How to Become a Sports Journalist in India?

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  • Feb 15, 2023
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How to become a Sports Journalist

Sports Journalists cover and report sporting events for viewers. Sports enthusiasts can read, listen to, and watch their works in newspapers, magazines, journals, websites; radio and television and OTT platforms, respectively. They travel around the world to cover sports tournaments and keep track of new policies related to various sports and inform us about upcoming events. To know more about how to become a sports journalist in India, keep reading this blog.

Job ProfileSports Journalist
Domains of StudyBroadcast, Creative Writing, Production
Minimum Educational QualificationBachelors in Journalism or PG Diploma in Journalism
Average Annual Salary of FreshersINR 3.9 lakh

What Does a Sports Journalist do?

A sports journalism graduate or postgraduate works in print, electronic, and digital media. They have to cover sporting events, keep a track of upcoming tournaments, stay up to date with the latest sports news, and create stories for magazines, newspapers, sports channels, radio shows, news shows, and journals. These stalwarts of journalism have to work in close collaboration with editors, photographers, interviewers, and anchors covering championships/matches/ tournaments around the world. 

Also Read: Sports Journalism Courses in UK

Key Responsibilities of a Sports Journalist

Some of the important tasks of a journalist in the sports sector are as follows:

  • Create news after following leads and evaluating the latest developments. 
  • Research sportspersons, sports events, and upcoming national and international tournaments. 
  • Collect information by covering sports tournaments and events.
  • Report news stories and write scripts for news broadcasts. 
  • Make live commentary while reporting from matches and tournaments.
  • Write, review, and edit copies and send write-ups and articles for print. 
  • Write stories and articles for magazines and online portals.
  • Interview sportspersons and other stakeholders for print, digital, and electronic media.

How to Become a Sports Journalist?

There are numerous ways to make sports journalism a career path. Interested individuals must hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism after completing senior secondary from an accredited educational institution. Bachelor’s degree holders can further enrol in a master’s programme in journalism to learn enhanced skills. Bachelor’s and Masters’s degree holders must intern at media houses to start their careers as sports journalists in India. 

Here is a complete guide to pursuing a career in sports journalism:

Step 1: Students must have cleared the Class 10 board and Class 12 or equivalent exams of higher secondary and senior secondary levels from a recognised education board. Students can select any stream at these levels.

Step 2: Students interested in sports journalism can enrol in any of the below-mentioned undergraduate-level courses:

Step 3: BJ, BCJ, BMM, BVoc in Sports Journalism or BJM graduates can now undergo internship or traineeship with media houses to start their career in this domain.

Step 4: After completion of undergraduate courses, students can also opt for the following graduate courses and then apply for internships or traineeships with media houses:

Domains of Study in Sports Journalism

Basic domains in undergraduate and postgraduate courses of Sports Journalism/Sports Communication or related fields are the same. Students get to experience and learn about skills and expertise related to this field of mass communication. 

UG and PG courses in Sports Journalism enable students to learn about the following disciplines:

Read: Types of Journalism

Top Colleges for Sports Journalism

India has a plethora of options for Sports Journalism courses. Each college has its own distinct feature. These colleges of eminent repute open an ocean of opportunities for students aspiring to pursue a career in sports journalism. The curriculum of each academic institution is dependent on state-of-the-art facilities which help students reach mountainous heights in their careers.

Top Colleges

Some of the eminent colleges for sports journalism are displayed in the table below.

CollegesCourses
Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), DelhiPG Diploma in Radio & TV Journalism; PG Diploma in Journalism (Hindi, English, Urdu, Odia, Malayalam, Marathi); PG Diploma in Digital Media
Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), ChennaiPG Diploma in Integrated Multimedia Journalism
Jamia Milia Islamia UniversityPG Diploma in Journalism
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)PG Diploma in Journalism
Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM)PG Diploma in Journalism
Jai Hind College, MumbaiBMM
AP College of Journalism, HyderabadPG Diploma in Journalism
Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU)PG Diploma in Journalism
KJ Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce, MumbaiBMM
International Media Institute of India (IMII), NoidaPG Diploma in Journalism
Birla College of Arts, Science, and Commerce, ThaneBMM
ICLES Motilal Jhunjhunwala College of Arts, Commerce & Science, MumbaiBMM
Delhi School of Journalism, The University of DelhiBJ; MJ
VBSS Shyamrao Patil Journalism CollegeBJ
Swami Vivekanand College of Information Technology BJ
National Institute of Mass Communication & Journalism (NIMCJ), AhmedabadBJMC; MJMC; PG Diploma in Journalism
National Institute of Mass CommunicationBJMC
Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phoole UniversityBJMC; MJMC
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha UniversityMJ
Magadh UniversityMJ
Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, RanchiBJMC
Osmania UniversityMJ
Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya UniversityMJ

Also Read: Types of Mass Media

Sports Journalist Career Options

Sports Journalism graduates are employed as presenters, writers, anchors, and interviewers in different media houses. They are the source of first-hand information for sports enthusiasts. Some journalists are also deputed as camera operators in stadiums. They ensure live coverage of matches/tournaments for timely broadcast on television and OTT platforms. 

Top Job Profiles

Students pursuing sports journalism can opt for the following job profiles:

  • Communications Coordinator
  • Sports Broadcast Reporter
  • Sports Reporter
  • Copy Editor
  • Proofreader
  • Digital Content Writer
  • Photojournalist

Salary

The average salary of these journalists is around INR 3.9 lakh per annum in the initial years. The estimated salary of the above-mentioned job profiles is mentioned in the table below.

Job ProfilesEstimated Annual Salary Range
Sports ReporterINR 1.6 lakh to INR 10 lakh
Copy Editor INR 1.5 lakh to INR 6 lakh
Digital Content WriterINR 2 lakh to INR 5 lakh
PhotojournalistINR 2.5 lakh to INR 5.2 lakh
Sports Broadcast ReportersINR 2 lakh to INR 3 lakh
ProofreaderINR 2 lakh to INR 5 lakh

FAQs

Q1. How can one become a sports journalist?

Ans. Sports enthusiasts with a graduate or a postgraduate degree in journalism or sports journalism are the prerequisite for becoming a journalist in this field. 

Q2. What qualifications do you need to be a sports journalist?

Ans. Students must clear BJ, BJMC, BMM, BVoc, BCJ, MMM, MJ, MJMC, or PG Diploma in Journalism course to become a journalist in the sports domain. 

Q3. Which are the best colleges for sports journalism?

Ans. IIMC, ACJ, Jamia Milia Islamia University, AMU, APCJ, and Delhi School of Journalism are some of the best colleges for sports journalism in India.

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