Sports Journalism: Surviving the Changes

As we move deeper into the 21st century and technology continues to advance, journalism continues to act like the grandparent who, no matter how many times it is explained, just can’t figure out how to work the DVD player. As new generations crave up-to-the-nanosecond news, information, and media, journalism has lost its identity, struggling to catch up to the demands of tomorrow while stubbornly holding on to its out-dated ways of yesterday. With every bit of new technology at its fingertips, the industry can’t grasp it, fighting to somehow profit in this weak economy. Newspapers shrink by the day, local news broadcasts lose viewers by the hour, and bloggers post news and opinions by the second, diminishing the role of journalists in all fields. Yet while the industry continues to sink, one sector has quietly risen above the rest… sports. If journalism were a high school, sports would be the starting quarterback; popular, confident, well prepared, and poised for a bright future. The other fields of journalism envious of this student’s success while they are left self-conscious, searching for their own identity, desperately trying to achieve popularity, and nervous for what the future will bring.

All ridiculous examples aside, the point I’m trying to make is that sports journalism has been a pioneer in the industry. While others have faltered, sports journalism has thrived, successfully using new advancements to deliver the most in-depth coverage and stunning visuals while transforming sports into a multi-billion dollar industry.

One thing sports has in its favor over, for example weather, is the fan. Not to say people aren’t fans of a 5-day forecast predicting sunny skies and high temperatures, but with sports it goes much, much deeper than that. Sports have cultivated a close-knit community of millions of people around the world who live, breathe, and eat by their sports.

John F. Kennedy once said, “We are inclined that if we watch a football or baseball game, we have taken part in it.” A good point there Mr. President. People don’t just take in sports like they would news about an earthquake in South America or a celebrity volunteering at a homeless shelter. People experience sports. They watch their favorite teams play as if they were part of that team. For the ardent fan, watching a sporting event can be a roller coaster of emotion. High one moment when your team is up, low when a mishap has made things look bleak, and the highest of highs when your team has emerged victorious. For these fans, sports journalism is there for every step of the way as a best friend of sorts, working hard to maximize their sports-loving experience.

Once upon a time, the coverage was limited to game recaps, profiles, and statistics in the morning paper. And while time has brought new media outlets to forefront, sports journalism has seamlessly transitioned into the 21st century, successfully utilizing all mediums into the overall fan experience. The Internet has taken over as the driving force, with constantly updated scores, injury updates, and commentary from a wide range of sports journalists all across the world. Television gives fans game coverage, opinionated sports talk shows, and compilations of breathtaking highlights and news with shows like Sportscenter. Magazines are still going strong. As Gary Andrew Poole writes in a Columbia Journalism Review article: “So far, the magazine industry hasn’t suffered the same kind of economic devastation that has befallen newspapers, and Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, Sporting News, and The New Yorker still, on occasion, publish put-down-your-iPhone-and-read-this articles.” Even newspapers, despite struggling across the board, offer valuable coverage of local teams that can’t be found on ESPNs and Yahoo!s of the world.

Sports journalism has dedicated itself to providing fans with the best possible experience and I believe, it is due to this dedication, that we have experienced such vast advancements in media technology over the last thirty years. If it weren’t for sports, the High Definition Television technology would not have developed so quickly. Think about it… sure watching Lost in high definition is a treat, but does it truly alter our viewing experience? I’d say no. And don’t pretend for a second that HD was established for the NBC Nightly News.

No, the HD technology was established for sports fans that yearn to feel closer to the game when sitting at home. Nowadays, the crisp picture, vibrant color, and mind-blowing detail make for an incredible viewing experience. And what about all the cameras? From watching a primetime football or baseball game on FOX you get the feeling there are hundreds of cameras, capturing every occurrence imaginable. The newest camera during many football telecasts is one that literally glides over the length of the football field attached to a wire stretching from one end to the other resulting in close-up shots directly above the action. Heck, these sports telecasts have become so good, there are many fans who bypass a chance to see a game live in favor of watching it from the comfort of their own sofa. With television’s amazing coverage these days, you can miss so much detail and information by actually being at the game. Other news topics just don’t have the ability to capture an audience the way sports does. Sure, you might want to tune in to receive updates about a big flood in India, but placing a camera in the water so the viewer can get an idea of what it’s like to float through the streets might capture the viewer’s attention for a good 30 seconds.

But beyond the technology and the fanaticism comes something so basic, yet so obvious. The nature of sports. Late Chief Justice Earl Warren once said, “I always turn to the sports section first. The sports section records people’s accomplishments; the front page nothing but man’s failures.” These days with steroid scandals and DUI arrests, the quote isn’t a 100% accurate depiction of today’s sports headlines, but the basic idea remains the same. Despite the scandal of the day, sports remains one of the true positives in our society. A topic where a story describing an astonishing achievement will always trump negative stories. Kobe’s 81 points, Tiger’s dramatic U.S. Open victory, or the Celtics’ 17th championship. Sports journalism takes the incredible moments and gives them the special attention they deserve, applauding these athletes for their incredible triumph, hard work, and perseverance. Such a buzz is created about these stories, they become etched into the history of sports and are remembered for years to come, thanks to the diligent work of sports journalists. Philip Meyer writes in the Columbia Journalism Review essay Saving Journalism, “The pure news audience is drifting away as old readers die and are replaced by young people hooked on popular culture and amusement.” I won’t go as far to say that sports news is more important than the pure news Meyer speaks of, but I will say that those interested in sports will never grow weary of sports news due to its positive impact on their lives and the enjoyment it brings.

In an article entitled The Forces Threatening Journalism, author Jay Harris says, “The challenges facing news professionals, and threatening journalism in the public interest, are significant and cannot be avoided. The facts of the situation are these: The past cannot be recaptured.” So much is being said these days about how newspapers all across the country are downsizing and going out of business altogether because they can’t figure out how to shift their past success in print, to the new medium of the internet. The blogosphere has caused much of the problem as unpaid bloggers are posting news and opinions at a lightning pace, making some journalist’s work obsolete. The State of the Blogosphere report from August 2006 reported that about 175,000 new blogs were being created each day (about two blogs per second). The report also noted that the blogosphere doubles in size about every 200 days. The statistics are enough to make any newspaper or news entity exec shutter. Yet while they complain, sports journalism seems to be handling the blogosphere just fine, if not thriving off of it. Players, coaches, and fans have created blogs that have received interest from readers but in the end, nothing compares to the inside information and knowledge of the experts. Patrick wrote in his article The 21st-Century Writer, “The Internet is forcing traditional print publishers to innovate or perish.” Yet, it seems as though sports blogs are only giving sportswriters more stories to write about. Just last month San Diego Chargers running back Ladainian Tomlinson reported on his blog that he would like to remain with the team once his current contract expired. The comment sparked some controversial statements from the team’s general manager, and thus, sportswriters had fuel for news and opinion articles regarding the subject.

And while many journalism outlets attempt to figure out how to succeed on the intent, it seems as though sports news entities were ahead of the game. Sites like ESPN.com and cbssportsline.com have been extremely popular on the web for years, and now, continue to improve on what was already stellar sports coverage.

How about the opportunities the Internet has created for sports? The World Wide Web has fostered an explosion in the Fantasy Sports world. With so many sites providing fantasy gaming and millions of participants, the success of these fantasy sports has garnered magazines, books, and television and radio shows specifically about these games. And as news websites struggle to entice advertising dollars, CBS Sportsline raked in millions by providing free live internet streaming of every game during last year’s NCAA Tournament.

There is no denying that journalism, including sports, has changed over the years. As time changes, so does everything else. But while newspapers and news broadcasts fear that they will be forced into making drastic changes in the near future, sports journalism can hold its head high in knowing that it prepared itself and its followers for the new times ahead. The industry was ahead of the game, always looking to improve itself in order to improve the experience of the fan.