ABSTRACT

Sports Journalism is a comprehensive guide to the purpose, principles and practice of this unique profession. Now in a fully revised and updated second edition, including important new material on social media and the rise of on-line journalism, this is still the only book to explore the fundamentals of sports reporting across every media platform.

Combining an introduction to practical skills, contextual discussion of the changing media environment, and important case studies, including the ground-breaking story of Lance Armstrong, the book covers key topics such as:

  • essential relationships in sports journalism - networking and the Sports Desk
  • print journalism for magazines, tabloids, broadsheets and the internet
  • live action – news, radio and television sports journalism
  • effective research – managing and accessing sources, information, statistics
  • practical skills for managing schedules and meeting deadlines
  • working with sports agents and PR professionals
  • getting the best from press conferences and interviews.

Laced with revealing anecdotes from the author's own thirty years’ experience of domestic and international sport journalism, and including questions in each chapter to encourage critical reflection and notes on further reading, Sports Journalism is the ultimate insider’s guide and an invaluable student companion.

chapter |18 pages

The hardest job ever craved

An almost shameless confession

chapter |29 pages

Batting and balling

A short history of sportswriting

chapter |23 pages

Whose agenda is it anyway?

Sports journalism in the digital age

chapter |11 pages

The knowledge

chapter |21 pages

Then, in the final minute …

The match report

chapter |27 pages

Breaking the news

The news story

chapter |16 pages

‘Hi,' said Muhammad, amiably

The interview

chapter |5 pages

Beneath the mud

The feature

chapter |14 pages

Me, the jury

Expressing yourself (responsibly)

chapter |4 pages

The advantage of distance

Periodical journalism

chapter |15 pages

Live and exclusive

Broadcasting

chapter |8 pages

The safety net

Editing and sub-editing

chapter |16 pages

Views from the top

chapter |7 pages

St Francis of Hereford

Frank Keating, heart and soul of sportswriting 1