John Smallwood was a sports writer for the Philadelphia Daily News and covered the NBA Finals, NCAA Men's Final Fours, NCAA Women's Final Fours, March Madness, AFC Championship Games, an ALCS, numerous NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB playoff games, the 1994 World Cup, 1999 Women's World Cup, and the 2000 Summer Olympics. Originally, hired as a beat writer for Villanova University basketball, Smallwood later became a daily columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer for twenty years.