USA Career Guide-Sports Journalists
Education and Training Requirements
To become sports writer/journalist one should have a college degree. Print and broadcast journalism programs are available at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Most entry-level jobs require at least a bachelor's degree with an employer preference for degrees in journalism or mass communications.
Although this is not necessarily a requirement any education or training within journalism may help a sports writer to obtain a position. Demonstrating a strong writing ability as well as an understanding of sports directly is what is required in this type of writing position. Particularly if an individual works as a freelance sports writer, education may not even factor into their ability to get the job.
Much of the training may come on the job in terms of guidelines and the ability to meet deadlines sufficiently. However, any background or education can be quite helpful in getting started. Keeping up with new writing trends or styles can be helpful, and some of the training may come throughout the career of a sports writer.
Pay of Sports Journalists
As Sports Journalist you may earn anywhere from $25,000 to $45,000, until a sports writer rises to one of the country’s top print publications or websites. The good news is sports writers often have chances to make additional money through radio, television, books, and Internet outlets. Freelance sports journalist may receive compensation per article or on a specific writing assignment basis. A sports writer who works for a sports team directly or as part of a publication may expect to receive an even wider range of compensation.
Pay is usually based on the size of the outlet. Larger newspapers and popular websites pay more than smaller papers or lesser known websites.
Job Prospects of Sports Journalists
As reportd by Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor between 2010 and 2020 the jobs are expected to increase by ten percent. Competition is more stiff in larger metropolitan areas. Opportunities are expected to be limited because of both the number of workers who are interested in entering this field and declines in the number of positions. Prospects should be best for those with experience in the field, often gained through internships or by working on school papers.
As Sports reporter or correspondent you can work in:
- Television
- Radio
- Newspapers
- News Magazines
- Online Newspapers
- News Agencies
- News Portals
- Journals
You can even work as freelance journalists and get your stories published in magazines, online news papers and journals.
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