The Average Annual Income for a Sports Reporter
Sports reporters are a lot like other reporters--they gather information, write a story based off of that information and, depending on the size of the market or if the outlet is print or broadcast, shoot and edit their own video or audio and present it to viewers or listeners. That said, it can be a very exciting profession but if money is what you're after, very few are among the "ESPN" ranks or even the top 10 percent of earners--making around $75,000 a year, according to U.S. Department of Labor Statistics from 2009.
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National Comparison
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You may be surprised to know that the sports guy you see on your local TV station earns right around what the average American earns, according to mean salary statistics from the BLS from May 2009. The average reporter or correspondent makes around $43,300 annually, while the average worker, regardless of industry or occupation, earns around $43,700. It should be noted the BLS does not differentiate between sports and news or other beat reporters; in some smaller markets, in fact, the sports reporter may also cover news events, so there is cross-over.
Ranges
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Like other professions, there is a wide salary range for reporters/correspondents (a category that excludes broadcast analysts). According to BLS data, the bottom 10 percent of earners in 2009 made around $20,000--while top earners made slightly less than $75,000. Chances are, if you're just starting out or working in a small or smallish market, you'll earn closer to $20,000 than $75,000 (or even the median salary of around $34,500). In addition, print and broadcast reporters, on average, earn around $10,000 more than those in print--at around $52,000, according to 2009 mean salary info.
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Other Media Occupations
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By and large, sports reporters earn far less than other occupations in the vast category of "Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media Occupations." The mean salary for the more than 1.7 million workers who fall in this category is nearly $52,000. It should be noted that this category includes some relatively lucrative occupations that skew the figure far higher than the mean salary for reporters/correspondents in general, including producers and directors (around $87,000) art directors ($91,000) and fashion designers (nearly $75,000).
Sports-Related Comparison
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As evidenced by the category's title, several sports occupations are also included under "Arts, Design, etc." Just because you're interested in reporting about sports, doesn't mean you're athletically suited to make it a career--but it could mean just that, whether you are a superior athletic performer or a budding coach. You might be surprised to know that the mean annual salary for athletes and sports competitors in 2009 was around $80,000. Again, few make the millions of a professional basketball or baseball player. If you weren't blessed with athletic prowess, consider other professions: Coaches and scouts earned around $35,000, while umpires and "other sports officials" made around $29,000, according to 2009 BLS data.
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