Shannon Copeland/Contributing Writer
A conversation about sports is one of the most interesting conversations you can have, right after music and food. Here at FIU, sports play an integral role in our collegiate lives. As a sports fan, however, I think more could be done educationally.
I am an aspiring sports journalist who can’t get enough of a good soccer game on a Saturday morning and I really like to see Cristiano Ronaldo showcasing his skills. But, at times, I feel as if sports journalism is overlooked at FIU.
Here at FIU, we have sports fans with interests ranging from basketball to rowing to soccer, baseball to track and field. Sports journalism is a profitable field. It is diverse, versatile and you can make quite a career out of it. In journalism, there are many ways to write and present a story, and many ways to conduct an interview. But for each story, there is certain approach that needs to be taken. Journalism is an art and I believe sports journalism is a very special segment of it. True sports fans know that you cannot be taught how to love sports, but you can be taught how to use that love for the good of the game. I think a sports reporting class could guide journalism majors, and others with an interest in sports, in the right direction for becoming a better journalist.
In these classes, students could learn how to conduct a sports interview, how to ask probing questions to certain tight-lipped coaches, and also how to better connect athletes with their fans by asking the right questions. To me, a good sports story should make a rival respect a rival, even when they really don’t like one another.
Miami is also a perfect city for journalism majors. The Sun Life Stadium, Marlins Park and AAA Arena are within a reasonable distance to FIU, and all host some amazing games. With a sports reporting class, I think relationships could be forged with prominent television stations, allowing students get their hands-on experience and elevating The School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) to another level. Connections could also be made outside of Miami with ESPN and the Fox Soccer Channel, even GolTV. These possible internships could lead to sponsorship for the class and even, hopefully, a sports journalism major.
I spoke with Student Media Sports Director Eduardo Almaguer, who is also a journalism major at the university.
“I think the idea of a sports reporting class would be great, but, and I say this as someone who wants to go into the sports field, it’s not necessary,” said Almaguer. “I don’t see more than 10-15 students in a class for that. Writing for sports is not something that you can’t learn from your sports editor.”
While that may be true, a class on writing specifically for sports would greatly help many sports-minded journalists.
I have spoken with many journalism students who love sports and also believe that having a sports journalism class would be beneficial. With this class, students could be guided in the most effective ways to being a sports journalist, leading to greater opportunities for them in this field, and SJMC would benefit as well.
With dedicated sports fans and an academic interest in Journalism, I am sure FIU and the SJMC could connect the two, resulting in a Sports Journalism class.
I know one student already eager to register.
