The Job Description of a Sports Reporter
A sports reporter is someone who covers sports events or news for a newspaper, website, magazine, or television or radio station. Sports reporters record information at games or conduct interviews with coaches and athletes, then relay that information to the public via the written or spoken word. They rarely use all the information compiled---instead focusing their stories on key moments of an event or interview.
Other People Are Reading
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Print Reporters
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Sports reporters who write for magazines, websites or newspapers provide all of their coverage through writing. They must have not just an understanding of key elements of sports, but strong sentence structure and grammar. Just like news reporters, sports writers focus on the where, what, when and how of the event they are covering. They must possess strong note-taking skills and write quickly, as many are expected to have their stories in within 30 minutes to an hour following a game. Sometimes, sports writers write more than one draft of the same story, updating it as more quotes become available.
Broadcast Reporters
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Sports reporters who work for TV and radio stations, as well as websites with broadcast capabilities, also must know about more than the sports they cover. They also need to have a firm grasp of video and audio editing equipment, as well as how to download the sound and video to be seen and heard on the air. Because they spend a lot of time in front of the camera or on the radio or podcasts, sports reporters in the broadcast industry sometimes become as popular (or perhaps even more popular) than the athletes they cover.
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Traits & Background
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Sports reporters in all media must possess excellent communication skills, allowing them to decipher the information they have compiled while attending a game and present it to readers or the viewing or listening public. They should be confident, motivated, energetic and resilient when covering a game or trying to contact a source. Most publications and broadcast stations seek candidates with a bachelor's degree in journalism when hiring a sports reporter. Other areas of study include mass media, English and communications.
Prospects
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While many fans take their sports seriously, the need for sports reporters is expected to fluctuate along with the rest of the news industry, which is still trying to find its way following the Internet boom of the late 1990s. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for reporters and correspondents are expected to decline by 6 percent through 2018.
Earnings
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According to PayScale.com, sports reporters earned an average annual salary of $25,000 to more than $47,000 in May 2010. Some in the TV industry, according to PayScale, were able to earn more than $52,000 per year.
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References
- Photo Credit woman writer image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
