If you are passionate about sports but want to pursue a journalism career, studying a program in sports journalism might be something worth considering. Sports journalism is a separate type of journalism where professionals report and present news giving an in-depth analysis of sporting events, games, and more. Not only are generous salaries on offer for this role, but sports journalists also get a chance to get closer to the sporting action than most, with opportunities to go to sports games and events, meet and interview players and sports stars, and get behind the scenes. The sports industry is one of the richest in the world, and with sports only getting more and more popular, the demand for trained professionals to cover sports events and news is on the rise.
A Sports Journalist Job Description
Sports journalists cover sports news, games, and events across the country or even worldwide. Sports journalists will often not only report the latest news and information on certain sports but also provide expert analysis of the game. Because of this, you're not only required to have good communication skills to succeed in this career, but also a solid knowledge of the sport that you are reporting. Once you have earned a sports journalism degree and built a portfolio of work, you may find yourself working with different media platforms including TV, radio, newspapers, websites, and more. Online journalism is transforming the way that sports journalists work with a wider range of interactive online tools that have made sports journalism even more engaging and vibrant as a career.
Career Prospects for Sports Journalism Graduates
You can learn more about becoming a sports journalist at Saint Bonaventure University. With a master's degree in sports journalism, you can consider working in a range of roles working for different channels including sports TV channels, magazines, websites, apps, newspapers, organizations, and more. Some of the most popular career options for sports journalism graduates include:
Sportswriter
Sportswriter is one of the most highly sought-after roles in the sports journalism industry. As a sportswriter, you will be collating information on a range of different sporting topics for online portals, newspapers, magazines, and more. If you are interested in working for yourself as a sports journalist, you can become a sportswriter by starting your own sports website or blog or work as a freelance sports journalist for various companies.
Sports Reporter
A sports reporter role will require you to travel to different locations to cover a variety of sports events, interview the players and coaches, and report whatever happens. Sports reporter demand is high in magazines, news agencies, TV, and radio news channels, and more. Once you have gained relevant experience working as a sports reporter, you may want to consider looking for work as a sports editor.
Sports Anchor
If you have strong communication skills, excellent research ability, are very familiar with sporting language and are passionate about sports, working as a sports anchor might be a role worth considering. Like any other new anchor, the sports news anchor is responsible for reading any sports-related news or interviewing different figures associated with the sports field.
Sports Editor
The role of a sports editor is both challenging and rewarding. Responsibilities involve gathering important sporting information, guiding trainees and sub-editors, and proofreading sports news content. Editors work for a variety of news and sports news organizations to effectively gatekeep the content and decide what should be published on behalf of the organization.
Sports Photographer
Sports photographers play a hugely important role in the world of sports media, capturing some of the most important moments in the world of sports. If you want to get into sports photography, you will have a number of roles including taking photographs for news agencies, sports companies, and sporting brands for promotional purposes alongside reporting the news.
About the Sports Journalism Industry
If you are interested in a career in the sports journalism industry, the first step is to learn more about what your chosen career involves. Sports is considered to be a specialist area of news reporting alongside other topics such as weather, fashion, or business. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, sports journalists should become well-versed in sports before they try to get into the industry. For those who want to pursue a successful sports journalism career, this could involve learning more about the specific sports themselves and improving their skills on covering these sports for broadcasts, newspapers, and online publications. One of the best ways that you can get some hands-on sports writing practice while breaking into this field is to create a sports news blog or website.
Along with taking sports journalism classes at college, you can also learn more by researching and finding articles on sports journalism education options. The Society of Professional Journalists is an ideal resource for any aspiring journalist, with articles on sports journalism to learn from, including lists of common tasks for sports journalists.
Earning a Journalism Degree
All jobs in journalism will usually require a bachelor's degree as a minimum qualification. Most employers are looking for journalists who hold a degree in journalism or communications, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many journalism programs will offer a minor or concentration in sports journalism, which is worth choosing if you are interested in getting into this field. A sports journalism bachelor's degree program gives you the option to learn the basics of gathering news, reporting, writing, and editing for a range of publications including print, multimedia, and broadcast. The degree program will give you the chance to study these concepts as they relate to sports journalism alongside relevant topics such as the business of sports, sports research, athletic culture, sports in society, and sports research.
Completing an Internship
The job market for journalists is often very competitive, particularly when it comes to sports journalism. Most positions in sports news writing and broadcasting require some experience, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because of this, it is a wise idea for aspiring sports journalists to complete an internship at a sporting publication such as a sports TV station, magazine, newspaper, website, or radio program. Alternatively, you may wish to pursue an internship in the sports department of a general news publication as a means of gaining further experience. In many cases, completing an internship may be required as part of the program when getting a bachelor's degree program in journalism or sports journalism, and you may be required to have completed some kind of work placement if you want to enroll on a master's degree in sports journalism in the future. If your college degree program does not require you to have an internship to graduate, there are various opportunities that you can pursue through a range of professional organizations such as the National Sports Journalism Center or the Sports Journalism Institute.
Is Sports Journalism The Right Career for You?
If you are interested in sports and enjoy the idea of working in a role where you can get behind the scenes at sporting events, meet some of the biggest names in sports and keep the world up to date with the latest sporting news, a career as a sports journalist might be an ideal choice for you. However, it's important to bear in mind that working as a sports journalist can be challenging and is often a lot of hard work. Sports journalism is not a typical 9-5 job, and you might be required to work long hours and be persistent when it comes to finding the best stories, pitching your stories to news organizations and publications, and making a name for yourself as a sports reporter. To determine if this career is right for you, it's important to consider some of the most important skills that you will need to be successful in this industry. Along with a solid knowledge of the sports that you cover and other sports to help you win more stories and get more work, you will also need the following skills:
Written and Verbal Communication Skills
Strong written and verbal communication skills are absolutely necessary for your success as a journalist. Not only do sports journalists spend their time writing up reports on the latest sporting events and games, but they also need to have strong verbal communication skills when interviewing athletes and coaches or reporting on live broadcasts. Whether writing or reporting on camera, sports journalists need to be highly skilled at getting the message across in an interesting way that will grab the attention of readers, watchers or listeners and keep them engaged and wanting to learn more.
Confidence
Many new sports journalists find themselves competing for stories against more experienced reporters. This can be difficult, and the industry is highly competitive, which is why a healthy dose of self-confidence is necessary in order to survive in the role. Sports journalists need to be confident in themselves and their abilities in order to win stories and successfully pitch ideas to publications.
Persistence
Working in sports journalism is not always an easy career. To succeed, the journalist needs to be patient, persistent, and have a strong work ethic. In this role, you will often have to make your own success and get out there to look for work and find the latest stories. Many sports journalists work as freelancers, so there are no bosses to hand them stories; they need to be persistent in pitching publications, building their own sports news blogs and websites, and finding work wherever they can.
Ethics
Sports journalists need to stick to a strict code of ethics in order to maintain their good reputation and avoid damaging relationships between the media and sporting professionals. Many sports players and other professionals in the sports industry may be reluctant to speak to the media as they may have had a bad experience in the past with unethical journalists who have not respected their boundaries, misrepresented them in the news, or twisted the truth. To avoid being completely avoided by the people that they want to speak to the most, sports journalists need to be respectful, honest, and highly ethical in their work.
Getting Started With Your Sports Journalism Career
Whether you're right at the start and are researching sports journalism programs to take or are currently at college studying for your journalism degree, it's never too early to get started with planning for the future of your journalism career. Remember that you are preparing to enter a highly competitive industry, so the more you have to help you stand out from your competition, the better.
You can start putting together a portfolio to impress your future employers with your work, dedication, and work ethic at any point, whether you are already studying sports journalism at college or are waiting for your college start date to come around. Getting involved with local sports teams can be an ideal way to do this - you don't have to report on professional sports to show potential employers what you are made of as a sports journalist. The earlier you start, the more you can put together in terms of a portfolio that shows off your best instances of print broadcasting, multimedia, and online broadcasting.
While getting your work published on news sites will not be easy when you are first starting out, creating your own website or blog is easier than ever thanks to tools like WordPress, so there is nothing stopping you from starting your own, where you can start making a name for yourself in the industry. The more of your work you get out there, the more future work you are likely to get, so be proactive and don't leave it too late to get started.
Sports journalism is a great career choice with various roles for people who love sports and want an exciting, different career where they can be right in the center of the action.
