Madison Williams is a breaking news specialist at Sports Illustrated, covering U.S. sports through the lenses of culture, business, and innovation. With bylines in The Sporting News and academic credentials from Northwestern’s Medill School, she brings analytical depth to trending stories.
“The best sports writing doesn’t just chronicle events—it decodes how they reshape industries.”
Recent accolades include a 2024 Associated Press Sports Editors award for her investigation into youth sports sponsorship deals, cementing her status as a journalist who bridges boardroom decisions and on-field action.
We’ve followed Madison Williams’s rise as a versatile sports journalist specializing in breaking news and trend analysis. After earning a master’s in sports media from Northwestern University, she honed her skills at The Sporting News before joining Sports Illustrated’s Breaking and Trending News team in 2022. Her work blends investigative rigor with a knack for uncovering human-interest angles in sports culture.
This piece delves into the New York Yankees’ adoption of innovative bat designs, combining technical analysis with player interviews. Williams explores how ergonomic advancements impact performance, citing data from spring training sessions and quotes from hitting coaches. The article’s viral success stemmed from its balance of niche engineering details and broader implications for MLB equipment trends.
Williams breaks down the procedural timeline for Brady’s induction, contextualizing it against NFL legacy-building. She interviews historians and former players to dissect how Brady’s post-retirement ventures might influence his legacy. The article became a reference point for debates about athlete branding beyond retirement.
Tracing the origins of this quirky tradition, Williams blends historical research with interviews from Olympic photographers and sociologists. The article’s popularity hinged on its ability to turn a lighthearted quirk into a commentary on how rituals shape sports media narratives.
Williams frequently covers NCAA tournaments and recruiting scandals, as seen in her analysis of South Carolina’s 2025 Final Four run. Pitches should emphasize exclusives on emerging athletes or policy changes affecting college sports.
Her article on celebrity investments in sports franchises demonstrates interest in overlaps between entertainment and athletics. Pitches about actor-owned teams or musician-led fitness trends align with her cross-industry approach.
While she covers athlete wellness, Williams avoids unverified medical claims. A rejected pitch about CBD use in the NFL underscores her preference for peer-reviewed studies over anecdotal evidence.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Sports, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
