Shelby Swanson covers sports business for The Minnesota Star Tribune. Born and raised in North Carolina, she most recently covered UNC athletics for The Raleigh News & Observer. At the N&O, she broke news pertaining to university legal matters and led coverage of the Smith Center arena debate — using public records and source-building to give readers visibility into decisions that weren’t meant to be visible. Her work at the N&O earned four APSE Top-10 finishes in breaking news, long feature and short feature categories. Swanson’s journalism career started when she joined her high school newspaper and soon discovered nobody wanted to lead the sports desk. She holds degrees in Media & Journalism and Hispanic Literatures & Cultures from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she served as sports editor of the independent student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel. When she’s not chasing a story, Swanson is playing pickup basketball, discovering new music or binge-watching Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Beat: Business of sports in Minnesota
Minnesota’s sports landscape spans professional, collegiate, and community teams that drive regional identity, civic pride, and economic investment. This role fills the gap in reporting that goes beyond game coverage. Analytical journalism on the business of sports: how teams are financed, how ownership and league decisions affect communities, and how public resources fund infrastructure. As tax dollars and public interest increasingly intersect with sports economics, Minnesotans need independent reporting that provides accountability, transparency, and context.