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Sports writer vs sports editor

The differences between sports writers and sports editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a sports writer, becoming a sports editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a sports editor has an average salary of $50,996, which is higher than the $36,041 average annual salary of a sports writer.

The top three skills for a sports writer include SEO, game coverage and feature stories. The most important skills for a sports editor are sports coverage, adobe indesign, and news stories.

Sports writer vs sports editor overview

Sports WriterSports Editor
Yearly salary$36,041$50,996
Hourly rate$17.33$24.52
Growth rate-10%-5%
Number of jobs16,9815,845
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Average age4044
Years of experience24

What does a sports writer do?

A sportswriter is responsible for delivering facts about ongoing sports happening around the world. They must be familiar with athletes such as footballers and swimmers. Sportswriter must understand not only sports but also the biographies of athletes. The core concern of a sportswriter is to write in a plain and understandable style.

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.

Sports writer vs sports editor salary

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

Sports WriterSports Editor
Average salary$36,041$50,996
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $51,000Between $33,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between sports writer and sports editor education

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

Sports WriterSports Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNorthwestern University

Sports writer vs sports editor demographics

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

Sports WriterSports Editor
Average age4044
Gender ratioMale, 82.6% Female, 17.4%Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 8.8% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black 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%
LGBT Percentage10%12%

Differences between sports writer and sports editor duties and responsibilities

Sports writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and encourage the Student/Staff in completion of tasks that are present.
  • Achieve worldwide coverage with one particular article criticizing racism in soccer.
  • Manage athletic contest statistics using various programs including Dakstats and other software.
  • Maintain social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and twitterconduct interviews with sourcesWrote local sports stories and take photographs
  • Produce content for multiple MLB and NFL stand-alone publications and special sections.
  • Assist with writing blogs for former Exitos939.com, tweets, facebook, Instagram posts on a daily/weekly basis.
  • Show more

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 writer vs sports editor skills

Common sports writer skills
  • SEO, 9%
  • Game Coverage, 9%
  • Feature Stories, 7%
  • Twitter, 5%
  • Soccer, 5%
  • News Stories, 4%
Common sports editor skills
  • Sports Coverage, 11%
  • Adobe Indesign, 8%
  • News Stories, 5%
  • Feature Stories, 5%
  • Editorial Content, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%

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