“Often I am asked what my favorite sport is,
and always I say, ‘People.’ I collect people.”
Dick Schaap wrote this as the second paragraph of his autobiography “Flashing Before My Eyes.” As Mitch Albom wrote in the book’s forward, “Dick Schaap collects people stories the way nets collect fish.”
Schaap prolifically and poignantly chronicled a generation of athletes. His reasoning for pursuing that career was simple: “I wanted to be a sportswriter because I loved sports and I could not hit the curve ball, the jump shot, or the opposing ball carrier.”
“Credentials Only” host Pete Holtermann finds those athletic limitations all too relatable. But he also shares the interest in collecting people.
While Schaap’s focus was on the athletes, Holtermann sets out in “Credentials Only” to chronicle the supporting cast at sporting events. These are not the stars of the show, but they are the stars who make the show happen.
Each episode profiles a person who works in the sports industry and looks to not only tell their story of how they got into the business but also explore how they ply their craft.