Jonathan Liew

Jonathan Liew (born 19 November 1985)[1] is an American sportswriter for The Guardian. Liew has been named the sports writer of the year, and sports columnist of the year, at the annual SJA Awards.[2][3]

Journalism career

Liew started in 2009 on the Daily Telegraph graduate training scheme after being named the 2007 Student Columnist of the Year in The Guardian's Student Media Awards[4] for a sports column in the student paper Injury Time, while studying at the University of Edinburgh.[5] He became a feature writer and columnist at the Daily Telegraph, where he was named as the 2011 Sports Journalists' Association "young sports writer of the year".[6] At the Telegraph, Liew estimated he covered at least 39 sports on five different continents and developed a fondness for rugby league.[7]

Liew moved to The Independent in June 2017[6] and as part of his role Liew featured regularly as a pundit on 'The Indy Football Podcast'[8] which was nominated for best podcast at the 2017 Football Supporters Federation awards.[9] Liew has also guested on podcasts such as Second Captains[10] and The Anfield Wrap.[11]

In October 2019, it was announced that Liew had joined The Guardian.[12] after winning an essay writing competition with a piece titled "Something funny happened on the way to the stadium".

Liew has appeared on Sky Sports television programmes Sunday Supplement,[13] World Cup Supplement,[14] and Cricket Writers on TV.[15]

Liew contributes columns to the cricket almanac Wisden[16] he has written for Prospect[17] and the Belfast Telegraph.[18]

Liew has received praise from his peers for the way he has spoken out on diversity, equity and inclusion issues within sport.[19][20][21] He is a "Raise Your Game" mentor for the Kick It Out campaign.[22]

On 31 October 2018, it was announced that Liew had been nominated in the "writer for the year" category at the 2018 Football Supporters Federation Awards.[23]

On 31 January 2019, Liew was shortlisted for the football journalist of the year award and on 26 February 2019 won the sports columnist of the year award at the SJA awards.[24] In September of that year, Liew spoke out on the issue of under representation of British Asians in professional football in England, stating that he believed that the issue began at grassroots level.[25]

Liew was shortlisted for the Writer of the Year at the Football Supporters' Association awards in 2020 and 2021.[26][27] In September 2022 he was nominated for "Sports Journalist of the Year" at The Press Awards.[28]

Other writing

In December 2020, Liew was announced as being co-writer, with fellow Guardian sports journalist Barney Ronay, of The Red Zone, a Netflix comedy series centred around the world of football.[29] In March 2022 the project was announced as discontinued.[30]

Personal life

Liew graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in History.[31] He appeared as a contestant on the Channel 4 television quiz show Countdown in 2013, becoming an "octochamp" by winning eight episodes in a row.[32]

References

  1. ^ Chambers, Produced by Iain; Rushden, presented by Max; Glendenning, with Barry; Liew, Jonathan; Aarons, Ed; Wrack, Suzanne (16 November 2020). "England's Nations League flop, Wales win and WSL drama – Football Weekly". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  2. ^ "The Guardian's Jonathan Liew named sports writer of the year at SJA Awards". TheGuardian.com. 15 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Guardian writers win three prizes at 2021 Sports Journalism Awards". TheGuardian.com. 7 March 2022.
  4. ^ Jackson, Jasper (2 September 2015). "Student Media Awards: where are the winners now?". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Student Media Awards winners" (Press release). Guardian News & Media. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Liew new chief sports writer of Indy – Sports Journalists' Association". www.sportsjournalists.co.uk. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  7. ^ Rugby League World (23 December 2015). "Strange Love: How Jonathan Liew fell for Rugby League - Total Rugby League". Totalrl.com. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  8. ^ "The Indy Football Podcast". rss.acast.com.
  9. ^ "FSF Awards 2017 shortlists announced - Football Supporters' Federation". www.fsf.org.uk. 31 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Episode 1181: Putin's Phone-In, Israel's Messi Situation, Rose Opens Up, Pogba's Last Word - Second Captains". 7 June 2018.
  11. ^ "THE COACH HOME - The Anfield Wrap". 13 March 2015.
  12. ^ "New signing for Guardian Sport as Jonathan Liew joins team" (Press release). Guardian News & Media. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  13. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  14. ^ "England head to Russia with a bubble of optimism, says World Cup Supplement panel".
  15. ^ "Cricket Writers on TV podcast: England's squad for first South Africa Test discussed | cricket News | Sky Sports". Archived from the original on 5 March 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  16. ^ "Jonathan Liew - Wisden". Wisden.
  17. ^ Liew, Jonathan. "They think it's all over: could 2018 spell the beginning of the end for the World Cup?".
  18. ^ "Buttler blitz blasts England to win and answers doubters". Belfast Telegraph. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Football (soccer) greatest goals and highlights - 101 Great Goals". 29 November 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  20. ^ Whooley, Declan (30 November 2015). "'Jamie Vardy should be out of work' - English journalist responds to abuse for calling Leicester star a racist". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  21. ^ Adams, Tom (12 April 2016). "Gary Lineker's take on Jamie Vardy's racism is bad - and it matters". Eurosport. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Mentors announced for #RYG18" (Press release). Kick It Out. 13 April 2018. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  23. ^ "FSF Awards 2018 shortlists announced". 31 October 2018.
  24. ^ "British Sports Journalism Awards 2018: Writing shortlists – Sports Journalists' Association". 31 January 2019.
  25. ^ Blake Welton (2 September 2019). "Tackling Racism: British Asians face more than just "one or two issues"". Sky Sports. When people talk about British Asians not being represented in football it's all these issues across the board - from grassroots to schools, scouting, clubs, academies as well as institutional.
  26. ^ "Vote now: FSA Awards shortlists announced". Football Supporters' Association. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  27. ^ "FSA Awards 2021 shortlists announced". Football Supporters' Association. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  28. ^ "The Press Awards Shortlists Announces". Mailchi.mp.
  29. ^ "The Red Zone - Netflix Comedy". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Netflix pulls plug on football comedy the Red Zone".
  31. ^ "Jonathan". TMG Academy. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  32. ^ Liew, Jonathan (29 November 2013). "My quest to become a Countdown champ" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.