About Mark

 I was a high school football statistician for nearly two decades. From 1997 to 2014, I worked with the Texas Sports Radio Network (TSRN), and from 2009 to 2015, I worked with Thursday Night Lights (TNL). TSRN broadcast games on radio, the internet, and their app. TNL brought Texas high school football to television, the internet, and their app. I even had a season as the statistician for UTSA football in 2012.

In July 2011, I jumped on the blog bandwagon and launched thestatmanspeaks.com. The name said it all—The Statman Speaks. I covered the games I worked, shared my stats (always close to the “official” newspaper numbers), and posted plenty of photos. Players loved when I caught them in action, and to this day, I still see some of my watermarked photos floating around online.

Along the way, I started documenting stadium renovations with my camera. My photos of Alamo Stadium and the Alamo Convocation Center (2013–2014) appeared in a book, on television, on a school district website, and even landed me an interview with the local ABC station. Later, I photographed renovations at Lehnhoff Stadium (2015) and the brand-new Northside ISD gymnasium (2016).

In March 2015, my wife, Nina, asked me a simple question: “Do you like being a statistician or a writer better?” Without hesitation, I said writing. That answer changed everything.

I retired from TSRN in 2015 and from TNL in 2016, shifting into freelance writing and photography. My last game as a writer came in 2017 (though I made a one-game comeback as a statistician in 2019).

When Nina and I announced our pregnancy on October 31, 2015 (she was pregnant—I just helped a little bit), I launched thedadspeaks.com to share the journey. In 2023, I added bookmarkdad.com for book reviews, and by 2025, I consolidated everything back under The Dad Speaks.

I don’t have a journalism degree, but I do hold a BBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an MBA from Western Governors University. And while I may not be a “traditional” journalist, I’ve self-published three Amazon e-books—something I’m very proud of. They’ve sold a few copies, gotten a few reviews, and given me the confidence to keep putting words into the world.

Words and ideas hit me at the most random times—while driving, showering, reading, eating dinner, or getting ready for “sleepy time.” Do I get writer’s block? Absolutely. My cures are simple: bounce ideas off Nina, take a break, or just do something else.

I write because I can. I write because I like it. I write because it makes me feel good and helps me express myself in words rather than by voice. I write because it keeps me out of trouble. I write about what I know, what I care about, and what I hope connects with you.

My style is unique, my sense of humor is a little crazy, and I’m not embarrassed to share any of it.