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Sports writer vs sports reporter

The differences between sports writers and sports reporters 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 writer and a sports reporter. Additionally, a sports reporter has an average salary of $96,119, 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 reporter are twitter, facebook, and feature stories.

Sports writer vs sports reporter overview

Sports WriterSports Reporter
Yearly salary$36,041$96,119
Hourly rate$17.33$46.21
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs16,9814,296
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

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 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 writer vs sports reporter salary

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

Sports WriterSports Reporter
Average salary$36,041$96,119
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $51,000Between $67,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between sports writer and sports reporter education

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

Sports WriterSports Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Sports writer vs sports reporter demographics

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

Sports WriterSports Reporter
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 82.6% Female, 17.4%Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
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, 6.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between sports writer and sports reporter 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 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 writer vs sports reporter skills

Common sports writer skills
  • SEO, 9%
  • Game Coverage, 9%
  • Feature Stories, 7%
  • Twitter, 5%
  • Soccer, 5%
  • News Stories, 4%
Common sports reporter skills
  • Twitter, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Feature Stories, 6%
  • Sports Coverage, 6%
  • Sports Stories, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%

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