It takes just as much persistence and creativity to begin a career in sports journalism as it does to write a good story about a sporting event. The sports reporting jobs most people imagine, those of full-time staff members on a newspaper or television station, have been affected by transformations in the media industry. According to the Pew Research Center, newspapers have experienced a steady decline in numbers and revenue over the past few decades. Media companies which still exist tend to rely on sourcing from agencies or freelancers to save the costs of full-time staff.
Although one can still have a career writing about sports or as a sports broadcaster, such careers may be far more entrepreneurial and may include Twitch streams, blogs, and freelancing for new media rather than older models of sports reporting. Nonetheless, whatever the economic model, some of the same skills and credentials are needed. Also, both the increased competitiveness and use of technology in the field make having at least a bachelor’s degree relatively important.
Ranking: Top 20 Best Online Communications Degree Programs
Learn to Write
Although some sportscasters read aloud from scripts, most sports reporting jobs require reporting skills and especially writing skills. This means honing one’s ability to write clear, concise and grammatically correct prose under tight deadlines. Thanks to the rise of smartphones, one might even need to be able to report on an event as it is happening, while still maintaining high standards of speaking or writing. One excellent way to hone writing skills is to read works of skilled sports writers critically, analyzing how they use language and build stories, to improve one’s own work. In school, one should take as many courses in writing and communication as possible to hone one’s skills. Editing, proofreading, and linguistics courses will help with grammar.
Build a Portfolio
To get a job as a sports reporter, one must show evidence of reporting skills. This is not as circular as it sounds. One can get a head start by writing for high school and college newspapers or, more entrepreneurially, creating blogs, vlogs, or Twitch streams. Volunteering to help out with newsletters, contributing free content to local websites or community organizations, or guest blogging can create a track record that will impress people wishing to hire writers.
Knowledge and Niches
General sports knowledge will not make an aspiring reporter stand out from the crowd. Instead, it helps to combine well-rounded knowledge of major sports with a niche. A reporter in the United States who knows Portuguese and Spanish and can report on Latin American sports news and interview Latin American players in their own language will have a leg up on a monolingual reporter. Someone who has special expertise in disability sports or sports medicine or some other niche will be more attractive to clients and employers than someone who merely knows a few major sports.
Conclusion: Why Degrees Matter
Finding opportunities for a career as a sports reporter requires a combination of reporting skills, sports knowledge, and a strong portfolio. Degree programs help students obtain the required skill sets through coursework. More importantly, student newspapers and other media offer opportunities for building strong portfolios of curated work.
Source: Pew Research Center