How To Become A Sports Journalist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sports journalist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Aaron Moore Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a sports journalist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $29.65 an hour? That's $61,682 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -10% and produce -5,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a sports journalist?

Aaron Moore Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Journalism; Director of Internship Program, Rider University

The journalism field has changed dramatically - and not really for the best. With that said, those beginning in the area need to have a strong social media presence. They need to be able to tell editors they can attract eyeballs to any of their work or content. Before beginners start looking for a journalism job, cultivate a social media presence.

ScoreSports JournalistUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,682

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate -10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 9.67%

Black or African American 6.37%

Hispanic or Latino 12.61%

Unknown 4.38%

White 66.66%

Gender

female 20.86%

male 79.14%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.1

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sports journalist

Explore sports journalist education requirements

Most common sports journalist degrees

Bachelor's

80.6 %

Master's

8.1 %

Associate

8.1 %

Start to develop specific sports journalist skills

Skills	Percentages
Twitter	15.35%
Facebook	15.14%
News Stories	14.40%
Sports Stories	10.05%
Local Sports	6.16%

Complete relevant sports journalist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sports journalists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sports journalist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sports journalist resumes.

Research sports journalist duties and responsibilities

Achieve worldwide coverage with one particular article criticizing racism in soccer.
Commentate expert analysis on college gymnastics and experience working live on ESPN
Construct and edit web-published multimedia pieces that are featured on the university's athletic programs.
Commentate expert analysis on college gymnastics and experience working live on ESPN

Prepare your sports journalist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sports journalist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sports journalist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable sports journalist resume templates

Build a professional sports journalist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your sports journalist resume.