Most of you know me as jpegJoe, a local photographer based in Amarillo, TX. I’m also the managing partner at Press Pass Sports, and work hand-in-hand with my business partner Kale Steed, the founder of PPS and our Editor-in-Chief.
If you had told me years ago that I’d be at the forefront of local sports coverage in the Texas Panhandle, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But life has a funny way of leading you exactly where you need to be, even when it’s unexpected. My love for photography has always been deeply rooted in the desire to tell the stories of our community. That’s what eventually led me to Press Pass Sports.
It started with a passion for capturing moments on the field, on the court, or anywhere in between—moments that showcase the hard work, the sweat, and the victories of athletes from the Texas Panhandle. So, when I partnered up with Kale Steed a few years back, it felt like a natural progression of what I was already doing. Kale founded Press Pass Sports on the idea that our local athletes deserve the spotlight, and I was excited to be part of that mission.
For two years before I joined, Kale, along with Lee, Craig, Ben, and Lance, did an incredible job building the foundation for Press Pass. The combined sports knowledge those guys have is incredible. When I came on board, we wanted to push the envelope—expand our reach with a new website, new branding, bring in more writers and photographers, and just generally adapt to what our audience needed. And I’d like to think we’ve done a good job of that so far.
A Growing Sense of Responsibility
What started as a fun and passionate endeavor quickly evolved into something more serious. This year, we’ve felt the burden shift from “doing what we love” to shouldering the responsibility of keeping local sports coverage alive. The Amarillo Globe News, once a major player in covering local sports, has struggled to maintain the level of coverage our community deserves. And, as a result, it feels like the torch has been passed to us—whether we were ready or not.
Let me paint a picture for you.
The Amarillo Globe News is owned by Gannett Media, a massive, publicly traded company that owns hundreds of newspapers across the country. Over the last 18 months, Gannett has gone through round after round of layoffs and furloughs. I’ve watched talented writers burn through the newsroom—people who genuinely cared about telling the stories of our local athletes. But they were working with limited resources, and there’s only so much one person can do.
A Wake-Up Call
As of today, to the best of my knowledge, the Amarillo Globe News doesn’t even have a local sports writer. Let that sink in for a moment—our community, with its rich sports traditions and incredible athletes, no longer has a dedicated sports reporter from the Globe News. They also charge readers to view stories.
The lack of coverage hit home during Week 1 of Texas High School football this year. When I checked the Globe News website, here’s what I found: photos from just two games—Dumas vs. Caprock and Tascosa vs. Palo Duro—a set of state rankings written by a writer from Corpus Christi, and a basic voting call for Athlete of the Week. That’s it. No in-depth analysis, no game recaps, no features on our local athletes. It was a wake-up call for us, and it underscored the growing gap in coverage that was once provided by a trusted source.
Press Pass Sports Steps Up
When the coverage from the Globe News started to dwindle, we knew we had to step up. In the last few weeks alone, we’ve seen a surge in traffic to our website, www.presspass.news. The community is hungry for local sports stories, and they’re coming to us to get them. While I’m incredibly grateful for the growth, it has come with its own set of challenges.
More traffic means higher server and technical costs, and that’s something we didn’t fully anticipate. Our amazing sponsors have really come through this year, stepping up to help us cover those costs. We’ve been able to keep up with demand, but we also know that this is only the beginning.
We don’t expect things to get any easier for the Globe News. And as a result, we’re doing everything we can to expand our coverage in the Texas Panhandle. This means more writers, more photographers, and more in-depth stories this year. We want to make sure no game goes unnoticed and no athlete’s hard work goes unrecognized.
A Call to Our Community
Now, I want to be clear about one thing: our stories will always remain free to read. That’s a promise we made when we started, and it’s one we intend to keep. Our passion for bringing the best sports coverage is truly a passion among everyone at Press Pass Sports.
Our mission is not built on making money but in recognizing the teams, coaches and individuals that are the backbone of our communities. However, if you believe in what we’re doing and want to support our mission, I’d like to ask you to consider making a monthly contribution. Even a small amount can make a big difference, helping us cover the costs of keeping the site running and allowing us to invest in even more coverage.
Your support allows us to keep doing what we love—highlighting the incredible talent in our community and telling the stories that deserve to be told.
Gratitude for Our Team and Community
Before I wrap up, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible team we have at Press Pass. Our writers and photographers are the best in the business, and they do this work because they care deeply about our community. Most of them have other jobs, yet they dedicate their time and energy to Press Pass because they believe in the importance of what we’re doing. If you see them around at games or events, please take a moment to thank them—they truly are the heart and soul of our operation.
I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who sends us information, photos, and stats from games we can’t physically attend. We couldn’t do this without your support. Coaches, we’re here for you. This is what makes our community special—people coming together. It’s why I love the Texas Panhandle.
Looking Ahead
As we move forward, we’re more committed than ever to providing the best sports coverage in the Texas Panhandle. We’re proud to pick up the slack left by others, and we’re grateful to you, our readers, for trusting us to capture these moments and tell these important stories.
Thank you for your continued support. Together, we can ensure that our local sports traditions remain strong and that our athletes receive the recognition they deserve.