Selena Roberts is one of the most recognizable voices in sports journalism. She joined SPORTS ILLUSTRATED in January 2008 as a senior writer and is one of the magazine's "Point After" columnists. She also works on investigative projects. Her most notable SI piece came in February 2009 when she and David Epstein broke the story that Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for two anabolic steroids in 2003. Says Roberts: "I don't know if favorite is the right word, but the experience I learned from the most was the Alex Rodriguez investigative piece because of its impact, the way it altered the landscape of steroid reportage and the public's perspective on the entire steroid era."

Before joining SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Roberts worked at The New York Times for 12 years. There she held a variety of assignments, including general sports columnist (2002-07), Olympics and tennis writer ('99-02), Knicks beat writer ('97-99), Nets beat writer (1996) and backup baseball writer for the Yankees and Mets ('96). Previously, she was the Minnesota Vikings beat writer and a sports projects writer at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune from 1994 to 1996. She covered the Orlando Magic as well as NASCAR and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the Orlando Sentinel from 1990 to 1993. Before that she was at The Tampa Tribune, where she covered prep schools, small-college sports and wrote four sports columns a week for the Polk-Heartland bureau, a four-county area. She started her professional career as an intern at The Huntsville Times from June 1988 to January 1989, where she was a beat writer for the city's minor league baseball team and also wrote sidebars on Auburn University and the University of Alabama.

Roberts has been honored by many journalism organizations and has been a five-time recipient of Associated Press Sports Editors honors ('99, '01, '03, '04 and '06). She has also won the New York Association of Black Journalists award for commentary ('03); the New York State Associated Press prize for columns ('07); the Barney Kremenko Sports Journalism Award for commentary ('07); and the Front Page Award/Newswomen's Club of New York winner ('07).

A 1988 graduate of Auburn University with a B.A. in journalism, Roberts is the author of two books: A Necessary Spectacle: Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs and the Match That Leveled the Game (2005, Crown) and A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez (2009, HarperCollins). She has also made numerous appearances on radio and television and is a frequent guest on ESPN's The Sports Reporters.

Roberts lives in Westport, CONN., with her partner, Laura Price.

EXTRA POINTS

Favorite SI Vault story: Crime and Punishment (June 24, 1996) "Gary Smith managed to handle a delicate story (a sexual assault and its ripple effect) and provide depth and resonance to each person in the piece."
Writers who have inspired your work: "Growing up in the South, I was enamored of Harper Lee and the first book I lost myself in To Kill a Mockingbird. I fell in love with reading through that book and continued to find other writers who inspired me as I turned my career toward sportswriting during my freshman year in college. I couldn't get enough of Frank Deford's visuals and Curry Kirkpatrick's storytelling in SI. As a newspaper journalist interested in investigative reporting, I was lucky enough to have two terrific mentors -- Jeff Brazil of the Orlando Sentinel and Chris Ison at The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, both of whom were Pulitzer-Prize winners, as well as wonderful and willing teachers."
Hobbies/Interests: "I have a decent golf game, play a little tennis and enjoy hiking. As someone who lives in a fixer-upper, I like to think of myself as a DIY home renovator, which only means that I try to tile my own floor before calling a pro."
Person you would most like to interview: "Besides J.D. Salinger (who is on everyone's list) I'd like to go back in time and interview Jackie Robinson, and, with the value of today's perspective and questions, discover the layers behind what it took to break the color barrier."
Favorite movie: "Grease. It was the last movie I ever saw at a drive-in. I miss the clean air and night-sky ambiance of drive-in movies -- even if the sound coming through the speaker made every actor sound like Charlie Brown's teacher. I know, I know. This nostalgia trip makes me sound like I'm ancient. I also miss the phonograph."
Best Meal: "Vin Sur Vin in Paris. There couldn't have been more than four tables inside the bistro -- with picture window next to a cobblestone street. Perfect wine, incredible filet mignon, spectacular setting."
Greatest team you've seen in person: "I was lucky enough to cover a lot of Michael Jordan moments during the Bulls' amazing run during the '90s. Best team in the truest sense of the word? UConn Huskies women's basketball team, circa 2001-02 (a perfect 39-0), with Sue Bird as one of its many leaders."

Updated 21 October 2009