Olympic Gold Legacy
This story, written by UNC Hussman student Cameron Neale ’25, was originally published on stories.unc.edu.
Mason Murr ’24 was not only born into Carolina legacy, she was also born into an Olympics legacy — a torch she carries this summer in Paris.
“When [my wife Alli] and I arrived in Sydney, Australia, for the 2000 Olympic Games, we found out that we were pregnant with Mason, our first child,” said Brad Murr ’94, Mason’s father.
This summer, Mason returned to the Olympics as one of 25 students representing the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the 2024 Games through a partnership between the school and the International Olympic Committee.
Her path overseas was paved by her grandfather — Carolina basketball player, Olympic gold medalist and hall of fame inductee — Larry Brown ’63. Brown has made three appearances at the Olympics, first as a basketball player in 1964, then as an assistant coach in 2000, and last as head coach in 2004.
As UNC Hussman prepared to send a fourth cohort of students to the Games, the Murrs and Brown made sure this year’s group could experience what their family has valued for 60 years.
With their help, these Hussman students are gaining two weeks of hands-on experience working on one of the world’s largest stages, living and immersing themselves in the center of the games. To the Murr/Brown family, the Olympics embody more than the best of athletics. The Games represent the chance for personal growth and a changed worldview.
The Tokyo Olympics were Brown’s first travels around the Pacific. As a recent Carolina graduate and amateur player for the Akron Wingfoots, his making the team, training in Hawaii and subsequent travels to Japan seemed like a dream. “We thought it was going to be kind of like a vacation,” Brown said.
“And we ended up staying in a military barracks,” he laughed.
The summer of 1964 left Brown with a lifetime of stories, which impacted Mason’s approach to her summer. To her, Paris looked like an exciting unknown where every day held something new, much like her time at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Sports reporting was an unexpected path for Mason. After starting college unsure of what path to pursue, she knew that she loved Carolina athletics. Growing up going to games, sports was a home away from home, a place to connect with her family and friends.
After her freshman year, she applied to the UNC Hussman School on the advertising and public relations track and quickly found a way to follow her passions while producing meaningful work.
“I met some of the best people I know at UNC, people who are determined and passionate about their work,” Mason said. “That exposure helped me figure out that I really enjoyed working in sports. Also, being able to cover different sports, whether it’s a big story or game, or a story that’s smaller and more personal kept me enthusiastic.“
Mason has seen first hand how sports bring people together, in the classroom and in the stands.
A love of sports and the support of peers pushed her out of her comfort zone academically. This summer, this growth expanded beyond the borders of Carolina.
“Being able to get to go to the Paris Olympics seems surreal,” she said just before the Paris Games began. “I feel like it hasn’t fully hit me. To see the way that sport brings cultures, communities and people together is something that I’m most excited about.”
But her father and grandfather view the Olympics as something bigger – a turning point for Mason and her classmates.
“The Olympics are so meaningful to the world. Seeing sports bring people from around the globe together and the positive impact that team and individual stories have on us all is great. The games certainly hold a special place in our heart, and we are excited that Mason is getting to go to Paris with classmates,” said Brad.
This family’s admiration for both the institution and the idea of the Olympics is palpable. And they believe UNC Hussman enables students to join in this love of sports, learning and unity.
“I love what they’re trying to push in terms of letting the Carolina people understand what’s going on with their athletes, kids that are representing UNC, and to get an opportunity to participate in the Olympics,” Brown said.
According to Stembler Distinguished Professor Charlie Tuggle, UNC Hussman’s faculty lead for the program, UNC is the sole university to send junior reporters hired by the ONS to cover the Paris Games. Through their time in Rio, Beijing and Tokyo, UNC Hussman students built up a reputation for their engagement and high-quality work.
And this program improves upon their existing skills by familiarizing them with international and large-scale reporting.
“The Olympics was my first experience interviewing world-class athletes at the highest level. The experience prepared me for everything I do now,” Jenny Chiu ’17, Olympics junior reporter in Rio and current CBS sports reporter, shared in a recent story published by UNC Hussman. “I take everything I learned from that to understand the professionalism and rhythm of what it takes to do this job.”
The gifts of the Murrs and Brown enabled UNC Hussman to continue its tradition of reporting overseas. “If there is a way that we can participate or help students that otherwise couldn’t have gone to the Olympics through Hussman and UNC, that’s important to us,” Brad said.
The Olympics began on July 26, and students, family and faculty alike were anxious to get started on this summer’s work.
“I’m thrilled,” Brown said. “And I can’t wait for Mason to tell me all the neat things that happened to her and just how lucky she is to be part of that.”
(Top photo provided by Mason Murr)