How big is the sports-writing job market in Australia and globally?
Research beyond the readings below and do a brief survey of the kinds of jobs
that are available and speculate on the ways an aspiring sportswriter might
begin a career.
ARTICLE FOCUS:
Emery, Paul R., Ruth M. Crabtree Anthony K. Kerr, "The
Australian Sport Management Job Market: An Advertisement Audit Of Employer Need", Annals Of Leisure Research 15.4
(2012): 335-353
ARTICLE Summary:
The article is
a primary study of a six-month occupational audit made to determine the
employer needs, nature, diversity, skill-set and selection criteria demanded of
the Australian sport management job market, for a better understanding of
graduate opportunity and recruitment expectation of the industry.
The findings imply
that graduate employability remains an issue of concern for students- it also
demonstrates and discusses the findings of the audit of sport management
positions in Australia which present an employer perspective of the nature and
published expectations of sport management opportunities. In particular, the
most frequently demanded management and leadership expectations were found to
be ‘achieving results, working with people, using resources and providing
direction’. Entry-level recruitment demanded a skill-set that included ‘excellent
communication, planning/organization and problem-solving skills, and the
selection criteria emphasized ‘experience, qualifications and an appropriate work
ethic/passion’. This research provides a benchmarking profile of Australian
sport management opportunities from which fitness of purpose and curricular
development can be further researched and developed.
Who is or wants to be a sports writer? What does the
job entail?
Well in detail…
Sports writers
deliver engaging and informative news to readers of blogs, websites,
newspapers, or magazines. They may work directly for a publishing company or
freelance and syndicate their stories to a variety of news outlets. Some
writers specialize in coverage of one sport, such as basketball or football,
while others cover all the news on athletic competition in their region.
Regardless of the type of sport covered, writers must use their creativity to
excite and engage readers while writing content that is always factual, current
and accurate.
Writers do
whatever is necessary to write exciting content for fans of the sport they
cover. This may mean traveling to games, researching current events in the
sport, making contacts to obtain insider information or tracking down sources.
Unlike the brief information given during television news, written media must
be detailed, in-depth and offer reasons for why a team won or lost. Because of
this distinction, writers must dig very deep for information not found
elsewhere and analyze subjective aspects of the game in order to deliver
successful content.
Sports
writers keep fans in touch with their favorite sports and teams. With television
providing immediate coverage, in-depth reporting is expected from today's
sports writer. They not only write about what happens in the game, but the
reasons teams succeed or fail. Besides game coverage, sports writers cover team
news, like player transactions and coaching changes. They write feature stories
on players and coaches, and provide insight on trends involving the team or
sport they cover.
The sports
writing career is very competitive. Writers often compete with others in their
region to publish information first, thereby gaining the loyalty of a fan base
hungry for information. In addition, many newspapers are downsizing and cutting
staff, thereby creating more competition in this career field. However, with an
ever-expanding media market, which now includes both commercial and personal
blogs, writers have more opportunities than ever to secure a position in the
industry.
Many
sports writers have a specific “beat,” meaning they cover a specific team or
sport throughout a season, or even throughout a year. Since many games are at
night, sports writers rarely work a 9-5 day. More typical is arriving at the
office in the afternoon to discuss story ideas with editors, call sources for
possible stories, and write stories. Some writers cross over into other forms
of media, such as television, radio and podcasts. They may write content for
these shows or, if they show an aptitude, become talk show personalities
themselves.
THE PAY-
Most
sports writers will not make a fortune but nearly all of them love what they
do. As with any field, sports writers who rise to the top of the field can make
a lot of money.
More
typical though is pay from $25,000 to $45,000, until a sports writer rises to
one of the countries top print publications or websites.
HOW BIG IS THE SPORT WRITING JOB MARKET?
Well, the
article highlights that for students, there exists a diverse range of sport
writing opportunities on a national and global scale, as there is always at
least one mainstream sport highlighted and publicized in almost every country.
With the
Internet providing more sports media outlets than ever before, today's sports
writers have numerous opportunities given to them on a global basis. Twenty
years ago, sports writers typically worked for newspapers, or perhaps
magazines, but the field has indefinitely changed vastly.
Today,
sports writers still work for traditional outlets but they also may be employed
by sports news websites, team websites, or even work on their own blog. Many
sports writers also add expertise to radio, television, and streaming video
coverage. The opportunities are as varied as the sports covered, but the key to
all of these communication forms is concisely giving information in an
entertaining and creative fashion.
ARE THERE MANY SPORT WRITING JOBS AVAILABLE?
Sports writers
come from all walks of life.
v Young and old
v New and experienced
Through
the six-month occupational audit of advertised positions, useful insights have
been provided into the evolving characteristics and needs of management
positions in the sport industry. It highlighted that within the six-month data
collection time frame, 684 positions were identified, and providing an average
of 114 positions advertised each month. The breadth of the sample frame is
illustrated by the inclusion of more than 35 different individual sport
settings (e.g. AFL, athletics, ballet and bowls through to water polo,
weightlifting and yachting), as well as multi-sport (e.g. sports event
management, community/ youth sport and disability) and general management
positions (e.g. administration, marketing and finance personnel in sport
centres). The most frequent sport-specific management opportunities occurred in
the areas of health and fitness (27%), swimming (8%), golf (2%) and football
(2%).
While
current opportunities and future prospects for a career in sport management
appear to be good, entry-level requirements and expectations are seen to be
demanding. Typically, entry-level positions require successful applicants to
achieve results, work with people, use resources and provide direction, and are
able to manage budgets, develop productive working relations with colleagues,
develop and implement operational plans and manage projects. Furthermore, the
skill-set expected of these candidates comprises excellence in communication,
planning and organization and problem solving. However, in a very competitive
environment, applicants must be aware of, and ideally exceed, the key selection
criteria. From an employer’s perspective, graduates are expected to possess
experience, communication skills and qualifications, as well as personal
attributes and real-world skills that include a positive can-do attitude and an
ability to deal with pressure and meet deadlines.
This
suggests important implications for higher educations providers and students
pursuing a sport management career. However through greater understanding of
industry needs, educators can address the gap between students and employers and
more effectively design and engage with learning activities that produce
competent and highly skilled work-ready sport writers and managers for the
future.
NOW,
WHY SPORTS WRITING, WHATS GOOD?
It is fair
to say sport writers typically enjoy what they are doing. Although they remain
neutral at the games they cover—objectivity is a must—they get to see top
games, teams, and athletes. Sports writers spend much of their time out of the
office and typically travel extensively.
While
sports writers do not always compete on the field, they do however enjoy
competing to get stories first and providing readers with the best information.
The variety of outlets provides many ways for the writer to tell his or her
story.
Writers have
access to teams and players that few others ever enjoy. Covering top athletes
can be fascinating. Sports writers witness top competition, always with a prime
seat.
Many
sports writers also move on to column writing, in which they add their own
views on sporting events. Often times, these column writers become well known
in a community.
And the
best part is that good sports writers always attract an audience. Passionate
fans will loyally read each story and often provide positive feedback.
WHERE
TO APPLY?
Along with
the standard sites like LinkedIn, Seek, Career jet, Career one - The associated
press sports editors maintain a job board on their site. After university, sports
writers typically start a blog and work their way up to bigger publications however
they also may find employment at one of the many sports websites like ESPN.com or sportsline.com and league sites like NFL.com and MLB.com who also employ sports writers, as do many
professional teams.
Examples of sport writing job titles that
could be found through these standard employment sites:
v Feature writer
v Social media and online marketing
coordinator
v Digital news editor
v Blog writer
v Online web journalism
v Sport event management
v Media and communications manager for a
club
v Media officer
v Sports reporter, editorial assistant, sub
editor
v Content creator
v Producer and broadcaster
v Web reporter
v Media assistant
v Melbourne correspondent
v TV presenter
v Freelance sports contributor
v Statistician
v Club president
Job Applications:
Now when it comes
to applying…remember that if an employer takes even 2 minutes to look over your
CV you are lucky! These days reading an
application is almost as boring as writing one in the first place so you MUST
MAKE IT STAND OUT. Give them a reason not to bin your application and WANT TO
MEET YOU!!!
WAYS AN ASPIRING SPORTSWRITER MIGHT BEGIN A CAREER:
For an aspiring
sports writer who wishes to succeed and become credible as a sports writer, the
writer must first develop certain basic skills.
The basic
skills you will NEED to work in sports writing is…
v A broad Understanding of the Sports
Business
v Actual Industry Knowledge
v Research Skills
v Ability to Connect With Sports Fans (OR
YOUR PARTICULAR AUDIENCE)
v Creativity
Many of today's
sports writers are university graduates, typically with journalism degrees that
developed an aptitude for writing and undertaken a range of internships.
Besides their degree, sports writers typically wrote on blogs. This helped
provide good practical experience. Many sports writers were never star
athletes, or they may have never played sports. But all sports writers love
sports and competition. Playing a sport or closely following a sport provides
important experience.
In
addition to a degree and practical experience, writers must be experts on many
if not all mainstream sports. They must know not only the rules of the game,
but must also understand its history and have an intense knowledge of all key
players, coaches and teams. Moreover, they must have a passion for athletics
and a desire to provide fans with accurate and entertaining news. Other skills
important to the field of athletic journalism include strong interpersonal and
networking abilities, an aptitude for spotting news as it occurs and the
ability to write creatively while captivating an audience. Writers must also
possess a strong sense of self-confidence and determination in order to endure
the long hours and irregular work environment inbuilt in this field.
SO IN CONCLUSION, TO BE A GOOD SPORT WRITER;
ALWAYS REMEMBER:
'Sport is
NEWS'
THEREFORE,
v
Read
everything
- Stay current and be aware of competitors
v
Get
the skills
- THAT IS A MUST due to the competitive
nature of the industry
v
Get
the experience
- Try doing a cadet journalist internship
v
Develop
a niche
- This shall be your personal brand and
will attract your own audience
v
Stay
'match fit'
-
Always stay in that writer's mindset even when writing on a personal blog
v
Have
Motivation, determination AND PERSISTENCE
GOODLUCK
!!!!! J
