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Sports editor vs sports reporter

The differences between sports editors and sports reporters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sports editor, becoming a sports reporter takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a sports reporter has an average salary of $96,119, which is higher than the $50,996 average annual salary of a sports editor.

The top three skills for a sports editor include sports coverage, adobe indesign and news stories. The most important skills for a sports reporter are twitter, facebook, and feature stories.

Sports editor vs sports reporter overview

Sports EditorSports Reporter
Yearly salary$50,996$96,119
Hourly rate$24.52$46.21
Growth rate-5%-10%
Number of jobs5,8454,296
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 85%Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Average age4440
Years of experience42

What does a sports editor do?

A Sports Editor is responsible for writing and editing sports and sports accessories. They assist reporters in writing and improving their work.

What does a sports reporter do?

Sports Reporters gather appropriate information for writing and sharing sports news. They attend sporting events and interview sports personalities, such as athletes and coaches.

Sports editor vs sports reporter salary

Sports editors and sports reporters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sports EditorSports Reporter
Average salary$50,996$96,119
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $77,000Between $67,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between sports editor and sports reporter education

There are a few differences between a sports editor and a sports reporter in terms of educational background:

Sports EditorSports Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 85%Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Sports editor vs sports reporter demographics

Here are the differences between sports editors' and sports reporters' demographics:

Sports EditorSports Reporter
Average age4440
Gender ratioMale, 85.2% Female, 14.8%Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%10%

Differences between sports editor and sports reporter duties and responsibilities

Sports editor example responsibilities.

  • Achieve a strong visible social media presence to 9,000 plus followers on affiliate GameTimePA twitter.
  • Achieve worldwide coverage with one particular article criticizing racism in soccer.
  • Proofread and copy-edite all stories in sports section.
  • Use Facebook insights to measure audience engagement and health of posts.
  • Run twitter account during basketball and football games, updating scores periodically.
  • Beat writer for the UK women's basketball team and UK women's volleyball team.
  • Show more

Sports reporter example responsibilities.

  • Manage the day-to-day production of the Olympics section as needed.
  • Assist with play-by-play commentary for local high school sports including: football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, and basketball.
  • Cover games for the men's ice hockey and basketball teams, as well as, the women's soccer team.
  • Earn repeated commendations for excellence in writing, reporting, photojournalism and infographics.
  • Produce yearly 30-minute football shows for state championship teams.
  • Host of Voces del Deporte & Almuerzo Deportivo daily radio programs on ESPN Deportes Miami.
  • Show more

Sports editor vs sports reporter skills

Common sports editor skills
  • Sports Coverage, 11%
  • Adobe Indesign, 8%
  • News Stories, 5%
  • Feature Stories, 5%
  • Editorial Content, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%
Common sports reporter skills
  • Twitter, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Feature Stories, 6%
  • Sports Coverage, 6%
  • Sports Stories, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%

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