Sports Journalist

Overview

Who is Sports Journalist?

Working for a newspaper or magazine, radio, television, or online, sports journalists report on athletic events to the general audience. Their responsibilities include monitoring and reporting on athletic events, following up on leads for articles, and doing research. Journalism is a fairly competitive profession in general. Sports journalism functions similarly to other types of journalism. There are freelancers, copywriters, proofreaders, editors and reporters who hunt for the best stories and publish the most interesting takes on the latest events.

Typical day at work

What does Sports Journalist do?

As a sports reporter, you must cover athletic events, locales, and competitions. Sports fans are interested in not only what happens on the field, but also what goes on behind the scenes and in the personal lives of athletes. The job of a sports journalist is to check facts and uncover the truth behind rumours regarding players, sportsmen, sports commentators, and organisations. Simultaneously, you must maintain the same professional and ethical standards and avoid displaying bias for any team or player. Sports journalism is a highly specialised field that requires a high degree of knowledge and experience.  There's plenty to write about and cover at both the national and international levels. Cricket, for example, has continuously gotten more media attention and coverage than any other sport in India owing to its immense popularity.

• Interview sports personalities, athletes and coaches
• To develop story, evaluate ideas, leads or tips
• Fact-check background information of a story for accuracy using reference materials like books, news files, or public records
• Verify facts to reveal the truth behind the rumours about sports people or teams
• Maintain professional and ethical principles to not allow player or team bias to be reflected on the story
• Network and maintain relations with people who provide credible sources of information
• Reporting news stories, reciting background and event details for publication
• Attending press days and sports events to take notes, cover, and report on
• Give live or recorded commentary on broadcast media
• Report game statistics, player injuries, team structure modifications, etc. in the news
• Review work to satisfy editorial style, formatting guidelines, fit time or space needs
• Check written, audio, or video material to correct content, grammar, or punctuation errors
• Determine the focus, duration, and format of a published story or broadcast article, and arrange material accordingly
• Using mobile phones, telephones, fax machines to relay news reports or record information from remote locations
• Photograph or videotape news or events and edit them for a story publication
• Create content for columns or commentaries, by examining and interpreting news, present issues, or individual experiences
• Write online blog posts, columns, editorials, commentaries, or reviews covering developments; provide additional facts, or opinions or interpretations on news events

Abilities & aptitude needed

What are the skills, abilities & aptitude needed to become Sports Journalist?

• This career is suitable for those who have interest and passion for sports and has brilliant creative writing skills, along with the ability to think critically. They need to have analytical skills in order to understand and report game statistics.
• They need to have good judgement to gauge the errors in a literary work. This also requires familiarity with word processing and other computer editorial software.
• They must also possess abilities to work independently and to stay focused. They also need to have eyes for detail, be self-motivated, persistent and determined. They should be adaptable, flexible, and open to change.
• They also need to have good people skills, ability to work well with others, and verbal as well as written communication skills. The need for good interpersonal, interviewing, and active listening skills helps build working relationships.

Courses

Which course I can pursue?