MOSES LAKE — For Mike Maynard, the most interesting aspect of sports is the stories that are told in the lives of athletes. 

“There’s fascinating people everywhere, no matter where you look,” said Maynard. “I want to tell people’s stories; that’s my goal.”  

Maynard grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and moved to the area at the beginning of May – though he’s been writing for the Columbia Basin Herald since March – after graduating from Denison University in 2024. He has since been meeting athletes and coaches from all around the Basin and sharing their stories with the people in the area. 

Surprisingly he wasn’t always the sports fan that he is today, he said.  

“I hated sports as a kid,” said Maynard. “I quit just about every sport as a kid, like hardly into a season.” 

In middle school, he began getting more interested in sports through playing at the park with his friends and watching games on television. He had always paid attention to the Cincinatti Bengals as he had an uncle and friends who were fans of the team. The moment he truly fell in love with the team, however, was during their 2016 Wildcard playoff game against the Pittsburg Steelers. 

“It would have been our first playoff win in 21 years rather than 31,” said Maynard. 

The Bengals would go on to lose that game 18-16. 

“I’ll never forget the pit in my stomach after that game,” he said. “And from there I was locked in, I didn’t care how good or bad that team was, I was riding with that team.” 

He said he continued to watch sports he began to get caught up in the stories of the big personalities, rivalries and storylines that would come out which caused sports to become more of an interest in his life.  

“Sports is just a phenomenal place to experience a story,” he said. “I fell in and out of sports because I follow certain teams and you just want to root for a team and see your team win a championship or be successful, but as I’ve gotten older I started paying more attention to certain athletes that were maybe more outspoken or had a little more character to them.” 

This storytelling played a part in why he decided to study journalism when choosing a major in his sophomore year of college.  

After graduating from college, he initially tried to find a job in Columbus so he could stay close to home but eventually had to start looking elsewhere. He said he always had a desire to see the Pacific Northwest, which aligned nicely when he was offered his current role. 

The most important aspect of the job so far has been the ability to write coverage for the local athletes in a rural area, said Maynard. During his time in college, he also had the opportunity to work on similar stories around Granville, Ohio. 

“To be able to cover rural athletes out here really excited me because I really wanted to do more of that on a full-time scale,” he said. 

Despite being a reporter, Maynard describes himself as an introvert who spends most of his free time outside of work doing quiet activities whether it be going for walks, sitting outside with a nice drink or listening to whatever music fits his mood. Of course, he also on occasion will spend time playing sports video games such as Madden and NBA 2K. 

When he moved out west, he made sure to bring along his cat Cletus who he adopted in December and has grown very close to. Cletus is a gray tabby he describes as the sweetest cat ever who can also be a troublemaker. 

“I look forward to going home to him every single day, that’s my light at the end of the tunnel on a stressful day,” said Maynard. 

As he becomes more accustomed to the area, Maynard hopes to not only continue to share the stories of the local athletes, but to also engage in banter with sports fans across the Basin. 

“I’m a big Ohio sports fan, so you will see me rocking Ohio State gear and Bengals gear,” said Maynard. “When Ohio State comes to Washington this fall, I will likely be writing a column and talking a little smack. I wear it with pride and don’t be afraid to talk a little smack to me.” 

    Mike Maynard is the Columbia Basin Herald’s new sports reporter. Maynard is from Columbus, Ohio, and has a deep love for the stories that come from athletes.
  

    Mike Maynard and his cat Cletus on a car ride together. Maynard rescued Cletus in December, and he said that Cletus has become a key part of his life.