National Sports Journalism Center

Photo by Brian Hendrickson

Tim Franklin, director of the National Sports Journalism Center, instructs his Business of Sports Media class in front of the APSE Red Smith Hall of Fame display at the IUPUI Student Media Center.

By Brian Hendrickson
National Sports Journalism Center Graduate Fellow
 

Zach Osterman’s clipping file was filling with dramatic game stories and controversial events last winter.
 
A year after graduating from Indiana University with degrees in journalism and political science, Osterman landed a freelance job covering Notre Dame football and basketball for The Times of Northwest Indiana — a position that provided exposure, eye-catching clips and potentially a gateway toward full-time work. It put him in Notre Dame Stadium for the Irish’s dramatic loss to Michigan, the press conference announcing head coach Charlie Weis’ firing, and numerous men’s basketball games.
 
But as Osterman examined his options for advancing his career, he decided the best long-term approach was to return to school as part of the first class in Indiana University’s Master’s of Sports Journalism program. On Aug. 23, Osterman joined 15 classmates in a Digital Sports Journalism class that kicked off the nation’s first advanced degree program specific to sports journalism.
 
Entering the one-year program made sense to Osterman because it offered specific training he needed to be competitive in the changing media world that he either did not receive during his undergraduate studies, or found difficult to obtain in the fast-paced working environment.
 
“I didn’t get a chance to work under a lot of people who made my work better, who were going to be willing to critique me,” Osterman said of his previous experiences. “I saw this as a way to work with some good people, maybe prove myself to some good people, and if nothing else, learn from some good people.”
 
The Master’s of Sports Journalism program was designed to enhance the skills that students developed either in their undergraduate studies or as working professionals, but with a focus on the new directions in which the media industry is heading and their unique impact on sports coverage.
 
During the fall semester, students will learn how to build a sports website and capitalize on the unique advantages that online tools such as Twitter, blogs and video streams offer to bolster their reporting. They will also examine how the sports media handles controversial events, analyze the industry’s changing business models, and discuss how the sports media and the audience that consumes it interact.

Photo by Brian Hendrickson

Students discuss recent sports business events during their Business of Sports Media class, part of the Master's of Sports Journalism program initiated at Indiana University.

"Even in a tough economy, sports is one of the fastest growing industries in the country,” said Tim Franklin, director of the National Sports Journalism Center. “And, the sports media business is transforming rapidly in this Digital Age, with traditional media expanding their web, mobile and TV offerings and upstarts creating new audiences that didn't even exist a year or two ago. All of this is creating new opportunities for journalists and those interested in public relations, but they need to be prepared for a vastly changing job market that will require both journalistic acumen and multi-media savvy. 
 
“This master's degree program can help both aspiring journalists and current professionals by giving them the tools they need to succeed. And, there's no other program in America that can give students the depth of instruction in sports media that we can provide through our highly targeted, one-year degree program."
 
That unique curriculum and structure was an important factor that led Kate Guerra, a 2010 graduate of the University of Texas, to select IU’s master’s program over several others she was considering. An English major at UT, Guerra gained experience with the university newspaper by covering the Longhorns’ softball team. But she felt advanced education and experience was necessary to be competitive as a professional.
 
But while other programs offered a concentration in sports journalism, Indiana’s program was more focused on important issues and trends in the industry, which Guerra felt would better prepare her to become an effective journalist. With the National Sports Journalism Center anchoring the program — which has also led the Associated Press Sports Editors and the APSE Red Smith Hall of Fame to make their homes on the Indianapolis campus — Guerra felt IU offered important resources and opportunities that couldn’t be matched elsewhere.
 
“I think something that professor (Conrad) Brunner said that really stuck out to me was, ‘If you’re coming in here as a sports fan, leave that behind, because this is about journalism,’” Guerra said. “And I feel like I did come in as a sports fan. I’m definitely focused as a journalist, but I want to transition from being a fan to being more focused on the journalism aspects of things rather than getting mixed up in this team or that team, the fan aspects that I’ve already established. And I feel like that’s what’s going to happen here.”
 
The program’s curriculum was developed with feedback from the National Sports Journalism Center’s advisory board, which includes some of the industry’s most influential figures: ESPN's Vince Doria; Fox Sports' Joe Buck; the Associated Press' Terry Taylor; the NCAA's Bob Williams; Yahoo! Sports executive editor Dave Morgan; and MLB.com executive vice president Dinn Mann.
 
Dr. Pamela Laucella, assistant professor and academic director for the National Sports Journalism Center, said the course mixture was designed to prepare students for successful careers as the media industry continues to evolve. Among the courses Laucella listed as examples of the program’s curriculum: digital sports media, business of sports journalism, issues in sports journalism, sports writing, sports broadcasting, sports journalism law, and a sports journalism research project with USA Today.
 
“The sports journalism graduate degree prepares students for all careers in sports media,” Laucella said. “It balances skills classes with seminars on economic, legal, sociological and historical issues to help prepare students for jobs in the expansive and evolving field of traditional and new sports media. Our program has 10 sport-specific courses and gives students the opportunity to pursue print, broadcast or digital sports journalism.”