Sportswriters
Overview
Introduction
Sportswriters are reporters who cover the news in sports for newspapers and magazines. They research original ideas or follow up on breaking stories, contacting coaches, athletes, and team owners and managers for comments or more information. Sometimes a sportswriter is fortunate enough to get their own column, in which the sportswriter editorializes on current news or developments in sports. Sportswriters also write for online publications and social media. There are 44,100 news analysts, reporters, and journalists, including sport...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, reporters and journalists, a category that includes sportswriters, had median annual earnings of $46,270 in May 2019. The lowest paid 10 percent of all reporters earned less than $24,520, while the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $117,170. Reporters and journalists that worked for newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals earned an average ...
Work Environment
Like other journalists, sportswriters work in a variety of conditions, from the air-conditioned offices of a newsroom or magazine publisher to the sweaty, humid locker room of a professional basketball team, to the arid and dusty field where a baseball team's spring training is held. Sportswriters work irregular hours, putting in as much or as little time as the story requires, often traveling ...
Outlook
Employment of reporters and correspondents, including sportswriters, who work for newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers is projected to decline through 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. This steep decline is due to industry consolidations, a drop in advertising revenue leading to layoffs, and other factors. The coronavirus pandemic has also caused many sports even...
