What are the essential qualities of a good sports journalist?Explain the opportunities in sports journalism in India.
Answers
Impartiality
It's no guarantee, but chances are, if you are covering sports, you are a fan to some extent. This is why it's important to remain impartial to the events you are covering. When you let your rooting emotions get the best of you, you run the risk of both missing important data and coming across as unprofessional. Also, it's important to not judge a player or team on his past actions with the media when devising your questions or writing your article.
Empathy
Coaches, athletes and, to some extent, even fans, can be a mercurial bunch. This is why it's important to craft your approach carefully when interviewing subjects. For example, notice the quiet, empathetic and respectful demeanor that reporters have on television when they are interviewing in the losing locker room.
Creativity
Good sports reporters always are looking for a fresh, creative angle with their stories. All too often, story lines get beaten into the ground in the sports world. Not only does this turn off your readers, but it can lead to the coaches and athletes to thinking less of you, which can adversely affect future interviews. Even if you are writing a straightforward recap of a game, find a way to engage the readers with your lead.
Flexibility
Like countless reporters who are covering other news, sports reporters have to adjust to working odd hours. Even scheduled events are subject to change, as evidenced by baseball games getting rained out. Plus, there's the issue of overtime and/or extra innings. Oftentimes, a deadline is set for midnight no matter how long the game drags on. A good sports reporter will be able to create good copy even if she has to write it in 45 minutes. Also, she should be able to cover a variety of sports in several formats, be it feature stories, game recaps or previews.
Adaptability
Advanced technology has created a 24-hour news cycle that requires instant, up- to-the-minute updates. A good sports reporter will be able to effectively multitask when covering games, such as tweeting brief commentary and writing in-game blogs all while taking notes on the game itself for the actual recap to be written later. That said, he should be technologically proficient in order to quickly provide information in various formats.
The sports columns in modern newspapers have become extremely popular. There is probably more universal reader interest in the sports pages than in any of the other parts of the modern newspapers.
Sports throughout the world have assumed an importance beyond the recreational aspect. As a result readers are demanding more and more reading matter on sports events.
It is heartening to note that of late sports have received a strong impetus in India. Our people are now taking more interest in games, sports and athletic events than they were doing formerly. Government’s interest in sports, once lukewarm, has also heightened to an appreciable degree. The formation of the Sports Council and Sports Authority of India and establishment of the National Institute of Sports are all illustrative of the changed trend. A numbar of Stats have introduced sports as compulsory subject in schools and some of them have started sports schools and sports hostels etc.