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Sports reporter vs journalist

The differences between sports reporters and journalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a sports reporter and a journalist. Additionally, a sports reporter has an average salary of $96,119, which is higher than the $60,828 average annual salary of a journalist.

The top three skills for a sports reporter include twitter, facebook and feature stories. The most important skills for a journalist are news stories, multimedia, and story development.

Sports reporter vs journalist overview

Sports ReporterJournalist
Yearly salary$96,119$60,828
Hourly rate$46.21$29.24
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs4,29611,488
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 87%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

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.

What does a journalist do?

A journalist is responsible for creating written correspondence, covering various subjects as the management requires. This task involves a lot of research investigations, conducting interviews, and gathering reliable sources to verify the authenticity of data before releasing the articles on news portals and other social platforms. Journalists should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, conveying information to the target audience with high accuracy and efficiency. They analyze opinions and testimonies, create eye-catching headlines, and ensure adherence to deadlines.

Sports reporter vs journalist salary

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

Sports ReporterJournalist
Average salary$96,119$60,828
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $136,000Between $38,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Bloomberg
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between sports reporter and journalist education

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

Sports ReporterJournalist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 87%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Sports reporter vs journalist demographics

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

Sports ReporterJournalist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 79.1% Female, 20.9%Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between sports reporter and journalist duties and responsibilities

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

Journalist example responsibilities.

  • Manage studio operations, ensuring that shows run efficiently by floor directing, prompting and providing scripts.
  • Partner closely with 13WHAM ABC Rochester.
  • Award regional EMMY for spot news.
  • Edit headline packages, kickers, bumps and topicals.
  • Update stories to web page, twitter, and facebook.
  • Used ENG trucks to distribute live news feeds during broadcasts.
  • Show more

Sports reporter vs journalist skills

Common sports reporter skills
  • Twitter, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Feature Stories, 6%
  • Sports Coverage, 6%
  • Sports Stories, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%
Common journalist skills
  • News Stories, 15%
  • Multimedia, 11%
  • Story Development, 11%
  • Local Community, 7%
  • Edit Video, 5%
  • Local News, 4%

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