# Wright Thompson

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{{short description|American journalist}}

{{Infobox writer  <!--For more information, see [:Template:Infobox Writer/doc](/source/%3ATemplate%3AInfobox_Writer%2Fdoc).-->
| name             = Wright Thompson
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| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1976|9|9}}
| birth_place      = [Clarksdale, Mississippi](/source/Clarksdale%2C_Mississippi), U.S.
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| occupation       = Journalist
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| alma_mater       = [University of Missouri](/source/University_of_Missouri)
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| subject          = Sports, society
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'''Wright Thompson''' (born September 9, 1976) is a senior writer for [ESPN.com](/source/ESPN.com) and ''[ESPN The Magazine](/source/ESPN_The_Magazine)''. He formerly worked at ''[The Kansas City Star](/source/The_Kansas_City_Star)'' and ''[Times-Picayune](/source/Times-Picayune)'' in [New Orleans](/source/New_Orleans). Thompson's topics have covered a wide range of sports issues.

== Early life and education ==
Thompson is a native of [Clarksdale](/source/Clarksdale%2C_Mississippi) in northern [Mississippi](/source/Mississippi), the son of Mary Thompson. His late father, Walter Wright Thompson, an attorney, played a pivotal role in Clarksdale's emergence as a tourist destination based on [blues](/source/blues) music. The senior Thompson was an ardent [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) who was the Mississippi finance chairman for [John Glenn](/source/John_Glenn)'s 1984 presidential campaign. He later supported [Michael Dukakis](/source/Michael_Dukakis) and [Bill Clinton](/source/Bill_Clinton) in their campaigns against [George H. W. Bush](/source/George_H._W._Bush). Thompson is a 1996 graduate of [Lee Academy](/source/Lee_Academy_(Mississippi)), where his peers voted him Most Likely to Succeed and student body president.

== Career ==
Thompson started his sportswriting career while a student at the [University of Missouri](/source/University_of_Missouri) in [Columbia](/source/Columbia%2C_Missouri), having covered Missouri sports and writing as a columnist for the School of Journalism's [''Columbia Missourian''](/source/Missouri_School_of_Journalism).

Between his junior and senior years, he interned at the ''Times-Picayune'' in New Orleans and later was the [LSU](/source/Louisiana_State_University) beat writer there. He later moved to the ''Kansas City Star'', where he covered a wide variety of sports events including [Super Bowl](/source/Super_Bowl)s, [Final Four](/source/Final_Four)s, [The Masters](/source/The_Masters), and [The Kentucky Derby](/source/The_Kentucky_Derby).

In 2006, he assumed full-time writing duties at ESPN.com.

In 2008, after watching the [University of Alabama](/source/University_of_Alabama) narrowly defeat [Louisiana State University](/source/Louisiana_State_University) in a home game in [Baton Rouge](/source/Baton_Rouge%2C_Louisiana), Thompson described [Tiger Stadium](/source/Tiger_Stadium_(LSU)) as "the best place in the world to watch a sporting event."<ref>Chet Hilburn, ''The Mystique of Tiger Stadium: 25 Greatest Games: The Ascension of LSU Football'' ([Bloomington, Indiana](/source/Bloomington%2C_Indiana): WestBow Press, 2012), p. 7</ref>

His 2010 article "Ghosts of Mississippi" inspired the 2012 ESPN ''[30 for 30](/source/30_for_30)'' series documentary film ''The Ghosts of Ole Miss'' (which Thompson narrated),<ref>{{cite web|last=Thompson|first=Wright|title=Ghosts of Mississippi|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=mississippi62&redirected=true|work=Outside the Lines|publisher=ESPN|access-date=November 3, 2012|date=February 2010}}</ref> about the 1962 football team's perfect season and concurrent [violence and rioting](/source/Ole_Miss_riot_of_1962) over integration of the segregated university by [James Meredith](/source/James_Meredith).<ref>{{cite web|last=Thompson|first=Wright|title='Ghosts' a story of family, home|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/espnfilms/story/_/id/8572413/ghosts-ole-miss-deeply-personal-story-integration-family-home|work=ESPN Films|publisher=ESPN.com|access-date=November 3, 2012|date=October 30, 2012}}</ref> He also narrated the ESPN ''[30 for 30](/source/30_for_30)'' film ''Roll Tide/War Eagle''.

In 2024, [Penguin Press](/source/Penguin_Press) published ''The Barn'', Thompson's account of the 1955 abduction, torture, and lynching of the fourteen-year-old Black boy [Emmett Till](/source/Emmett_Till) by white men near Drew, Mississippi.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Wright |title=The barn: the secret history of a murder |date=2024 |publisher=Penguin Press |location=New York |isbn=9780593299821}}</ref>

== Reception and influence ==
Thompson's long-form sportswriting has received critical praise. In 2019, ESPN ranked his 2013 ''[ESPN The Magazine](/source/ESPN_The_Magazine)'' profile of [Michael Jordan](/source/Michael_Jordan), "Michael Jordan Has Not Left the Building", among the 49 greatest stories published by the magazine; senior writer Kevin Van Valkenburg called it Thompson's "masterpiece".<ref>{{cite web |last=Van Valkenburg |first=Kevin |title=From Tiger to Jordan: The 49 greatest ESPN The Magazine stories |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/27535491/49-greatest-espn-magazine-stories |website=[ESPN](/source/ESPN) |date=September 6, 2019 |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref> The article also drew a large readership on publication; ESPN said in 2013 that it generated nearly 2.5 million page views across ESPN's web and mobile platforms.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ota |first=Kevin |title=ESPN’s storytelling resonates with nearly 2.5 million page views for Wright Thompson’s feature on Michael Jordan |url=https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2013/03/espns-storytelling-resonates-with-nearly-2-5-million-page-views-for-wright-thompsons-feature-on-michael-jordan/ |website=ESPN Front Row |date=March 5, 2013 |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref>

Later commentators have cited Thompson's Jordan profile as an important work in the literature about Jordan's post-playing life. In 2020, ''[The New Yorker](/source/The_New_Yorker)'' described it as the "definitive profile" of Jordan in retirement,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Rosenwald |first=Michael S. |title=“The Last Dance” Shows a Michael Jordan You May Know and a Scottie Pippen You Probably Don’t |url=https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/the-last-dance-shows-a-michael-jordan-you-may-know-and-a-scottie-pippen-you-probably-dont |magazine=[The New Yorker](/source/The_New_Yorker) |date=April 20, 2020 |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref> while ''[Newsweek](/source/Newsweek)'' called it perhaps the closest in-depth post-career portrait of Jordan.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Ten Surprising Things We Learned From the Michael Jordan ESPN Documentary |url=https://www.newsweek.com/ten-surprising-things-we-learned-michael-jordan-espn-documentary-1497872 |magazine=[Newsweek](/source/Newsweek) |date=April 15, 2020 |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref>

Thompson's books have also received positive reviews. ''[Kirkus Reviews](/source/Kirkus_Reviews)'' called ''The Cost of These Dreams'' "richly researched and textured",<ref>{{cite web |title=The Cost of These Dreams |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/wright-thompson/the-cost-of-these-dreams/ |website=[Kirkus Reviews](/source/Kirkus_Reviews) |date=January 20, 2019 |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref> and ''[Publishers Weekly](/source/Publishers_Weekly)'' said in a starred review that ''[Pappyland](/source/Pappyland)'' "uncorks a fast-paced and colorful history of 20th-century Southern culture".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=This Week's Bestsellers: November 23, 2020 |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/84980-this-week-s-bestsellers-november-23-2020.html |magazine=[Publishers Weekly](/source/Publishers_Weekly) |date=November 20, 2020 |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref> In 2024, ''[Time](/source/Time_(magazine))'' included ''The Barn'' on its list of "The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024",<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Berenson |first=Tessa |title=The Barn |url=https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2024/7172922/the-barn-the-secret-history-of-a-murder-in-mississippi/ |magazine=[Time](/source/Time_(magazine)) |date=November 13, 2024 |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref> and ''[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)'' described it as an "extraordinary new book" and "a deep meditation on Mississippi and America".<ref>{{cite news |title=An extraordinary new history of Emmett Till, Mississippi and America |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/09/18/barn-emmett-till-wright-thompson-review/ |newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post) |date=September 18, 2024 |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref>

Thompson's 2017 ESPN article on [Conor McGregor](/source/Conor_McGregor) and [Dublin](/source/Dublin) drew criticism in Ireland, where commentators and residents said its depiction of the city was inaccurate and overly sensationalized.<ref name=ii-espn-article-on-conor-mcgregors-dublin-so-dangerous-men-cant-walk-their-dates-home>{{cite news|title=ESPN article on Conor McGregor's Dublin: 'So dangerous men can't walk their dates home'|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/espn-article-on-conor-mcgregors-dublin-so-dangerous-men-cant-walk-their-dates-home-36009140.html|date=7 August 2020|access-date=April 5, 2026|work=[Irish Independent](/source/Irish_Independent)}}</ref><ref name=guardian-espn-wright-thompson-conor-mcgregor-crime-dublin-reaction>{{cite news|title=ESPN's portrait of a gang-infested Dublin attracts bemusement in Ireland|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/aug/08/espn-wright-thompson-conor-mcgregor-crime-dublin-reaction|last=Lutz|first=Tom|date=8 August 2017|access-date=April 5, 2026|work=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)}}</ref><ref name=it-conor-mcgregor-crumlin-and-the-kinahans-an-unrecognisable-dublin>{{cite news|title=Conor McGregor, Crumlin and the Kinahans: an unrecognisable Dublin|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/conor-mcgregor-crumlin-and-the-kinahans-an-unrecognisable-dublin-1.3180419|last=O'Connell|first=Jennifer|date=8 August 2017|access-date=April 5, 2026|work=[The Irish Times](/source/The_Irish_Times)}}</ref> Writing in ''The Irish Times'', Jennifer O'Connell described the article's portrayal of [Crumlin](/source/Crumlin%2C_Dublin) and [Drimnagh](/source/Drimnagh) as "unrecognisable", while [Fintan O'Toole](/source/Fintan_O'Toole) later called Thompson's description of Dublin "ludicrous".<ref name=it-conor-mcgregor-crumlin-and-the-kinahans-an-unrecognisable-dublin /><ref name=the42-wright-thompson-conor-mcgregor>{{cite news|title=Three years on, Wright Thompson reflects on infamous Dublin/McGregor piece|url=https://www.the42.ie/wright-thompson-conor-mcgregor-5205063-Sep2020/|last=Cooney|first=Gavin|date=15 September 2020|access-date=April 5, 2026|work=[The42.ie](/source/The42.ie)}}</ref>

== Bibliography (selected) ==

=== Auto racing ===
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=earnhardtjunior&redirected=true "The son also rises"]

=== Baseball ===
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=mcgwire&redirected=true "Fading Away"]
* [https://proxy.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?id=2525583 "Bonds story to be continued"]
* [http://apse.dallasnews.com/contest/2003/writing/over250/over250.project.first4.html "The long road from Las Martinas"]
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22624561/ichiro-suzuki-return-seattle-mariners-resolve-internal-battle "When winter never ends"]

=== Basketball ===
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/blackhistory2007/columns/story?columnist=thompson_wright&id=2748078 "King's dream comes alive for Blazers"]
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=nazareth&redirected=true "Hoops of Nazareth"]
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story?_slug_=michael-jordan-not-left-building&page=Michael-Jordan&redirected=true "Michael Jordan Has Not Left The Building]
* [https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39740282/caitlin-clark-iowa-2024-ncaa-women-basketball-tournament-ready-march "Caitlin Clark and Iowa find peace in the process"]

=== Boxing ===
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=091216/JimmyRobinson&redirected=true "Shadow Boxing"]
=== Bourbon ===
''Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last'' (2020). New York: Penguin Press.
=== Bullfighting ===
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060615232752/http://sports.espn.go.com/travel/news/story?id=2455326 "Glory vs. Death: At the bullfights in Tijuana"]
* "Haunted by the Horns"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=matador&redirected=true|title=ESPN.com - E-Ticket: Haunted By The Horns|website=Espn.com|access-date=9 December 2021}}</ref>

=== Cricket ===
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=111225/testcricket&redirected=true "Test of Time: In defense of a game that lasts five days"]
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=110329/Cricket&redirected=true "Why you should care about cricket"]; alternative title: [http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/509803.html "In Tendulkar country"]
* [https://www.espn.com/extra/cricket/news/story?id=6142975 "Bangladesh madly in love with cricket"]

=== Father's Day ===
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=fathersday&redirected=true "Holy Ground"]

=== Football ===
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?lid=tab5pos1&lpos=spotlight&page=southernfootball&redirected=true "Pulled pork and pigskin: a love letter to Southern football"]
* [https://proxy.espn.com/nfl/playoffs06/columns/story?columnist=thompson_wright&id=2746409 "An obsession realized: Manning and the Super Bowl"]
* [https://proxy.espn.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=thompson_wright&id=2601673 "Patterson rumbles to glory as Eagles romp"]
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=100218/myronrolle&redirected=true "OTL: The Burden of Being Myron Rolle"]

=== Golf ===
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/15278522/how-tiger-woods-life-unraveled-years-father-earl-woods-death "The Secret History of Tiger Woods"]

=== Horse racing ===
* [https://www.espn.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/29800835/how-listen-download-espn-investigates-podcast-bloodlines-reported-hosted-wright-thompson How to listen to and download the ESPN Investigates podcast 'Bloodlines,' reported and hosted by Wright Thompson]

=== Race ===
* ''The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi'' (2024). New York: Penguin Press.

=== Soccer ===
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/23218226/juventus-team-transition-fighting-italian-soccer-supremacy-wright-thompson "The last days of Juventus?"]
*[https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/10984370/portrait-serial-winner-luis-suarez-soccer-most-beautiful-player Portrait Of A Serial Winner]

=== Sports history / issues ===
* [https://proxy.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=thompson_wright&id=2608378 "O'Neil was the real 'voice' of America"]
* [https://proxy.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=thompson_wright&id=2597995 "Thompson: Contempt for the system"]
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=wilson&redirected=true "Outrageous Injustice"]
* [https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=101201/Cleveland&redirected=true "Believeland: A proud city forgets 'The Player Who Left' and remembers what it used to be"]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090223194028/http://search.espn.go.com/wright-thompson ESPN's list of Wright Thompson articles]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Wright}}
Category:Living people
Category:People from Clarksdale, Mississippi
Category:1976 births
Category:University of Missouri alumni
Category:Sportswriters from Mississippi
Category:ESPN people

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wright Thompson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Thompson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Thompson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.