When it comes to sports communications, there are many platforms and services in which fans can access information or coverage for a particular event. Because not all people hold the same accessibility or interest towards these events, not everyone is going to watch or catch up on sporting events in the same manner. Television, radio broadcasting, articles, live streaming services, and social media updates are all examples of ways in which people can keep up on the latest sporting news.
Source: The Streaming Company
The Deloitte handout proposed a great point that there is nothing like live sports. This is quite true for those who enjoy sports. While live sports might be the “best” way to follow sports, not everyone can manage or afford traveling to each and every game for teams of all levels. This is where our position in sports communications becomes VERY important.
Throughout the lecture and text for the week, the topic of crafting our work came up. To craft, as explained by Professor Kyle Vareberg for the VCSU Comm 415 course, implies that one will use skill and abilities in order to make it better and hone a craft – with practice. This particular line of his stuck out to me: “If we metaphorically think of sports information reporting as a craft, we really can figure out that it comes down to really perfecting a few major skills” (Varberg). When it comes to sports journalism, there can be a vast line of work, but we can specify our work areas and grow a specific set of skills – just like Professor Vareberg says.
Because we must craft our work and focus on a specific set of skills for the field, my questions for you today are:
What skills do YOU hone that would make you a great sports communicator? What field of sports communications could you go into with those skills?
An eye-catching moment discussed within the lecture was that clarity and organization is vital in sports writing. As a student within marketing, communications, and English – I have learned the importance of crafting your work for specific and vague audiences. In the case of sports writing, you have your audience who enjoys sports, yes, but you also have people who are in the middle – perhaps not 100 percent invested in sports but will read your story. This means your writing needs to be written in a way that a vast audience can understand.
Sports fans expect a lot out of sports journalism. Some things that readers expect are sophisticated stats, trends for the team or season, why or how a team is winning or losing, expectations for future competitions, understanding victories and losses, and an overall unique angle that they cannot find elsewhere (Vareberg). We must use creativity and insight to describe a game beyond the surface of stats or highlights – everyone can access that. We must explain why these teams win or lose and how they might use that in the future.
I love the quote in the lecture by Doug Fergeson, in which he says, “Here’s a rule of thumb: if you were to call a friend who asked you, ‘What happened at the [game/match] today?’ then your answer is probably the story” (Vareberg). Right when this quote came up, I saw immediate clarity. After taking photos for sporting events at VCSU, I will often tell my roommate or friends about Source: iStock
how the game went and give them my own little
synopsis or recap of the game and what I thought made or break the performance. Thinking back, I often provide great insight into how the game went about and contribute thoughtful ideas about the performance of both teams. This is something to greatly consider if I take my shot at post-game write-ups here soon within the office or my coursework.
There are many ideas to take into consideration when it comes to sports journalism. Just like the work though, it can be narrowed down to specifics. One must have creativity, but also an understanding of the game. There needs to be a purpose to one’s writing, for if you don’t have a purpose to write, fans will not have a purpose to read. There must be organization using a crafted lede, a nut graf, and the inverted pyramid tool – all of which are expanded upon within this week’s course lecture. The course lecture can offer great tips to you, as it has for me - BUT I do hope that this blog has offered you great insight into crafting your work and specifying your skills!
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Works Cited
The future of sports broadcasting: Enhancing digital fan engagement (2019). Deloitte Development LLC. (PDF)
Vareberg, Kyle. [Kyle Vareberg]. (2020, Jan.) Week 4 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCOpfDepuoo&feature=youtu.be
HI Hannah - strong work this week. It is quite interesting to see myself as a source. (Not that I'm complaining, though you wouldn't need to cite me officially.) I would say my skills are in my written communication. I know what to write, how to write it, and the style - but I lack knowledge on SPORTS, so as a sports reporter, I doubt I would be effective. Best, Kyle
One skill I have is able to remember big plays or highlights of the games. I know people want to know those, and it is fun to tell people in person. I think when it comes to writing, to be able to go back and remember that big moment in the game and try and reenact it so the readers could make it feel like they were there and can envision it. But just as we learned in this week, readers need to know more.
The qualities I have that would make me a good sports writer are the ability to recall statistics and my understanding of the rules of the game. I assume this will do me a fine job in live radio or television programming, because they're always describing plays and scenarios along with exchanging stats.
Your blogs are so well organized and easy to read. The skills I have that would make me a good sports reporter are the ability to remember numbers, and my knowledge of the game rules. I believe this would fair me well in live radio or television broadcasting because they explain plays and situations constantly along with sharing stats. I also had great clarity with the quote from Doug Ferguson and it helped me to even write my blog this week.
Clarissa Hilary
https://sportsreportingclarissa.weebly.com