Rebecca has covered prep sports, education, crime, international issues, and government and legislature for daily papers and as a freelancer.

Through it all, she has been a staunch sports fan, although her only claims to fame are two second-place fantasy football finishes.

To understand her sports allegiances, it's probably best to rewind to the beginning. It all started when people told her not to read "War and Peace" because it was too boring. She ignored their advice and read it anyway. It wasn't boring—they just hadn't bothered to read past the first 50 pages.

Call it obstinance; call it whatever you like. But it's probably why she is an Ohio State football and Duke basketball fan—and a follower of world football. She likes the teams and the players people love to hate—hello, college-era J.J. Redick—and the sports no one pays attention to, at least in the U.S.

Although, she does have more of a stake in Ohio State football, which is why she will never live in Michigan.