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Born in Boston in 1985, Alexander Thomas Coleman is part of a new breed of sports journalist. Since he started his career, he's been blending storytelling with data, odds, and insights from betting markets, a novelty in the sector. This has earned him a reputation of challenging traditional boundaries, the kind of professional who’ll tell you a final score says less than the odds that preceded it.

Question. Alexander, when did you first realize that sports journalism and betting could coexist meaningfully?

Alexander Thomas Coleman. When I was doing grand school at Columbia. I was working on a piece about baseball analytics, and I noticed that the betting markets were often better at predicting outcomes than traditional journalists and some professional analysts. That was my lightbulb moment, realizing that odds tell stories about the sport as well. For example, Leicester’s Premier League fairy tale title is interesting, but if you know the odds of them winning it all, it’s even more impressive.

Question. You’ve said before that betting reflects public emotion. Can you explain that?

Alexander Thomas Coleman. Of course! I see betting as a collective mood ring for sports fans. When a line shifts drastically, it’s not only math, it’s psychology, it’s sentiment. It’s people reacting to rumors, form, even weather in certain sports. Markets are emotional mirrors.

Question. Did your background in data journalism help you navigate the betting world?

Alexander Thomas Coleman. Obviously, yes. Data analysis taught me to question everything. Betting markets reward that mindset. You can’t take odds at face value any more than you can trust a press release.

Question. Some purists still think betting undermines the integrity of journalism. What do you tell them?

Alexander Thomas Coleman I tell them that we are living in 2025. Look, betting is part of fan culture. You can ignore it, but then, your journalist work would be incomplete.

Question. Is that what you mean when you say betting should be part of sports journalism’s language?

Alexander Thomas Coleman Spot on. Many still haven’t understood that betting has to be part of the language of sports journalism. You don’t have to promote gambling (you must not!), but you have to understand how it frames perception and shapes narratives.

Question. What was your first big break as a journalist?

Alexander Thomas Coleman Covering the NFL Draft in 2011. I wrote a piece comparing bookmakers’ predictions with scouts’ reports, and the bookmakers were really close to reality. That article opened a few doors for me as an author.

Question. Do you think young journalists should learn about odds and markets?

Alexander Thomas Coleman Anything you learn can help. However, it is not to gamble, but to interpret. Understanding how lines move gives you a deeper understanding of how the public sees a game. 

Question. What’s the biggest misconception people have about betting journalism?

Alexander Thomas Coleman That it’s about giving tips or telling people where to put their money. As I explain in my social media accounts, it’s about explaining probability, and, more important, narrative.

Question. How do you handle criticism from traditional journalists?

Alexander Thomas Coleman I just hope one day they will understand why I do what I do. They might not pick it up, which is better for me. People fear what they don’t understand. It is what it is.

Question. What’s one mistake you see journalists make when covering betting stories?

Alexander Thomas Coleman Oversimplifying. They’ll say “the odds are against Team X” without explaining why. It’s something I’ve covered in my Instagram account. Odds are complex, there are too many factors that influence them. Leaving that out misses the story.

Question. Has the legalization of sports betting in many U.S. states changed the media landscape?

Alexander Thomas Coleman A bit, but not too much. Betting is part of our culture. In the past, some pubs would hold sweepstakes for major sporting events. It hasn’t been a huge change.

Question. You often mention that odds can “tell the truth before the scoreboard does.” What do you mean?

Alexander Thomas Coleman Betting markets digest information faster than most journalists. A sudden odds shift might reveal that a star player is injured before it’s even official. The markets speak first.

Question. You’ve worked across different sports. Which one has the most interesting betting ecosystem?

Alexander Thomas Coleman This might be a hot take, but motorsports are huge, and there are so many factors that can make races unpredictable. A small piece of debris can completely change how the race plays out.