Did you know that BYU wide receiver Christopher Jackson (’22) was once homeless? Or that linebacker Payton R. Wilgar (’22), as a newlywed, adopted his brother’s three kids? Or that basketball forward Gideon George (’22) gathers sneakers to send home to Nigeria for kids who play in worn-out shoes like he did?
To BYUtv senior sports producer Jarom T. Jordan (BA ’09), Cougar sports are “more than a game.” Coordinating with Travis J. (’08) and Alex Lewis-Moore of Mango Media, Jordan produces Deep Blue, a video series of behind-the-games stories that premiere weekly on BYUtv. The episodes, now into their third season, highlight the journeys of BYU athletes, coaches, and even fans—“stories that matter,” explains Jordan.
“I really applaud those athletes and coaches who allow us to tell their story,” says Jordan. “Not everyone’s proud of the hardships they’ve gone through.” But don’t ask Jordan to pick a favorite episode: “It just depends what . . . flavor of tears . . . I feel like having today.” To him, Deep Blue is about showing “an actual person with actual feelings and experiences, perhaps similar to your own.”
