CLEVELAND, Ohio – On the opening day of the 2026 Cleveland Media Academy on Jan. 10, Cleveland sports media legend Terry Pluto spoke to the students with one goal in mind: Speak to their hearts.
Though Pluto has one of the most illustrious careers in the sports writing business, he talked to the students about trying new things, being open to opportunities and learning to fail.
As a teenager in the 1960s, Pluto wondered, “Well, where do I fit?”
As a freshman, he attempted to join the football team, but after getting knocked down and stepped over by the other players, he realized it wasn’t for him.
He continued questioning, “What can I do? Where can I go where they won’t make fun of me?”
Later that year, his English teacher discovered his writing ability and gave him a book called “The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread” by Don Robertson. Pluto was amazed that someone like him from Cleveland could write a book like that, inspiring him to strive to achieve more.
While attending Cleveland State University, Pluto didn’t major in journalism or media, but education, and activities such as student teaching gave him experience that became quite valuable to him as he started his journalism career.
Before settling in Cleveland, Pluto had jobs in North Carolina, Georgia, Baltimore and Twinsburg covering high school sports, pro sports, and everything in between.
Pluto worked his way up in the sports industry, covering Major League Baseball for six years, minor leagues for one year, and the NBA for seven years.
He eventually got his own column.
Pluto noted how the most important part of “sports writing” is the writing part and how aspiring sports journalists must be passionate about writing, not just sports, saying, “If you don’t do a good job with the writing it doesn’t matter.”
Pluto is one of the most well-known sports writers in Cleveland, but rather than talking all about his career, he focused on giving the students his advice for having a good career and philosophies for living a good life. He highlighted the importance of being open and trying new things, telling the teenagers that they should embrace new opportunities as they have nothing to lose.
An author of numerous books, Pluto had started out hoping to write novels similar to the one given to him by his English teacher because, “Until you try it, you have no clue if you can do it.” Once again he realized it wasn’t for him but discovered he could write sports books and now has over 30 books published.
With the many ways to gain experience now, especially in media-related careers during this day and age, Pluto encouraged the students to try their hardest at everything they do and be open to new opportunities because, “What’s the worst that could happen?”
‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ Long-time Cleveland sports columnist Terry Pluto inspires future journalists at Cleveland Media Academy
