11: Mitch Dyer, the sports broadcaster with the dirtbag tattoo

If you have a tattoo bet for Mitch Dyer, he’ll take it on. The sports journalist has forgotten exactly how many tattoo bets he’s lost, but they’ve resulted in everything from a seahorse, to a choice phrase on his butt cheek.  

Mitch is the founder of Straight At It, a media company devoted to athletics news and content on social media. This year he’s been reporting at the Olympics and US Olympic Trials for Citius Mag and chasing summer Diamond League races in Europe with photographer Jacob Gower. He’s also shared the commentary box with the likes of legends Bruce McAvaney and Tamsyn Manou. Next up for Mitch? Expanding his social media model to include more sports!

His early days starting Straight At It looked very different. First, he quit his job as a sports reporter with a News Corp newspaper in Mackay and sold most of his possessions to report on athletics as a freelancer in Europe. When he got there, he was sleeping in 8-10 bed dorm rooms, calling in favours from friends and living on the smell of an oily rag.

But he burnt for it, and it burnt him out.

Mitch has some valuable lessons to share from those experiences, from taking time out to eat cheese (not chicken!) twisties, to separating who you are as a person from what you do, there’s laughter and frivolity and wisdom in equal parts in this episode.

Mitch Dyer is an Australian sports journalist, with a focus on broadcasting, social media, hosting events and commentating. He was formerly a carpenter, marketing employee and US college athlete. He is the founder of Straight At It, which is part of the At It network.

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Graphic design by Kate Scheer