In January 2008, the Seattle Times published “Victory and Ruins,” a four-part series on the 2000 Washington Huskies, written by Ken Armstrong and Nick Perry. The reaction was immediate and sweeping; the series ignited a national discussion of how sports can subvert our values and priorities. Web sites and publications devoted to a variety of subjects—higher education, criminology, journalism, women’s rights, college and professional sports—found the series to be a catalyst for impassioned debate and sober reflection. Newspapers, magazines and their Web sites chimed in:

“A blistering collection of stories” (Baltimore Sun); “shocking . . . appalling” (Tacoma News Tribune); “stunning . . . jaw-dropping . . . the talk radio airwaves burn” (Orlando Sentinel); “a must-read investigative piece” (Salt Lake Tribune); “fantastic” (Florida Times-Union); “a reality check” (San Jose Mercury News); “amazing” (San Antonio Express-News); “fascinating . . . the series is long, but you should read every word” (Fresno Bee); “powerful . . . disturbing” (Houston Chronicle); “an astounding report” (espn.com).

Other reactions:

“Explosive . . . should be required reading for any college football fan. It is the most thoroughly reported, meticulously written investigative project I’ve read in my nine years covering this sport. And while the particulars of these stories pertain solely to the Huskies, similar events have almost assuredly taken place within nearly every major program in the country.”—Stewart Mandel, SI.com (Sports Illustrated)

“This chilling and disturbing multi-part investigation of the 2000 University of Washington football team should be mandatory reading for every athletic department. The criminal conduct of certain players—behavior often excused or overlooked by the school and public officials—is appalling. It’s a series as much about the institutions that guide college football, as it is about the Washington football program itself.”— Richard Deitsch, SI.com (Sports Illustrated)

“It’s a disgusting portrayal of a renegade program with coaches and administrators who look the other way and a justice system that protects the football players. Every time I see a football movie about the college game, I always scoff at the way programs are portrayed. But after reading this series, I scoff no more.”—Pat Dooley, Gainesville Sun

“Demands the attention of sports journalists, legal observers, college football administrators and fans. . . . The negative light the series casts on the University of Washington, the local media, and especially, the local court system is astounding. . . . Incredibly detailed and damning . . . genius . . . ‘hooray, hooray, hooray’ for the Seattle Times for doing a sports journalism story that really matters.”—McGuire on Media (by Tim McGuire, the Frank Russell Chair for the business of journalism at Arizona State University)

“If you’ve got about 15 minutes to kill and if there’s nothing sharp under your chin that might result in a flesh wound when your jaw drops onto it, read this story about Buccaneers tight end Jerramy Stevens. . . . a sickening account of a system gone haywire, all in the apparent name of making sure that a football team will have its most talented players available to play.”—Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk.com

“This brilliant series recalling the awful legacy of the 2000 Washington Huskies doesn’t make me think I’m missing much in terms of that sanctity-of-the-game stuff they force on you.”—Ray Gustini, Radar Magazine

“If you haven't had a chance yet to dive into the Seattle Times amazing—and ongoing—investigation into the 2000 Washington Huskies, please do so right now. . . . We’re still absolutely transfixed by the tale of college-era Jerramy Stevens.”—Will Leitch, deadspin.com

“Masterful. . . . It is tremendous journalism—in fact, it is the best piece of sports journalism we have read in a newspaper in 2008. The story, however, is vile. It may make you sick to your stomach.”—TheBigLead.com

“Courage can take many forms. There’s physical courage—the willingness of journalists to put themselves in harm’s way to keep the public informed. There’s also moral courage—the commitment to truth that will alienate readers, risk advertising accounts, and jeopardize a newspaper’s standing during already precarious times. Ken Armstrong and Nick Perry of the Seattle Times displayed such courage in their four-part series, ‘Victory and Ruins.’”—Citation for the 2009 Michael Kelly Award