For many sports fans, the dream job isn’t just watching games — it’s talking and writing about and analyzing them for a living. A fulfilling career as a sports reporter blends a passion for sports with storytelling and engaging with fans.
Whether your goal is to work at a major website or television station, host a podcast or become an expert analyst or sideline reporter, the internet has opened many routes into the industry for traditionally educated journalists or those looking to break in independently with different educational or professional backgrounds.
“The beauty now is students have a built-in platform with social media, so nobody is stopping them from doing whatever they want to do to market themselves, to get themselves out there and get peoples’ attention,” says Jeff Goodman, co-founder of Field of 68 Media Network, which covers college basketball.
Here are some tips on how to become a sports reporter.
Build Foundations in Journalism or Communications
While formal journalism education isn’t always required, earning a degree in journalism, broadcasting or communications builds foundational skills and may be more attractive to some employers. Journalism programs teach news writing, editing and video production, as well as media law and ethics — crucial skills that often separate successful journalists from unsuccessful ones, experts say.
[READ: What You Need to Know About Becoming a Journalism Major.]
You also learn reporting essentials such as style, tone, sentence structure and interviewing skills from faculty, says Brett Dawson, newsroom adviser for The O’Colly, Oklahoma State University‘s student newspaper.
“When you’re choosing a college or university, ask about not just the journalism program but about whether it offers a sports-specific journalism major or track,” he says. “You need a broad base in your journalism education, but you’ll get more out of it if you’re being taught sports journalism by people who specialize in it.”
For example, Arizona State University, Syracuse University in New York and Oklahoma State offer bachelor’s degrees in sports journalism or sports media.
Some also offer master’s degrees in sports journalism, like Indiana University Indianapolis, which is home to the Sports Capital Journalism Program — the first master’s program in sports journalism in the U.S., according to program director Malcolm Moran.
Learn By Doing
Whether you plan to write, work in TV or radio, create podcasts or do a mix of all of it, you’ll need examples to show your abilities. Many universities offer student-run publications as well as campus television and radio stations where you can get valuable experiential training.
A school’s journalism program itself may also provide hands-on opportunities, like IU’s Sports Capital Journalism Program, where undergraduate and graduate students have been credentialed to cover major sporting events like the College Football Playoff, the NCAA Men’s Final Four and the Olympic Games.
“I think at any level — but particularly at a big state university with power-conference sports — practical, on-the-job training is the most valuable tool you have in preparing for a career,” Dawson says. “No matter how much you talk in class about interviewing a challenging subject, there’s no substitute for framing a question in a press conference or one-on-one interview and seeing how someone responds to it.”
[Related:What You Need to Know About Becoming a Communication and Media Studies Major]
Athletes and coaches can be temperamental in interviews, especially after a loss, so learning how to navigate emotional or negative reactions to your questions — and accept that it’s part of the job — is something that comes only from actually doing it, Dawson says.
“Go to practices. Go to games. Go to events where the athletes you cover interact with fans or fellow students,” he says. “Do all that you can to connect with the people you cover. It can be harder for a college journalist than a seasoned pro, but the time you put in will be worth it.”
Part-time gigs, internships and contract work also offer valuable experience and a taste of newsroom culture. You’ll learn how to work on a deadline, handle edits and feedback from editors, and create content that engages your readers.
Build Your Personal Brand
You can start creating your own content and building your own brand with the tools at hand — a phone, laptop and camera. That’s how Renee Washington broke into sports media after earning a communications degree at La Salle University in Pennsylvania.
Looking to pivot from her marketing and public relations background, Washington started freelancing for a local outlet covering college sports while pursuing her master’s degree in educational leadership at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. She also worked with Lehigh’s athletic department, cutting highlights and creating content.
Meanwhile, she began creating her own content on YouTube and her personal website, then started sending her resume and clips to any outlet who was hiring, whether in news or sports.
[Read: What You Need to Know About Becoming a Marketing Major.]
“Going into that process of trying to find a job in the industry, I actually did have something to show for it,” says Washington, who is now a host for sports business and culture outlet Front Office Sports. “In addition to my education, I also had a lot of experience in various roles that I was able to pull from to show … what I needed to highlight and show that I could also work in journalism.”
Even if you start by creating sports content as a side hustle, your online following could become a viable revenue stream or get you hired by a larger outlet, experts say.
Be Persistent and Adaptable
Regardless of your education or experience, you have to work hard to get your foot in the door in the competitive sports media industry, experts say. Get used to saying “yes” to any opportunity, especially at the beginning, Dawson says.
That’s what Washington did. While contracting, she asked for more assignments and chances to shadow others to learn the profession.
“It all came through persistence and being creative and confident in finding ways to market myself,” she says. “I was able to show that even though I didn’t have a degree or even internships specifically in reporting and journalism, I still had value through my own experiences.”
A strong work ethic is often rewarded, Goodman says. Many of his own network hires were people he found through social media who were “just diehard fans that were trying to break in.”
The media landscape continues to change rapidly, he says. Aspiring sports journalists need to be adaptable and versatile.
“You’ve got to find a way to stay relevant as you get older — and if you’re young, you’ve got to find a way to be relevant,” Goodman says. “That really is having a good work ethic and setting yourself apart from all the other people that are trying to do the same thing.”
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How to Become a Sports Reporter originally appeared on usnews.com
