want the best story because I'm a storyteller,” Young said when talking about the balance of being both a reporter and fan.
Young’s wife Lauren is who keeps him and his busy schedule moving. The two met while he was covering sports for WRBL in Columbus, GA. Working at WRBL was one of his early roles after graduating from the University of Georgia with his undergraduate degree in journalism.
His largest piece of advice is to simply show up and give effort toward whatever one is doing at the time. “If you show up to class and are engaged, you will probably get at least a B. The same goes for the workforce,” said Young.
