Whether we watch professional and college sports or follow amateur teams, public interest in sports and the sports media is a given. As early as 1835, the first regional leagues needed publicity to attract interest, and daily newspapers began to supplement sports specialty magazines. The New York Journal, under William Randolph Hearst, attempted to outdo its rivals with sports coverage. The first televised baseball game in 1939 was met with skepticism by critics, and the sports section of that paper was eventually born.
Modern sports journalism has its roots in Victorian England, where journalists began to organize and codify the world's sports. According to Andrew Warwick, the first mass-spectator sports event for journalists was The Boat Race, an annual rowing contest between Oxford and Cambridge, held every year since 1856. The popularity of this sport attracted many journalists and readers. The tradition of reporting on sports is a rich heritage, but its roots are not entirely clear.The growth of mass media accelerated the development of sports journalism. It began in the early nineteenth century as a niche market aimed primarily at the social elite. Eventually, sports reporting became an integral part of the news business, with newspapers and magazines developing dedicated sports sections. Popular interest in sports led to an increased amount of coverage and an increase in sports-specific media. A journalist can cover a variety of sports topics, from game recaps to play-by-play. In investigative reporting, the reporter examines important developments within a particular sport.
In today's visual economy, brands and content must be more than just news. They must be visually consistent in order to attract consumers and make them come back. Sports are a global phenomenon, and fans are no longer limited by geography or region. In addition, winning in the visual economy requires a different strategy than winning on the field. To win, sports brands must design a consistent brand. They must engage audiences where they are, creating digestible content that cuts through the clutter.
Digital media and the rise of social networking sites have created new sources for sports journalists, but their use has also introduced new ethical questions. Using Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks to get quotes from athletes, coaches, and other individuals poses new ethical questions and challenges for the industry. In this book, we speak with a panel of Minnesota-based sports journalists about the ethics of using Facebook and Twitter, as well as the consequences of citing direct quotes taken from social media.Women who work in sports media face much higher levels of online harassment than their male counterparts. Fortunately, the number of female sports journalists is increasing, and some high-profile women have publicly pushed back against trolls on social media. Tessa Peloso, an intern at the Towson Sports Network, is one such example. She has heard many reasons why she will never break into the sports media, but she continues to work hard and hasn't let anyone keep her down.
In the current digital age, the boundaries of sports journalism are continuously expanding as nontraditional actors enter the professional arena. Amateur sports fans, team media of sporting organizations, and other amateurs are taking up many of the tasks traditionally associated with sports journalism. As McEnnis points out in his book Disrupting Sports Journalism 2021, such amateurs are engaging in activities that audiences perceive as journalistic, and sports journalists are forced to defend their distinctness by elevating their professional status.While the role of the media in sports is three-fold, it is often characterized by numerous challenges for both journalists and sports organizations. These include ethical dilemmas, personal conflicts, and lack of support. While the profession is characterized by an ethical code, a lack of transparency in its practices leads to self-censorship. Self-censorship can also stem from greed or personal interests. Reporters may develop close relationships with key stakeholders of a sport and choose to hide information about certain instances of corruption. Self-censorship also translates into low salaries, job insecurity, and personal profit.