Meet the Telegraph’s UGA sports reporter who has never let a disability stop him

Nearly a year ago, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart stood at a lectern to officially commence spring practice. His first words weren’t about his own team at all. He wanted to highlight all of the other sports that don’t get the same level of attention.

“I think it’s pretty incredible what our spring sports are doing and continue to do,” the university’s headlining head coach said ahead of his fourth season. “I want to bring a lot of attention to those teams.”

I grew up one of the biggest Georgia football fans, I won’t lie about it. I cheered for the red-and-black clad Bulldogs like my life depended on it. From as early as the days of listening to Larry Munson call David Greene-led games on the radio to bawling my eyes out after Georgia’s Chris Conley fell a few yards short in the 2012 SEC Championship game.

My parents had to tell me to stop screaming at the television. I stood up for each play. I got so elated over a big victory. I got broken down after a loss to the point where it would affect my entire weekend. Fun fact: Georgia trailed Virginia Tech 21-3 at halftime of the Chick-fil-A Bowl. I was nine years old at the time. I stormed away from the living room as tears welled up in my eyes. I went over to the kitchen garbage can, took my black Bulldog shirt off and threw it away in a tantrum. Georgia won that night, 31-24, after a second-half rally.

All of those experiences are to tell you this: I never knew what else Georgia athletics had to offer. I never knew that life existed outside of Sanford Stadium and there were legitimate storylines inside Stegeman Coliseum with four different programs competing in it. Once I got to college and started to pursue this dream, I realized the true value of the other programs as my role changed and fandom dissipated.

So, this column isn’t about Georgia football at all. It’s about everything else. I’m Brandon Sudge, and I almost prefer to be known as the guy who takes time to tell stories outside of football. Because they matter immensely, and these athletes work equally as hard without getting spotlight to nearly the same magnitude — positive or negative.

If you’ve been following along since January or for a few years, then you know my focus centers around gymnastics and women’s basketball around this time of year. If you’ve become a recent subscriber or follower of The Telegraph, then most of what crosses your feed with my byline is GymDogs coverage. I have traveled twice already this season, cranked out many features and spent plenty of time learning about the athletes and third-year head coach Courtney Kupets Carter to tell their stories.

I love this part of my job. These athletes get to show they’re genuine people. As a journalist, you actually feel like your work matters on a smaller beat like gymnastics. It’s a breath of fresh air to know my coverage is truly appreciated.

Let me introduce myself, because my circumstances are a bit different than my colleagues. It’s evident from the first thing you notice — the wheelchair that serves as my primary mode of mobility. I have cerebral palsy, a brain injury suffered during stages of brain development. In my case, it affects my mobility, speech and multiple muscle impairments. As a matter of fact, I’m proofing my information with a Google search and see “people may experience a failure to thrive,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

Well, I hate to break it to you all, I will not let my disability get in the way of allowing me to “thrive.” There might’ve been a time in my life where I thought such a failure might be realistic, but then I fell in love with this field of sports writing and discovered my lifelong passion. I think I’m one of a select few disabled media members in the country. I only know of one other, and he’s Jason Benetti, who is doing quite well as a play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox.

Sure, I face challenges. The most-frustrating part of it to me is a stutter. Sometimes, it seems impossible to get out my thought when I know exactly what it is. It certainly helps that Smart, Kupets Carter, Joni Taylor and any other coach I work with have been exceptionally patient with it and don’t view me as any different because of it. I see it as a level of respect for my work and storytelling abilities, and I appreciate that.

Every time you see me at an event or come across my byline, you can expect the same. I’ll be plugging along at this thing like everyone else, not wanting anything to be different. That’s one thing I’ve learned through all of this — the term “disability” doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We all have abilities, gifts and talents. I’m no different, and I won’t put myself in a certain box while allowing it to set me back. I have a disability, but I’m not the “disabled guy.” I’m a storyteller who has dreams to make a difference in lives and communities.

The vitality of deep storytelling shouldn’t be lost. Each day I step into the gymnastics facility (football field, baseball field, basketball gym or whatever it may be), that’s my goal. I need to tell the story that others might not be, and find ways to humanize it for relatability.

That’s why I feel like people have a reason to read. On the gymnastics beat, I’ve done that with profiles, analysis, columns and unique access to meets this season. I’ve had such a blast getting to know all of the GymDogs from senior Sabrina Vega to quiet freshman Soraya Hawthorne. I’m really excited for what’s ahead, too, with about a half of a season to go.

I’ll always be searching for something unique, so continue to follow along. There’s more to football at Georgia. There’s also more to this writer than the disability label, because I’m not going to let it set me back.

This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Meet the Telegraph’s UGA sports reporter who has never let a disability stop him."