Ben Hancock

Ben Hancock covers the Marlboro Houses in Gravesend, Brooklyn.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Ben studied journalism at West Virginia University, working briefly as a staffer for the Daily Athenaeum and completing a college fellowship at the Poynter Institute. He developed an early interest in journalism as a teenager, in the bathroom – he was reading ESPN magazine and realized that sports writers get to meet all the top athletes. Quickly developing an interest in journalism beyond sports, Ben went on to work as an intern at Richmond’s Style Weekly while in high school, covering an array of subjects (and  getting to meet the stars of the semi-pro putt-putt golf circuit).

Both athletics and family roots contributed to Ben’s decision to study at WVU — he has been a Mountaineers fan since he was young, and many generations of his family are from Morgantown.

Now a magazine concentrator at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Ben seeks to “tell stories that aren’t told.” He remains a sports fiend of the highest order — basketball is his favorite to play; football is his favorite to watch — but has realized that it is more fulfilling to enjoy sports as a fan than to cover for a job. “I want to challenge myself, learn things and meet people I wouldn’t meet myself,” he says. You can follow Ben at @benjarad.