Sports journalism plays a considerable role in how people consume sports news. Besides covering the sporting events, these professional journalists also dive deeper into the preparations before and continue providing updates after the main event. This detailed guide explores some of the various niches in sports journalism and how understanding them can make individuals an effective journalist.
Pursuing a career as a Sports Journalist also allows individuals to get close to the action, share their opinions with people, and make a living from their passion. St. Bonaventure University Online offers an excellent course that ensures students learn the new cutting-edge media skills needed to produce high-quality journalism that can be accessed across all platforms. Studying for a Journalism degree can help students find their preferred niche in the industry and hone their skills to become more attractive to potential employers.
Different sports journalism niches
Narrowing down to a particular niche when pursuing a career in sports journalism gives journalists an edge as it allows them to focus on a specific area and do what they love.
Broadcast sports journalism
Sports broadcasting is an excellent way to share thoughts with an audience. A broadcaster delivers informed analysis and commentary during live sporting events. They can work for news websites, media outlets like radio and TV, or social media platforms. Some broadcasters focus on a specific sport, while others cover a range of sports.
Being a broadcaster requires in-depth knowledge about the sport covered in the work. Hosts must also know the players and any recent changes, such as changes to the rules.
Typical responsibilities of a sports broadcaster include scheduling pre-game and post-game interviews with coaches and players and studying films from previous games. Also, sports journalists will work on checking out the latest statistics and news about the game and educating listeners and viewers about sports. When working on the radio as commentators or sports journalists interviewing athletes on live television, journalists will write down discussion points for each broadcast and offer game predictions on air.
Types of sports broadcasters
Play-by-play announcer
A play-by-play announcer delivers information to an audience during the play. Some common examples include the announcers who talk during a football match or a marathon race.
Color commentator
A color commentator provides expert analysis and relevant background information on a particular game. Color commentators can be former professional players, coaches, or anyone with specialist knowledge. They work alongside the play-by-play announcer.
Radio broadcaster
A radio broadcaster delivers live sports coverage to listeners via audio only. Like play-by-play commentators, radio broadcasters provide this commentary by describing the action and using sound effects to engage listeners.
Sideline reporters
Sideline reporters are usually near the court or field. Their work is to provide updates while on the ground. They also collect information, report on relevant game details, and interview players before relaying that information to the audience.
Studio hosts
Studio hosts sit in a studio setting and anchor pre-game, half-time, and post-game shows. Their work is to deliver their analysis, keep the conversation engaging, and ensure a smooth transition between different segments.
Studio analysts
Studio sports analysts review game footage, discuss strategies, provide statistical data, and participate in discussions with other analysts. These professionals are experts in different sports, and their work is to help viewers have a deeper understanding of the game.
Other job opportunities include news associate, web producer for sports broadcasting, sound engineering technician, production assistant for a sports channel, sports editor, or sports photojournalist.
Digital sports journalism
Digital sports journalism covers stories for online platforms, including social media and websites. These specialist journalists create enhanced content on trending current events and breaking news.
A digital sports journalist can cover local, regional, or international sports news. Additionally, they can be employed to create content for blogs, websites, and social media platforms. Alternatively, they can also decide to freelance and work for different companies. However, unlike other niches within sports journalism, working as a digital journalist requires individuals to also be good at online advertising, content marketing, graphics design, and email marketing, among other elements.
Career options in digital journalism include specialized reporter, publishing copywriter, digital copywriter, web content manager, and sub-editor.
Digital journalists will typically create news articles, podcasts, or videos for publication on social media websites and ensure their writing is optimized for the sports audience they are targeting. They can also interview athletes, coaches, and other sports personalities to gain more credibility and research different sports information to help edit or verify news articles.
Feature and magazine sports journalism
Sports writing is a unique niche within sports journalism that combines different journalistic skills. These journalists get to dive into investigative features or straight news and write feature columns, which can be intense but, at the same time, entertaining. A sportswriter can work in print, too, including national newspapers and sports magazines. They can also work on television, radio, or social media platforms.
Common types of journalism stories
The common types of stories that a sports journalist will cover include feature game stories, providing perspectives and reasoning for the game’s outcome, and straight lead game stories that deliver clear information about game outcomes, team players, and individual scores.
Journalists may also work on feature profiles, highlighting an individual, such as an entry-level soccer player or famous coach. Sports columns are also an option, allowing journalists to share their opinions about a game, player, or coach. Finally, a sports journalist can also write a season preview after the season ends or when preparing for a new season. These stories can cover what to expect from players and coaches for the new season.
The typical duties and responsibilities of a sportswriter include:
- Interviewing athletes, coaches, and other sports personalities to get information for their content.
- Attending sporting events to gather information and network.
- Fact-checking stories and verifying sources to ensure accuracy.
- Reporting on current team structures, game statistics, player status, and other sports information.
- Viewing sports-related activities to find interesting stories.
- Writing content for different publications across media sources covering athlete profiles, game summaries, breaking news, and more.
- Collaborating with editors, sub-editors, and photographers.
- Working with other sports writers to ensure they meet editorial styles and formatting guidelines.
- Building a network with agents, coaches, athletes, and others to stay informed.
Sports writers are categorized depending on their focus and specialty. For example, a feature writer only writes human interest stories about coaches, athletes, and other sports-related individuals. Their work includes writing investigative pieces, interviews, and profiles to give a perspective about those in the world of sports.
Game reporters attend games and write play recaps, summaries, and real-time updates. A columnist provides an in-depth analysis and commentary on different topics in the sports world. Journalists can write personal essays and opinion pieces on current sports trends or events. Conversely, beat writers write about a particular sport or team regularly. These writers attend games and report on performance, player standings, injuries, and more.
Investigative sports journalism
Investigative sports journalism involves uncovering topics that might be intentionally or unintentionally hidden from the public.
An investigative sports journalist can highlight athlete abuse, doping, or financial scandals in a sports organization. Unlike other sports journalists, investigative journalists face different risks and go to a greater extent to uncover stories of misconduct, fraud, corruption, and more.
Typical duties of an investigative sports journalist include conducting in-depth research about a potential sports fraud or scandal and sifting through piles of information to gather evidence. Afterward, journalists will fact-check all data from various sources to establish credibility and conduct interviews with multiple sources to find hidden facts to uncover stories on corruption, misconduct, and athlete abuse.
Sports photojournalism
Sports photojournalism entails telling a story through pictures. It involves capturing story-telling images of a game, athlete portraits, and detailed shots, among other photos. It is an excellent niche for those who enjoy watching sports and photography.
While sports photojournalism mainly covers sports news, it can also highlight early-season practice, high school games, and more sports events. Photographers stand on the sidelines to get first-hand images of the action unfolding on the track, pitch, or court.
How does understanding different niches create an effective journalist?
The beauty of sports journalism is that it allows journalists to narrow down and focus on a specific area to be successful. However, knowing other niches can make journalists competitive and boost their success.
Learning best practices across different niches
Working as a broadcast journalist is great, but taking the time to learn what it takes to be a digital journalist can change a journalist’s perspective about how information is relayed and equip them with essential digital skills.
The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and a sports journalist needs to be well-versed and understand how social media platforms work. Additionally, a broadcaster will use different research tools online to gather news about other sporting events,
Learning about other niches like print journalism as a broadcaster can expand their knowledge and give them a competitive advantage over someone with a single skillset.
A sports journalist sometimes has to be a photographer, copy editor, and reporter, even if the job description is limited to broadcasting. Understanding the different niches under sports journalism allows journalists to perform other tasks easily.
Gain exposure
Exploring the various niches in sports journalism broadens journalist’s understanding of different aspects of sports reporting and analysis. They get to attend sports events, determine newsworthy stories, conduct interviews, source information, and fact-check information.
Understanding how all these elements work together to enhance sports journalism allows journalists to work in diverse settings, including both new media platforms and traditional platforms. Furthermore, it makes it easy to gain exposure via attending sports events, mingling with people in the same field, and discussing different aspects of sports.
Exposure leads to more referrals in the industry, especially for journalists working on a freelance basis. They will get first-hand information on new job opportunities and hone their skills when learning from the best, which makes them effective sports journalists.
Expanding a professional network
One major advantage of learning and understanding the different areas of sports journalism is that it helps journalists build relationships with various people across several industries. Being multifaceted not only opens doors for meaningful opportunities but also contributes to overall success as a sports journalist.
Besides interacting with sports personalities, players, and coaches, journalists could also have a network of entrepreneurs, finance gurus, tech enthusiasts, and more. Journalists working on print journalism could be introduced to a social media guru who can provide timely tips on making news stand out on social platforms, for example.
Final thoughts
The sports journalism industry is continuously evolving and growing. With the digital uptake of news transforming the way consumers absorb sports news, the industry is expected to develop further and create more job opportunities along the way. Learning about the different career options in sports journalism will help individuals settle on a career that aligns with their interests and future goals.