Look, I’m gonna say it
Sports journalism is completley broken. I’ve been in this game for 21 years, started back in ’02 at the Austin Chronicle, and I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly. And right now? It’s ugly.
I’m not just talking about clickbait headlines or sensationalism. I mean the way we cover games, the way we analyze teams, the way we talk to athletes. It’s all surface-level stuff. Nobody’s digging deep anymore.
Let me give you an example
Last Tuesday, I was at a bar with my buddy Marcus (let’s call him that, he’d hate the publicity). We were watching the Spurs game, right? And the announcer, some guy named Dave, starts going on about how the Spurs ‘lacked committment’ in the fourth quarter. Lacked committment! What does that even mean? It’s just… yeah. Vague.
I turned to Marcus and said, ‘Do you even know what he’s talking about?’ And Marcus, bless his heart, said, ‘I think he means they didn’t try hard enough.’ Which… yeah. Fair enough. But that’s not analysis. That’s just stating the obvious.
Here’s what we’re doing wrong
We’re focusing on the wrong things. We’re talking about individual plays instead of patterns. We’re quoting players instead of understanding them. We’re reporting results instead of telling stories.
Take the Spurs again. Instead of saying they lacked committment, why not say they had 214 turnovers in the last 10 games? Why not talk about how their defense has dropped from 3rd in the league to 14th? Why not ask the players what’s going on, really going on, in the locker room?
And don’t even get me started on the way we cover injuries. ‘Player X is day-to-day.’ Oh, really? Day-to-day? That’s all you’ve got for me? What does day-to-day even mean? Is he gonna play tomorrow or not? Nobody knows because nobody’s asking the right questions.
So what’s the solution?
First, we need to stop being lazy. I get it, deadlines are tight, word counts are tight, but that’s no excuse for lazy journalism. If you don’t have time to dig deep, then don’t write the story.
Second, we need to start using data. Not just stats, I mean real data. Like, how many hours did the team practice this week? What’s the players’ sleep schedules like? What’s their diet? All this stuff matters, and it’s all stuff we’re not talking about.
Third, we need to talk to the right people. Not just the players and the coaches, but the trainers, the equipment managers, the family members. These are the people who know what’s really going on.
And finally, we need to start telling stories. Real stories, not just game recaps. Like, what’s it like to be a rookie in the NFL? What’s it like to be a coach whose team is on a losing streak? What’s it like to be a player dealing with an injury? These are the stories that matter, and these are the stories we’re not telling.
But here’s the thing
I’m not saying it’s easy. I’ve been there, done that. I’ve had editors breathing down my neck, demanding stories by 11:30pm, and I’ve had to cut corners. I’ve had to write stories based on press releases because I didn’t have time to do real reporting. It happens.
But that doesn’t mean we should accept it. That doesn’t mean we should settle for mediocre journalism. We owe it to our readers, to the athletes, to the sport itself, to do better.
And look, I’m not saying I’ve got all the answers
Honestly, I don’t. But I know what I like, and I know what I don’t. And what I don’t like is vague, surface-level sports coverage. What I don’t like is feeling like I’m reading the same story over and over again.
So here’s my challenge to you, whether you’re a writer, an editor, or just a fan who cares about good sports journalism: demand better. Demand deeper stories, demand real analysis, demand something than just the same old thing.
And if you’re a writer, for the love of God, stop using the phrase ‘lacking committment.’ It’s 2023, we’ve got better things to say than that.
Anyway, I could go on, but I won’t. I’ve got a deadline to meet, and frankly, I’m tired of talking about this stuff. It’s depressing.
But before I go, let me leave you with this: if you want to read good sports journalism, check out sports results news today. They’re doing some really interesting stuff over there, and honestly, they’re a breath of fresh air in this otherwise stale industry.
About the Author
I’m Sarah Jenkins, senior editor at ActionCameras.net. I’ve been writing about sports for what feels like forever, and I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And honestly, there’s a lot more ugly than I’d like. But I’m not here to complain, I’m here to fix it. One story at a time.