Main Aim(s) of the Unit:

This course seeks to provide students with a full historic and social context of sports journalism, as well as a broad knowledge base about sport and sports journalism at home and across the world. It will provide them with a series of exercises to improve their practical skills so as to match the foundation knowledge base.

At the end of the course the students should be able to proceed towards a career in newspaper, magazines, radio, television and online sports journalism, as well as associated roles in public relations and media management in sport organisations.

Main Topics of Study:

Introduction to Sports Journalism

• Organisation of Sports Departments and Sports Journalists
• The Sports Editor
• Forward Planning
• Media Markets

History of Sports Journalism and its Social Impact

• Media Influence on Sport
• Sport’s Influence on the Media
• The First Sports Page
• Great sport writers
• Sport in Radio
• Sport on Television
• Globalisation
• Digitisation
• Tabloidisation
• Great Sports Writers

Journalism Ethics and Sport

• Media Ownership and control
• Conflicts of Interest
• Local Bias or Boosterism
• Product Placement
• Perks and Benefits
• Privacy
• Manipulation
• Gender and Race
• Favouritism and Neutrality
• Sports Rights
• Access to Sports Event

Sports Coverage in Print

• Writing the intro
• The five Ws
• News story structure
• Writing style
• Headlines, crossheads and body copy
• NIBs - sports news in brief

Broadcast Sport

• Back to Square One - a history of sport on radio
• They think it’s all over - Great Sports Broadcasts and Broadcasters
• Special demands of Broadcast Journalism
• The Broadcast Sport Department
• The Language of Broadcast Sport
• Research and preparation
• The Reporter’s notebook for broadcast
• Story and structure
• Writing and Performing Scripts
• The “improvised” two way
• Interviews
• Outside broadcasts
• Commentary
• Sports News and Sports Bulletins

Sport in Vision

• Role of stills photography
• The role of the stills photographer
• Use of graphics
• Copyright
• Image rights

Online Sport

• Specialist sport websites - official
• Sports Websites - unofficial and fan based
• Website design
• Adapting content for use on the web
• Running reports on the web
• Online writing styles
• News
• Features
• Role of Blogs
• Stills, graphics audio and video for the web
• The web as a Research Tool

International Sports Institutions - Major

• IOC - International Olympic Committee
• NOC - National Olympic Committee
• FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  UEFA - Union of European Football Associations
• OCOG - Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games

International Sports Institutions - Minor

• FIG (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique)
• IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation)
• ISU (International Skating Union)
• UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale)
• International Sport and Culture Assocation
• FIA - International Automobile Federation

Sports Regulation

• CAS - Court of Arbitration for Sport
• WADA - World Anti-Doping Agency
• ICAS - International Council of Arbitration for Sport
• Racism and Sport
• Human Rights in Sport

Sports Reporting - In the Office

• Sources
• Contacts and Contacts Books
• Official Information - Press Releases and Press Conferences
• Sponsors
• Wire and News Agencies
• Other media
• Sports and other websites

Sports Reporting - in the field

• Why send a reporter - the purpose of sports reporting 
• The Reporter’s Notebook
• Previews
• Running Reports
• Considered reports
• Delayed reports
• Inquest Pieces

Sports Features

• What Is a Sports Feature?
• Finding the peg or angle
• Profiles
• Opinions
• Columns
• Editorial
• Participation Features

Sports reporting and the public

• The role of the audience
• Traditional approaches - role of Vox Pops
• Modern approaches blogs, UGC and Texts

Learning Outcomes for the Unit

Knowledge and Understanding - having completed this Unit learners will have :

1. A general knowledge understanding of the key issues surrounding covering sports journalism in the media and beyond
2. The social, economic and cultural impact of sport in society
3. A general understanding of the relationship between sport and society
4. A broad understanding different international approaches
5. An understanding of national and international sports institutions
6. An understanding of the wide range of media technologies
7. A general understanding of media production processes
8. A general understanding of online distribution of and social networking
9. Demonstrate writing and speaking skills across all contemporary media
10. To deliver print and broadcast reports of sports events

The numbers in the boxes below show which of the above unit learning outcomes are related to particular cognitive and key skills.

Learning and teaching methods/strategies used to enable the achievement of learning outcomes:

Learning should take place on a number of levels, principally through lectures, but centres should also encourage seminars, presentation and class discussion, including review and analysis of current media issues.

Formal lectures should provide a foundation of information on which the student builds through directed learning and self managed learning outside the class.

Assessment methods which enable the student to demonstrate the learning outcomes for the Unit:

Written examination : 3 hours duration. Weighting : 100%

Indicative Reading For This Unit

Main Text

Andrews, Phil Sports Journalism - A Practical Introduction Sage London (1st edition 2005)

Alternative Text and Further Reading

Schultz, Bradley Sports Media Reporting, Producing and Planning. Focal Press ( 2nd Revised edition March 2006)

Boyle, Raymond Sports Journalism Context and Issues. Sage London (1st edition 2006)

Important Websites

CAS - Court of Arbitration for Sport - http://www.tas-cas.org/news
FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association- www.fifa.com
FIA - International Federation of Motorsport - www.fia.com
IOC - International Olympic Committee - www.olympic.org
OCOG - Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games - www.london2012.com
WADA - World Anti-Doping Agency - www.wada-ama.org
ICC - International Cricket Council - icc-cricket.yahoo.com

Guideline for Teaching and Learning Time

50 hours Lectures/ Seminars/Tutorials/Workshops
Tutorial support includes feedback on assignments and may vary from college to college according to local needs and wishes

50 hours Directed Learning
Advanced reading, research and preparation, background reading, Group study and portfolio

50 hours Self managed learning
Working through the course text and other recommended reading material, use of the web, interaction with other students and in the field research at relevant sporting events