What’s Next?
A Sports Journalism Article by Victoria Lowe
Sports journalism is changing at a rapid pace, but in many cases, it is for the better. With this being said, although there is a huge demand for sports journalism, the future seems to be uncertain. How information will be presented in the future of sports journalism is yet to be determined and with a digital future ahead, many media outlets battle to create a business that will survive the digital age.
Right now, the nature of sports journalism is basically handed to us on a silver platter. With most of the information being complementary, audiences can access sports coverage as well as news and information on an extremely wide variety of platforms. Sports media outlets have adapted to the need of complementary access from its audiences and have continued to provide content that can easily be streamed from whatever device they are on.
It is an extremely exciting time for sports journalists because there are so many opportunities for writing. Whether it is in newspapers, multimedia, online, broadcasts, social networking or for sports organizations, sports journalists find themselves with plenty of options that can take their careers to the next level.
A lot of the skills that sports journalists are gaining through the work they do in college or through experience in the industry, has become hugely valuable and is crucial in developing skills they need, to be a quality sports journalist.
Since there has been more interest in the career of sports journalism, many companies are having to find ways to stick out. The need for sports media to produce consistently high-quality work is more important than ever. More competition is leading to better quality and more researched sports news. Sports journalists now have to look into more angles, talk to more people, and get more information that has to be investigated. This means they are getting a much more rounded story than they might have previously.
Sports journalists need to be much more creative and inspired with their writing as well as constantly updating their accounts and content. This in turn, leads to a never-ending news cycle, creating a lot more work for journalists in the sports world. The digital era has led to a massive increase of sports news available. Fan-based sites and blog sites are also providing increasing competition to newspapers. These other news outlets are requiring journalists to make changes and adapt to digital developments.
Although some information about the future of sports media is uncertain, we know that there will always be a place for sports journalism. In an interview with Katie Hinkle, editor of the Seawanhaka newspaper, Hinkle says that, “Coverage can only get better. Sports media has continued to show growth each year and there have been so many opportunities for people to grow within the career of sports journalism.”
This growth comes from the digital age. “Sports teams and leagues are taking control of their publicity in the digital age. The online world allows them to break their own news and reach global audiences through websites and other social networking sites.”
While circulation rates for newspapers are declining, online readership is increasing at a huge rate and giving people quicker access to information. Readers are expecting sports news instantly, and as digital technology continues to develop, so does the need for faster information. Hinkle believes that “social media has been more impactful for professional sports every year. They have been able to widen their market and their fan base by content creation.”
With new technology and access to a wide number of media outlets, the future of journalism and the role of social media in sports looks very promising. Whether it is through blogs, print newspapers, television, radio, websites or tablet devices, the choice of where and when audiences access sports news and information has never been greater.
Camryn Lyman, a Journalism major commented on the impact that social media has played in today’s world. “Social media helps to reach a bigger audience and gives people the information they need for games. In 10 years, I feel like it will be even easier to reach sports audience and spread information even faster.”
She mentions that “not long ago, sports fans would have had to wait until the next day’s newspaper or the evening’s news broadcast, to find out the score of a sports match, but now, fans can access the score, a match report, post-match comments, video highlights and even statistics as soon as the game or match ends.” The challenge for sports media is ensuring there is constant, up to date and accurate information on whatever platform the news consumer is on.
This requires a multitude of skills because sports news audiences are no longer satisfied to consume their news on just one platform. Audiences are looking at multiple platforms and gaining as much information as they can. Lyman says that, “digital technology allows out of town or even out of country fans to follow their favorite sports teams. It allows everyone to have access to live score updates on any number of websites or platforms. Social media has allowed everyone to have these updates.”
COVID-19 has also played a huge role in the future of sports journalism. Casey Snedecor, the Director of Media Relations at Long Island University believes that, “because of the pandemic, a lot of adjustments have been made and it will be interesting to see what sticks.” A lot of companies have realized that they can produce the same content with less staff which puts some sports writers and journalists at a disadvantage.
“Sports were taken away for a while during the beginning of the pandemic so there wasn’t much to cover. During that time, I think the sports journalists gained a better appreciation for their job and they realize how important their coverage is.” Virtual stuff has made things more accessible and has leveled the playing field among many companies. “Journalism is a field that is very resistant to change, it will be interesting to see what goes back to normal and what stays,” Snedecor says.
The future of sports journalism may seem like it will mostly be digital, but there will still be a need for the printed word because of the variety of platforms that people consume their news from. There is still a need for all forms of sports media on a huge variety of platforms. Many sports fans are no longer satisfied with one source of news. People want blogs, tweets, and constant updates.
We are in a historical period, where digital technology is forcing developments in sports reporting. Even with this being said, traditional methods of sports journalism are still being used and even improved to keep up with competition presented by digital coverage.
With everything we have learned, and everything we will continue to learn, the future of sports journalism is brighter than it ever has been and will only continue to expand in the journalism world within the next 10 years.
With this newfound need for instant gratification, the digital age of sports journalism has been expedited and has become the standard need for information in the sports world today.
