Sports journalism is a scary business
If you’re a journalism student like me, you’ve probably been told a million times by a teacher, an academic advisor or even a fellow classmate, that journalism is a rough business.
I mean how can you not jump to that conclusion when almost every month, significant job cuts are made at some of the biggest publications in North America. Whether it be Postmedia, the company behind Montreal very own The Gazette or The Toronto Star, talented journalists are losing their jobs and at an ever increasing rate.
Despite all of this “gloom and doom,” I’ve always managed to remain positive. I tell myself to put my head down, stay in my lane, put in work and keep moving up where I can. I’d like to think this has gotten me pretty far but after the news that three local sports personalities were laid off just a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t help but feel sick to my stomach.
For those that don’t know, CTV News Montreal is probably one of the biggest newscasts in the city. During a live broadcast just a few weeks ago, they announced that there local sports coverage was going to be cut completely. This left Montreal sports reporting legends Brian Wilde and Randy Tieman, as well as up and comer Sean Coleman without jobs. Not only were these three men talented sportscasters, but they were beloved by sports fans who tuned in to CTV exclusively for their delivery of the day’s highlights.
Just a few months ago, ESPN fired its entire NHL team, including veteran insider Pierre LeBrun who can usually be seen alongside Bob McKenzie on the TSN hockey panel. It just goes to show that everybody in this business is disposable. A valuable lesson for a student like me, but also a living nightmare for someone who’s dream is becoming a sports reporter.
It’s clear that being talented and working hard isn’t good enough to have a long, prosperous career in this industry and it’s quite sad. And it doesn’t just apply to sports journalism. All journalists are becoming more and more aware of this sad reality. It’s just that sports are more niche and appeal to less people than general news. This ultimately means that there are already less jobs for us and when jobs are taken away, it ruins the landscape.
There are plenty of reasons for why this is happening. Citizen journalism and digital media have created a market where real, professionally trained journalists aren’t needed anymore. Thanks to YouTube, anybody can be a pundit and if you make a name or a voice for yourself, people will flock to you, leaving traditional outlets like ESPN, TSN and Sports Illustrated in the dust.
Now with CTV getting rid of local sports, reporters will be hard pressed to find their start in the industry. If you look at anchors and reporters who work on a National platform, they all started locally first. Without the initial step into the business, who knows what the future of sports journalism could look like?
However, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Because of platforms like YouTube and live-streaming sites like Twitch, up and coming journalists can stand a chance if they take advantage of these spaces.
In the hip-hop world, DJ Akademiks, a popular commentator who has 1 million subscribers on YouTube, has started to use Twitch as a way to personally connect with his audience and go more in depth on stories. His YouTube and Twitch presence has spawned viral moments and has allowed him new opportunities such as a co-hosting gig alongside retired rapper Joe Budden on Complex’s new show “Everyday Struggle.”
Aspiring sports journalists should look at DJ Akademiks’ success as a template for how to rise to the top in the 21st century. It sounds obvious but you need to be in spaces where people are watching in order to get eyes on your work.
The dream of being on ESPN is almost a dead one. If you really want to make it sports media, you’re going to have to be an innovator in the new space that is digital media, otherwise you’ll be left behind.
