Quinten Plummer
Staff Writer
qlplummer@valdosta.edu

With the success and staying power of Valdosta State’s athletic programs, there seems to be a wasted opportunity to equip journalism majors at VSU with reporting skills for the sports world. While there are plenty of opportunities to report on University athletics, a little direction is needed for reporters get the best stories.
Journalism majors at VSU, to some degree, are forced to acquire some on the job training, that is not to say that reporters at VSU aren’t capable of maneuvering and understanding the complex relationships and interests of the bureaucracy associated with the sports industry. A little perspective on sports journalism and its mechanics, however, would go a long way in the efficiency of sports reporters.
Always the last stories to be picked up on Monday afternoons in the newsroom, sports coverage at VSU suffers—partly because many of the reporters aren’t fond of sports, and those interested in sports often need direction on the best source of information or simply don’t understand the dynamics of reporting on sports.
Often those reporters who choose to cover sports run into an interview gung-ho with a passion for sports and competition but don’t understand the structure and the entities that have a stake in the game and its coverage. We’re often just sold some nice PR.
So how could VSU help its budding sports journalists? A simple concentration in sports journalism along with the essential skills we already gain from the journalism major would help. A few classes on the sports industry, sports and society, and sports communication would produce a group of sports-savvy journalism ready to crawl into locker for interviews, lie four feet from the basket to take photographs and ask insightful questions in a room full of peers at a press conference.
Ron Thomas, the director of the Morehouse College Journalism and Sports program and a sports journalist himself for 36 years, said that for a school to start a sports journalism program, the program would have to be “academically sound.” He went on to say, “A lot of people don’t look at sports journalism as being true journalism. sports journalism requires more versatility than standard journalism because of the hard news stories, sports features, breaking news and constant deadlines associated with sports reporting [and the frequency of the games].”
VSU could learn from Morehouse’s program. Their program takes a subjective approach to a special issue in sports journalism, theirs being the college’s African American roots and cultivate a specialized journalist. “Our mission here is to develop a sports journalism program with an extra emphasis on African-Americans, and black sports history,” said Thomas. “There was a definite need for the program here with only six percent of sports journalists being black.” Six percent is a low number, considering the number of African Americans participating in athletics. VSU should choose its own focus and start a program from there. We already have a coaching program starting in the summer.
With a strong history of championships, notably in high school football, VSU could work high school reporting into its Sports Journalism program, thus preparing journalists capable of reporting on any local game for a future employer. Students could report on things like the annual cross-town rivalry game or National Signing Day.
But would there be interest in a program here at VSU? Adeshina Lawal, a junior business major as Valdosta State, said , “I would’ve considered the program if one was around when I was choosing a major.” At with the current downturn in the employment outlook Lawal said, “The sports industry will always need anchors and reporters. People are still paying for and attending games so I wouldn’t have to worry about job security.”