BLACKSBURG, Va., April 14 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:
When Ken Belson returned to New York to work on The New York Times's business desk in 2004, he realized that an entire job could be devoted to covering the economics of sports.
After all, the city was home to some of the world's most popular and lucrative sports teams and leagues, including the Giants, the Knicks, the Yankees, and the NFL. When he failed to sell the idea to his editors on the business and sports desks, he did the next best thing: He pitched stories one at a time.
"I essentially created the job," said Belson, who worked as a business journalist in Japan for 12 years before returning to his native city to wor...