Step 1: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Students interested in becoming sports reporters should consider earning bachelor’s degrees in journalism or a related major. With the expansion of technology creating new forms of media, many programs offer majors for different journalistic mediums, such as broadcast or online journalism.
Many institutions offer students a concentration in sports journalism. Students in bachelor’s degree programs learn basic journalistic skills like reporting, editing, feature writing, and communication ethics. Students might take courses in English composition, communications, multimedia journalism, sports in society, and current issues in sports journalism.
As a student, it can be a good idea to complete an internship. Applicants can improve their chances of finding employment with internship experience prior to entering the job market. Journalism programs may require students to complete internships or cooperative education programs in order to graduate.
A college student may also want to gain confidence in his or her reporting by working on the school paper. Many schools have a campus newspaper and a sports website that allow students to gain experience reporting and writing features on their school’s team and other local stories. In addition to internships, employers look for students who have experience writing for a campus publication.
Step 2: Find Work
A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for most entry-level jobs in sports reporting. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the employment for reporters and correspondents was expected to decrease 11% from 2019 through 2029. The best chances for new graduates to find work will be at smaller publications or with online media, as jobs with major newspapers and magazines will remain competitive. Students may also be able to find job opportunities within the companies they interned with while in college.
Those new to the field may also want to consider a graduate degree. Some colleges and universities offer graduate programs in journalism. These programs may allow students to focus on a topic of their choosing, such as sports journalism, and develop a thesis or capstone project around it.
Step 3: Get Experience and Advance
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, experience is the most important part of a journalism career and can help lead to advancement. Sports reporters may advance to a larger newspaper or magazines after acquiring experience at a local or regional paper. The large publications typically require applicants to have several years of experience. As sports reporters work their way up, they may be given popular assignments or may be allowed to specialize in a specific sport. They may also move up to positions such as sports editors or directors of sports news.
FAQs
What qualifications do i need to be a sports journalist?
To sum up, the answer to ‘what qualifications do you need to be a sports journalist?’ include:
- A bachelor’s degree
- Work experience
- Sports expertise
- Strong interest in athletics
Do I need a degree to be a journalist?
When you are exploring how to become a football journalist, you may be wondering about the specifics of becoming a journalist. In the vast majority of cases, a bachelor’s degree is needed in order to become a journalist of any kind. Sports journalism careers are no different. Generally speaking, an undergraduate degree is sufficient.
How do I become a sports journalist with a specialization?
You may be wondering how to become a football reporter, or how to become a female sports reporter. You may also have questions about how to become a sportscaster for ESPN and other news networks. In order to specialize within the sports journalism field, you need several things. First, you will need all of the same qualifications that other sports journalists have. Second, you will need to become highly knowledgeable about your specialization of choice. Third, you need to keep a lookout for any opportunities that may arise. Try to find people working in your ideal job and talk to them about how to be a sports broadcaster for ESPN, how to be an anchorwoman or anchorman, or any other specialization that is of interest to you.
A career as a sports reporter means earning a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field and having the patience to gain several years of experience during and after college in smaller organizations in order to work one’s way up to reporting, writing, reviewing, and researching sports stories for larger or multimedia news companies.