From sports business to sports media to sports technology and sports sponsorship, all of these fields fall under sports journalism jobs, which require a canvas in which to draft your words and voice an opinion when you’re a journalist.
No matter what sector of the sports world you cover, you’ll need to become familiar with several platforms to showcase your work.
The days of relying solely on writing for a magazine or newspaper publication in order to share knowledge or opinion are in the past. Yes, these platforms still exist and can be powerful ways of delivering knowledge and information, but the internet is literally a few key punches and mouse clicks away from giving the goods to your readers. It has become the quickest way to reach a reader base and build your reputation.
Establish an Internet Presence
In this day and age, the internet has become the go-to for any budding journalist to make their voices heard. Writing content for a web publication or blogging is incredibly easy to accomplish. Whats even better is something so easy can also be used to establish a reputation good enough to get your foot in the door of an established website or even into the offices of a magazine or newspaper.
But, it is becoming increasing difficult to nab a job with a big-time print publication because they’re dying breeds who want all the bang for their buck they can get. It is still possible to make a career in sports journalism, but you need to separate yourself from the rest using any advantage you can get your hands on.
Familiarizing yourself with platforms such as Word Press and Blogger are great first steps and come at no charge. A number of companies run their entire website through platforms such as these and they’re becoming standard for journalists who work in the industry.
Get Familiar with Website Hosts
My first paid sports writing job was for the now-defunct Gear Up for Sports, who ran their entire website through WordPress. This site host is a powerful tool; and once you get the hang of it through hours of practice you’ll realize the potential it has. Once you realize that, you’ll understand why so many sports industry companies – like Sports Networker – use it to do almost everything. You may even gain the know-how to start up and run your own sports website.
Blogger is a much more basic way of getting your words out to the world, but it can be a very valuable platform to learn, especially when you first begin to write. The first-ever sports blog post I made was through Blogger for a blog titled Blue Jays Machine – which was dedicated to everything related to the Toronto Blue Jays. It’s a very simple platform to learn and comes highly recommended for new writers.
Know Adobe Products
If you’re interested in writing for a magazine, study the ins and outs of Adobe products such as Photoshop and K4.
I currently work for The Hockey News as a freelance editor and they use Adobe products for their print edition. Adobe products can be tricky pieces of software to figure out on your own, so maybe taking a class is in order, but if you know how to use them you’ll have a step up on your competition when it comes time to hand in your resume.
Own Your Platforms, Own The Sports Journalism Jobs Field
No matter where you want to go or who you want to write for in your sports journalism career, you need to familiarize yourself with the necessary platforms needed to help you achieve your goals or dreams. The platforms mentioned above are good places to start if you’re interested in a sports writing career, so give them a whirl.
Good luck!