Originally from Upstate New York, Marcus Hayes attended the Newhouse School and then joined the staff of the Syracuse Herald-Journal, where he spent five years covering sports. His beat included high school and small college sports, Syracuse University lacrosse, the Syracuse Chiefs and the Syracuse Crunch.
In 1996, he joined the Philadelphia Daily News, where he was the Philadelphia Eagles beat writer, the Philadelphia Phillies beat writer and a special assignment reporter. He began his current position as sports columnist in 2010.