Meet Des Moines Register sports editor James Kramer, who grew up near the Field of Dreams – The Des Moines Register

Job: Sports editor
Years at the Register: 26
I grew up in: Farley, a town of about 1,700 in Dubuque County
I live in: Ankeny
I graduated from: Western Dubuque High School in Epworth and the University of Iowa.
Family: Wife, Jill; daughter, Maisa; and cat, Skipper.
Email: jkramer@dmreg.com
Why journalism? The kitchen table was always full of newspapers when I was growing up, and I spent a lot of time reading the Dubuque Telegraph Herald, the Cedar Rapids Gazette and the Des Moines Register. When I was 15, I had the good fortune of forming a friendship with Jim Leitner of the Telegraph Herald, and he helped me get a part-time job in the sports department there. I’ve been hooked ever since.
My major responsibilities are: I oversee 10 sports staffers in Des Moines, Iowa City and Ames. The majority of my time is focused on Cyclone and Hawkeye coverage — football, basketball and wrestling. Deputy sports editor Will Kennedy manages our high school coverage team.
I like my job because: Iowans are fortunate to have a pair of highly successful power-conference college programs. And Hawkeye and Cyclone fans are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to help provide informative and entertaining content to those fans.
Some of the major stories I’ve been involved in covering recently: March Madness is a fun/busy time for the Register sports staff as we cover the heck out of basketball and wrestling tournaments. Then we had Fran McCaffery’s exit as Iowa men’s basketball coach followed by the hiring of Ben McCollum, and of course transfer-portal season for all of our schools.
Some stories I’m working on next: Some of our top summer sports coverage includes: state high school track and field meet, Iowa Speedway’s IndyCar and NASCAR events, state softball and baseball tournaments, and Big Ten and Big 12 football media days.
When I’m not working, I like to: Watch my daughter’s softball games and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games.
My favorite Iowa haunt: The Field of Dreams, which is about 3 miles northeast of my hometown. A close runner-up is Paul Scherrman Field in Farley, one of the finest small-town baseball facilities in the country.
Fun fact about me: I’m a trivia nerd. World War II, classic rock music and baseball history would be favorable Jeopardy categories for me.

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