Erez Ben-Akiva Takes Over Chronicle Sports Desk

CHATHAM – What does it take to be a good sports reporter?

You’ve got to have talent as a writer and photographer, training and experience as a journalist, and an ability to work well with young people. And, of course, you’ve got to be a big sports fan. As the Cape Cod Chronicle’s newest sports reporter, Erez Ben-Akiva checks all of the boxes. 

He holds a master’s degree in journalism and worked previously as editor of Sippican Week, covering hometown news and sports in the area around Marion, and joined The Chronicle’s newsroom in May. He’s now covering sports full-time and will also be contributing news and feature stories to provide more depth to our local coverage.

 “I grew up just outside Boston and lived in Massachusetts for nearly my entire life,” Ben-Akiva said. His family vacationed in Orleans and elsewhere on the Cape during the summers, and he grew up playing baseball. He’s understandably eager for the start of Cape League baseball, covering “the preeminent collegiate summer league.”

 “I mean, for one, it’s just so cool that it’s on Cape Cod. And it’s such a romantic thing. People just go crazy for it,” he said. It’s fun to meet Cape League players out in the community, and “guaranteed, every summer, some of those guys become superstars.”

 Of course, for the majority of the year Ben-Akiva will be covering school sports, which is also close to his heart. Having already covered some spring sports for Monomoy, Nauset and Cape Tech, he’s getting to know the local school sports culture.

 “Since coming down here and reporting, it’s clear people are crazy about sports. The turnout at games is really impressive,” Ben-Akiva said. He recently covered a mid-week Monomoy tennis match and was surprised to see lines of cars at Brooks Park. And it’s not just that Cape Codders are sports fans.

 “It symbolizes a sense of support for the kids, which is really important. Obviously there’s a sense of community,” he said. “I’m sure it also means that at Monomoy and Nauset and Cape Tech, the programs that have been built up are really strong.” It’s also impressive that all three districts have modern athletic campuses, he added.

 Is it hard to cover the matches when local kids are on the losing team?

 “It’s always way more pleasant to speak to people who have just won,” he said with a chuckle. But there is a dramatic story in most match-ups, often filled with small personal victories. It’s about “finding the emotion and finding the arc of the story,” he said. “The loss, that’s the news hook. But there’s all the other stuff around it.” 

 When he’s not at work, Ben-Akiva enjoys exploring local nature trails, biking the Cape Cod Rail Trail and watching major league sports. And if he gets the time, he might look for a local recreational softball league that needs a hand.