Sports Journalism Vs. Sports Broadcasting By: Brandon Blackmore

Sports Journalism

What is Sports Journalism? Sports journalism is a form of writing, either on a paper or internet medium, for sports teams, players, or sports in general.

Duties Write, research, and present information on sports, whether it be a certain team or the whole league in general on an online media (website) or paper media (newspaper, magazine.)

Working Conditions Depending on the sport or sports that you write for, you need to be able to write for the whole season. Sometimes you will write in the offseason about key acquisitions, team previews, and other important topics.

Training Internships with smaller sports organizations such as minor league baseball teams. There are also internships for smaller colleges in sports. The more experience that you have prior to your employment, the more likely you will get the job.

Earnings Depending on who you work for, the earnings vary. The typical earnings of a sports journalist are $25,000-$45,000 per year.

Perfect School/ Degree The perfect school for being a sports journalist according to education-portal.com, Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) is the best school overall ($25,800/yr.) You need a bachelor’s degree with a major in English to get a job.

SPORTS BROADCASTING

What is Sports Broadcasting ? Sports broadcasting is the same as sports journalism; but instead of writing, you are speaking. It could be on TV or on a radio station.

Duties The duties of being a sports broadcaster are researching sports scores, players, and teams and discussing them with a powerful voice. This could be at the games or in a studio.

Working Conditions Presenting information and opinions on sports to an audience of people watching or listening. Also going to games and doing play-by-play broadcasting.

Training As with sports journalism, internships with smaller colleges and sports teams are helpful to getting a job and having experience.

Earnings The average annual salary of sports broadcasters is $59,000 as of 2013.

Perfect School/ Degree The perfect college in the US for sports broadcasting according to PhD’s education index, Belmont University ($23,770) in Nashville, Tennessee is the best sports broadcasting college in the US. You need to have a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and communications.

Similarities / Differences Both of these careers have to do with sports. The only difference is that in sports journalism, you are writing things down, and in sports broadcasting you are talking.

My Choice Since I would like to stay in Michigan for college, I would like to become a sports broadcaster. I like to talk and according to PhD’s Education Index, Central Michigan is ranked 9 th in the U.S. for best sports broadcasting schools.

WORKS CITED PhD’s Education Index. The Best Sports Broadcasting Schools- Rankings Table and Overview. PhDs.org. Education Portal. List of Sports Journalism Colleges and Schools. Educatian-portal.com Angst, Frank. Job Profile: Sports Writer. About.com Molis, Jim. The Average Salaries of Professional Sports Announcers. Chron.com Sports Journalist’s Association (SJA.) Training. Sportsjournalists.co.uk. Journalism Degree. Sports Journalist Job Description. Journalismdegree.com. Education Portal. Sports Broadcaster: Job Profile and Educational Outlook. Education-portal.com