Joe was born in Douglas, Coffee County, on October 17, 1934, son of Mae and Elisha Sports. He had an older brother, Don and a younger sister, Ann.
He started work at The Douglas Enterprise while still in high school and while attending South Georgia College and was associate editor when drafted into the U.S. Army in 1957. In February of that year, Joe married Dee Plymell, a medical technician at the Douglas-Coffee County Hospital.
As an Army Photographer, Joe spend 18 months in Garmisch, Germany where he was joined by his wife, Dee, for a year and they were able to travel extensively to 13 European Countries, including the World’s Fair in Brussels, tulips in Holland, April in Paris, Pompe, Italy, and bull fights in Spain.
Upon their return home in 1960, Joe joined the staff of U.S. Congresswoman Iris F. Blitch in Washington, DC. That same year, Dee and Joe became parents of their only daughter, Susan Wynne, who is information officer for the State of Georgia’s Department of Driver Services, and mother of two sons, Ali Joseph, and Amir Eli Sports.
In 1963. Joe became news director of WALB-TV in Albany. The Sports family moved to Atlanta when Joe was picked by James H. Gray to be executive Director of The Democratic Party of Georgia, where he remained until the election of Jimmy Carter governor. When Governor Carter picked attorney David H. Gambrell to be U.S. Senator, Joe went to Washington as Senator Gambrell’s Administrative Assistant. He served briefly on the staff of Senator Sam Nunn and with his longtime friend, Congressman Dawson Mathis.
With the political activity behind him, Joe launched a career as a public relations and a legislative consultant where through the years would represent Paul Anderson Youth Home, The NutraSweet Company, Seagrams, Pearle Optical, Douglas Foods, The Farmers Bank, Southern Computer, DataMatx, and Tender Care.
Dee Sports would work as the State Capitol for Secretary of State Max Cleland. She died on September 6th, 2007 shortly after her retirement from the State of Georgia.
On December 16th, 2014, Joe married Ronda McNeil Davis from Douglas, GA, and she joined him in his home in Conyers. Joe closed down his consulting business while working with his friend Harry Stephens at DataMatx. Joe and Ronda would both soon return to Douglas and reside at her home on Dewey Avenue. They became active members of the First Methodist Church and Ronda resumed her work as a volunteer for the Childhood Cancer Awareness Group of Coffee County. Joe and Ronda became active in the Douglas Lions Club.
On May 16th, 2022, Joe would again work for The Douglas Enterprise as a writer and photographer for about one year.
He passed away peacefully on January 9th, 2026.
The family will receive friends on Monday, January 12th, 2026, from 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM at First Methodist Church in Douglas, GA.
Memorial Services will be held on Monday, January 12th, 2026, at First Methodist Church in Douglas, GA, at 2:00 PM, with Rev. Paul Elliott officiating and Bro. Sid Cottingham bringing the eulogy. The music selections will be played by Jay Beverly and sung by Courtney Taylor.
Honorary pallbearers will include: The Douglas Lions Club, Bone Pickers and Fish Friday Group.
Sims Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.