ABSTRACT
This first chapter establishes that sports journalism is in crisis in the way that its norms, practices, forms and styles have been adopted by other actors in this digital age. This development has led to questions concerning the expertise and distinctiveness of sports journalism. The book sets out to explore the professional challenges that sports journalists face and how they are navigating them. Sports journalists are seeing the very bases of their professional practice being appropriated by others, yet at the same time, they are pursuing a professional project in which they are seeking to elevate their standing and status. Sports journalists have a reputation for being the ‘toy department’ because of a perceived weak commitment to professionalism. However, this label has troubled sports journalists for decades and they face new challenges in the digital age in their attempts to banish it.
