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The differences between sports writers and staff writers 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 staff writer. Additionally, a staff writer has an average salary of $44,844, 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 staff writer are feature stories, news stories, and event coverage.
| Sports Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $36,041 | $44,844 |
| Hourly rate | $17.33 | $21.56 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,981 | 80,547 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A staff writer is an individual who works in the television (TV) or entertainment industry to provide standard content such as news reports, reviews, and features. Since writing content is important, staff writers must be able to collaborate and brainstorm ideas with other staff members in the production process. They must attend conferences, events, or seminars to meet other people in the industry. Staff writers must also possess knowledge in scriptwriting and an in-depth understanding of the entertainment industry.
Sports writers and staff writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sports Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Average salary | $36,041 | $44,844 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $51,000 | Between $29,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | The New York Times Company |
| Best paying industry | - | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a sports writer and a staff writer in terms of educational background:
| Sports Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Journalism |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between sports writers' and staff writers' demographics:
| Sports Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |