My name is Katrina Brewer, but I go by Kat— or “Brewhouse,” a nickname from my high school history teacher that stuck harder than a ninth-inning fastball. I grew up in the Bay Area where the San Jose Sharks and San Francisco 49ers games were the background noise at every family gathering. However, I did not care about the concept of how the sports were played, who scored most points, but I loved the color choices for the teams uniforms. The teal of the Sharks, the gold-and-scarlet of the 49ers. When the Sharks played, I waited for those intense scuffles breaking out, the high velocity of clashing into the plexi-glass, the crunching of padding and ice, the brute physicality of it. But what hooked me in sports movies like “Air Bud” and “Space Jam” was never the final buzzer— it was the emotional gravity. I cared about the protagonists’ intrapersonal struggles, their underdog, hero journeys of overcoming fear and failure off the field as much as on it.
Everything changed when I was 16 and discovered the baseball anime “Oofuri”, “Big Windup!” In english, and realized baseball strategy could carry emotional weight. Then came “Haikyuu!!,” “Eyeshield 21” and “Kuroko no Basket”—series that pulled teamwork front and center, intrapersonal growth and visual dynamism of motion lines and sweat droplets over the box scores. I loved the art direction as much as the stories: the way the animators exaggerate speed and impact, the color palettes that signaled emotional beats. The camaraderie and slow-burn character development motivated me to want to play, but I lacked the funds for the league fees and equipment. Instead I became a student of the game through frames instead—studying the anatomy of a spiker or a tackle through pausing scenes and sketching poses. The rugby anime “All Out!!” That I followed until its series conclusion back in February of 2020, became my anchor. The creator’s love for New Zealand’s All Blacks bled through every panel— their diverse physiques, “big beefy boys” that inspired the series. While the manga itself doesnt feature the Haka, my research into the real team introduced me to the ceremonial dance. As an artist, I find the Haka’s synchronized power and cultural intensity compelling from a compositional standpoint— the functional musculature, the facial expressions, the collective rhythm, the raw vibes. The structural mechanics of rugby physiques offer endless anatomy study, even if the choreographed plays of fictional remain more narratively satisfying to me than live match footage.
My best friend/roommate, who shares my love for sports anime and the emotional aspects, took me to my first live basketball game on Jan. 28, 2022, to celebrate her birthday that was on the 16th. It was a Spurs game at Frost Bank Center against the Bulls, and we got bobbleheads of Derrick White. The intense speed going back and forth, the reverberations of the crowd roaring, were terrifying compared to the framed panels i was used to. But it was captivating, invigorating and finally made me understand why people obsess, or why fans scream at the TV over the real thing.
I am finishing my bachelor’s in communications and media studies with the goal of becoming a digital media literacy educator. This blog, The Scrum Report, is my practice field where i dive into sports analysis, media critique (anime vs. reality analysis), and freelance art from the perspective of someone who came to sports through emotional stories, media representations and aesthetic curiosity. This is my space to deep dive into how media representations shapes our understanding of athletics.