Paul Brandley is a sports writer in the Baltimore, Maryland area. Heavily influenced by his father’s love for sports, combined with their geographic location, Paul has been a Baltimore and Washington D.C. sports fan since his earliest memory. His two favorite teams are the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Wizards.
In 2007, Paul graduated with a communications degree from the University of Maryland. Paul went to school at the university partially because he knew that Maryland had a fantastic communications program. His other reason, however, had to do with the fact that he had always loved following Terrapins basketball (although he would never admit this reason to his parents).
Cal Ripken Jr.’s final game at Camden Yards is one of Paul Brandley’s most memorable experiences.
After graduating, Paul knew that he wanted to go into social media and community management. He did not, however, expect that he would be able to combine that with his love for sports. Eventually, Paul Brandley launched GetInTheGame, a sports blog that focused on the lives of professional athletes off the field. This is when sports went from being a hobby to a profession for Paul. Soon, Paul was interacting with athletes through a variety of social media channels.
Paul eventually convinced Juwan Howard, a basketball player with the Washington Wizards, to do a podcast interview with Paul. This was one of Paul Brandley’s favorite moments in the industry.
Paul’s favorite team is the Baltimore Orioles due to his connection with Cal Ripken Jr. He always loved the way that Ripken conducted himself on the field and how he never quit. He admired that Ripken played over 2,600 consecutive games – a streak that was 17 years in the making. Ripken is recognized as one of the greatest players of all-time; he was a 19-time All-Star, a two-time MVP and a World Series champion. He is one of the few players to achieve over 3,000 hits.
Paul Brandley had the pleasure of going to see Cal Ripken’s last game back in 2001. A memorable night for any baseball fan, it was a moment that was particularly touching to Paul. Although still a young kid, Paul Brandley will always remember that moment.
Outside of watching baseball, Paul has always been interested in sailing. He loves taking a boat out of the harbor and into the Atlantic Ocean. Paul has ridden a few wave runners and says that he has never had more fun in his life. Being the thrill-seeker that he is, Paul eventually wants to go skydiving.
One of his favorite trips on the Atlantic Seaboard was boating down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, the surfing mecca of the east coast. Here he got to watch some of the country’s best surfers just as a storm was coming in—prime surfing conditions. When the weather got too intense, he was glad to have a UNC Tar Heels game as a backup plan.
For more information about Paul Brandley, check out his blog on the Washington Wizards or any of his social media profiles.
