Sports Journalism Context and Issues Chapter 1 Engaging with

Sports Journalism: Context and Issues

Hiereachy of a newsroom Toy Department

Commercially sports journalism has always mattered to newspaper and
the popular press specifically.
This book is about identifying sports journalisms wider place within the
broader field of journalism and journalism studies.
Offers a historically informed snapshot of some of the issues, debates and
challenges that are reshaping the boundaries of contemporary sports
journalism, specifically, but not exclusively within the UK media context.
Globalisation, digitisation, marketisation Key underlying aspects of any
analysis of sports contemporary journalism.
Sports Journalism offers a fascinating case study inhow global and local
media interact in contemporary societies.
Related to globalisation is digitisation
Digitisation has seen the emergence of an increasingly sophisticated
battle for control of sports and how they are delivered, reported and made
sense of for readers, listeners and viewers.
The reporting of the political and economic dimension of sports has
become more important in recent years as the commercialisation of the
industry across the globe has developed.
Is the toy department analogy still valid if one third of certain editorials
are dedicated to Sports.
Sports journalism in Britain is changing and this book attempts to map out
the organisational, technological and cultural factors driving this process.
Both television and journalism are viewed as two of the key areas of
cultural production that most clearly illustrate the concerns of lowering
public standards.
An interesting wider theoretical position implicitly underpins much of the
debate around the tabloidisation and dumbing down of journalism.
Ultimately sports journalism is the anthitesis of what journalism should
really be about.

Sports Journalism; Context and Issues Chp 2 Sports Journalism

and the Print Media Tradition (Boyle,2005)

Sports journalism largely remains a footnote, albeit an important

one, when set against the wider political and economic factors that
shaped the newspaper industry.
Newspapers increased coverage to grow revenues from advertisers
by capturing and holding onto readers.
Grantland Rice Used hyperbole to accentuate the drama of sport
Syndicated Columnists and full-time baseball writers were nobility
and everone else was a commoner.
By 1920s of sports departments were allowed to edit their own
copy; free reign

What was really significant in US sports writing was the mixing of

popular idioms and wider cultural points of reference in the sports
pages.
In British sports journalism the class and market division between
tabloid and broadsheet journalism were a significant feature.
Sportswriting before the age of television had to help readers see
the games and players.
The Daily Mirror symbolises the beginning of the tabloid newspapers
relationship.
One of the primary roles of sports journalists was to describe the
game to readers who were not live at the event.
The sportswriting we read today is written for fans who already
know the scores and probably saw the highlights on SportsCenter.
Sport journalism is about the interpretation of real events and
making sense of them for a range of readership.
Late 1960s Becoming more commonplace for the print media to
carry sports related stories that were no longer solely confined to
the back page of a newspaper.
While the advent of television money into sport has fundamentally
helped reshape the relationship between journalist and player, the
culture of contacts and inside information remains an important
characteristic of journalistic culture both in sports reporting and
other arenas of journalism,
In cities like Manchester and Glasgow, a steady stream of stories
involving the big football teams is absolutely ital. for the commercial
success of papers in these cities.
Post-match phone in Radio stations often using print media sports
journalists as pundits offering pre and post match comment and
opinion.
Investing in sports journalism to attract a younger male readership.
While television offers the immediacy of live sports event, it is the
scene setting , the pre- and post-event analysis and any attendant
scandal or controversy.
Television have a vested interest in portraying a sporting event as
positive to viewers to retain viewership; newspapers can be more
negative about an event, with a fine line existing between the role
of sports journalism as a form of sports promotion and critical
journalism.

Sports Journalism; Context and Issues Chp 3 Sports Journalism

or Sports Broadcasting (Boyle,2005)

There is sports journalism, there is broadcasting and then there is

sport pundit.
American broadcasting compared to BBC / Public Broadcasters
Commentators in the US have to cram all their information in to the
periods between the points of a game and sometimes even during
the play which tends to irate viewers.
While sports broadcasting required particular skills and ability, it was
not always viewed as being part of sports journalism.
Print journalists could be partisan in their outlook, the wider
parameters of radio broadcasting suggested a greater degree of
detachment and professional engagement with sport that was
simply not associated with print sports journalism.
Abandonment of neutrality Champions League will have a
particular partisan coverage towards the British teams by British
broadcaster, same can be seen by RTE in their Rugby Coverage of
the Six Nations Rugby.
Uk taking after US Phone ins where prominent in US radio in the
70s but not in the UK until the 80s.
If you expose wrongdoing or inefficiency in a sporting organisation
they are unlikely to sell you the rights again.
If a particular television station has exclusive access to a world
heavyweight boxing fight that fight is likely to be apart of their news
agenda.
Lack of investigative journalism associated with television coverage
of sport
Broadcast sports journalism has been concerned with reporting
results, team news and the live action events as they take place.
You are being journalistic about something that people have a good
feel for and understanding of and if you interpret the wrong way
people will soon tell you.
Alistair Campbell I want a commentator to tell me what is
happening not stuff his opinions down my throat.
Television will say football is box office but documentaries about the
the underside aspect of the game are not.
Andrew Thompson, BBC Head of Sports News BBC Sports
coverage has to have a journalistic spine shot through it.
We would never ever shape our sports news agenda in terms of
what we deliver to the news bulletins to reflect any rights that we
hold or do not hold. contrary to Boyles assertions which state
that the the BBC had more premier league coverage in comparison
to ITV when they regained the terrestrial rights.

Andy Gray In US they dont request, they demand access to any

player for promotional reasons given the amount of money paid for
rights.
UK a lot harder to get access.
By the turn of the new century there had never been more media
outlets talking sports and sports-related activity across a range of
media platforms from digital television, through radio and the
internet.
Growing recognition that sport and sporting events are increasingly
important cultural and often political events.
Michael OHerichy The difference between me and Lineker is that
Im a journalist and I ask much tougher questions and can get a
debate going and sustain it.

Sports Journalism; Context and Issues Chp 4 Sports Journalism

In the Age of 24/7 Media (Boyle,2005)

Sports journalism is now more emphatic and dramatic than it was in the
past. Its about comment, analysis, reaction and reflection.
The biggest change in sports journalism over the years has been
newspapers finding they are going head to head with with radio and
television Stweart Weir
We have had to respond by becoming more sensationalist and by often
trying to fill in the gaps or add to the stories that have already been told
by television or radio. - SW
There will always be a market for reading what someone thinks Graham
Spiers
For some broadcast journalists work in the soft side of sports journalism;
their safe questioning of sports stars and players protecting the vested
interest a channel has in promoting a sport
F! racing journalists watch from a media centre, person at home has a
better look.
The pack is feature of all sports, particularly football.
Radio coverage has become more professional as they realise that people
are interested in listening to this.
There is a growing difference between that of the sportswriter and the
sports journalist.
Jon ryan The Sunday is a particular market Our agendas is really to
reflect on the weeks events in sport and set up the agenda for the coming
week.
Bring something fresh to the reader, something they havent seen or
heard watching or listening

Expansion in sports journalism has been driven by the rise in comment

and opinion pieces or in the reporting of speculative information about
what is about to happen.
Pundit Journalism characterises an increasingly large amount of what
passes for sports journalism in the digital age.
Guardian journalist David Conn has argued there has never been an
investigative tradition in British sports journalism.
News and current affairs journalists will from time to time investigate
certain aspects of of the sports industry, such as allegations of race fixing
in horse racing but Conn notes this strand of journalism remains largely
absent from mainstream sports journalism.
Trying not too hard to bite the hand that feeds you want an interview
with a manager but if your robust in your coverage of said manager a club
or team may refuse you the interview because of your coverage Graham
Spiers and Alex McCleish of Rangers.
UK like the US has a hybrid with tabloid/broadsheet coverage of sport
where in Italy, spain and France there are dedicated sport dailies.
Do you allow the size of the page you are working on to dictate your
editorial policy NO David Chappell The Times
Distinction between tabloid and broadsheet coverage of sports is blurred
now compared to 60s and 70s.

Sports Journalism; Context and Issues Chp 5 Sports Journalism

In the Promotional Age (Boyle,2005)

Modern sports journalism is significantly shaped by public relations.

The discrepancy between a players wealth and the person covering that
player, particularly in football has created distance between both
professions which has made it harder for a reporter to build a relationship
with a player, particularly in football.
There has always been a tension between journalism and the sports and
entertainment industry.
Journalists view their obligation to write for the readers and listeners and
to scrutinise the sport on behalf of the paying fan.
At one point in time Robbie Keane would only turn upto press conferences
if the Evening Herald was not present.
There is a long history in sports journalism of cosy relationships between
players, managers, and officials and particular journalists or editors
leading to stories appearing (or being pulled), all which serve particular
interests and help shape sports cultures.
Television provides the narrative, we flesh out the characters Richard
Williams.
When Rupert Murdoch attempted to buy Manchester United through BSkyB, Piers Morgan the editor of the Mirror at the time felt that the Murdoch
owned Sun would get all the access while the Mirror would get squeezed
out.

With certain footballers you will have to get approval from the players
agent in order to avoid situations such as the Evening Hearlds dilemma
with Robbie Keane.
The related expansion of journalism associated with sports have helped
both feed and to fuel the developing celebrity culture.
When a microphone is placed in front of someone, that person realises
theyre on and shape their responses in a manner that is wary of
consequences instead of engaging in a normal conversation argues
Leonard Koppett.
What is wanted is what I think at some papers verse what the footballer
thinks at tohers. Columns verse report
Press Conferences with security guards have made it easier for some an
dmore difficult for others as they have largely eliminated the need/luxury
to engage with and develop long term relationships with players.
Dont get too close to sources Spiers getting to close to Marti ONeill
went for dinner with him for five hours and paused at the keyboard and
did not want to be influenced in his writng by his personal fondness for
ONeill.
Puff Piece intended ot raise someones profile
There remains a clear division of labour between investigative journalism
about sports and general journalism associated with sports.
Know your audience Alistair Campbell in charge of handling press for The
Lions 2005 tour of New Zealand was criticised for trying too hard to control
the media in New Zealand. They wanted straight answers not spin
deliveries.
To combat spin, winning and results override everything, you cant control
team performance if your soundly beaten.
At the core of this book is a debate about the location of sports writing and
reporting within the wider field of journalism.
Although at times entertainment and sport can be very similar in the way
they are covered given the meshing of the two, exceeding in on field
performance still remains a vital factor in celebrity ascension.

Sports Journalism; Context and Issues Chp 6 Sports Journalism

In the Digital Age (Boyle,2005)

I think increasingly the heart of sports journalism is going to be on the web

Andrew Thompson
We are too quick to focus on the finish line, we want winners even if the
losers have better stories.
Digital media are significantly changing the environment within which
journalists operate.
One of the major differences between print and broadcast sports
journalism has become the issue of trust. If a player is speaking to a
camera there is a sense that it is more difficult to play with those words on
the screen.

The digital age of sports journalism is characterised by elite sports that

have become increasingly financially dependent on media organisations.
Mistrust is based on a player or manager being turned over by a news
papers, sometimes by a sports journalist, but more often than not by news
journalist.
It is impossible to draw a clear line where sports news ends and news
begins.
The race to be first with a story has increased in an age of 24/7 rolling
news, the accuracy and the fundamental role of a journalist in the circuit
of communication begins to change.
An over reliance by journalists on the web for information can be a
dangerous and potentially costly business.
If you use web copy you should be checking the facts anyway, that is our
responsibility.
The breaking of sports news across the web and digital 24-hour news and
sports television and radio channels has not eroded the appetite ,
particularly at the broadsheet/compact end of the market, for more in
depth and reflective journalism.
The big news organisations and sports websites still remain amongst the
most reliable and most viewed and trusted for sports stories.
Digital media has both shifted and consolidated the balance of power
among media towards television, the web and mobile communication
systems, yet there remains a need and a place for written word.
While much about journalism has changed in the digital age, the ability
and power to allow people to relive sporting moments remains a powerful
weapon for the sports journalist.

Sports Journalism; Context and Issues Chp 7 Sports Journalism

In the Digital Age (Boyle,2005)

Sports news is home to one of the most intense and historically enduring
gender divisions in journalism.
Sports journalism remains one of the last journalistic areas in which
women have failed to make real progress.
If a history of sports journalism has barely warranted a footnote in
academic studies of journalism; then the position of women in sports
journalism has barely warranted a sentence.
Womens participation in sports journalism is a not a new or recent
phenomenon; very prevalent in the 1920s.
There remains little doubt that across the journalistic spectrum, women
remain woefully under-represented in sports journalism in the UK.
Women journalists account for just fewer than 9% of the sports journalists
working in the national UK Press.
Its like the army, youre not really in until youve done this or that.
Given the relatively closed world of many of the sporting packs of
journalists, breaking into this group you have to show you can do the job
you work hard mix with the other journalists and get the quotes.

Another issue related to women sports journalists is whether they offer a

different perspective on sport from their male colleagues.
There has been a growth of women journalists covering sport working
throughout local and acnational radio.
Locker room access can still be an issue from time to time.

Sports Journalism; Context and Issues Chp 8 The Image and

Status of the Sports Journalist (Boyle,2005)

Image can often depend on the editor of the paper. If they treat sport as
important, then you enjoy a status within that paper.
There are certain skills without which its very hard to be a journalist
although its a fair bet that there are more journalists who cant write
shorthand or who dont understand libel law than there are fishmongers
who cannot gut a mackerel.
More media outlets, twitter, tv and radio appearances have given football
journalists a higher profile than in previous generations.
Sports writing is not something I would have associated with celebrity, but
that has changed.
If youre asked to comment you have to give it honestly.
Many former sportspeople are also considered by sports journalists to lack
a journalistic news antenna.
There is too much of the all all friends together club this really is sport as
entertainment and show business.
The predetermined story can often be an element in this process with the
journalist keen to get the quotes to back up the story or the line they were
already planning to take.
Access becomes an issue, the granting of one to one interviews is often
limited, while press days are divided up to allow dailies the Sundays and
the radio and television journalists to all to get their time with players or
athletes.
There are also insiders who maintain a distance from colleagues and the
culture that travels with the pack.
There is no doubt that football journalism in particular is still populated
with journalists who have come in through the fanzine movement or
through specific club magazines or publications.
You cannot write about the game if you dont have the passion for the
game- Amy Lawrence.
Sports journalists have been accused of travelling too close to the sporting
circus and the players associated with sport.
Ultimately sports broadcasting is a narrow and partial form of sports
journalism.
Sports journalism, like other areas of the trade, has become much more
competitive and in many ways more professional.
David Chappell Sports editors Im not fussed about people who can
name every FA Cup lineup since 1957, I want people who can question and
where they have to, fall back on their journalistic skills.