Week 1 – Introduction.
Discussion: What’s most compelling about sports? Why do you watch? Why do you care? How do you consume your sports media? Who do you read?
Expectations for the course. Syllabus review. Assign autobiographies. Personal information sheets.
Writing tips and what makes a good blog. How to set up a blog.
Skill: Journalism Basics. AP Style.
Week 2 – The evolution of sports media.
Skill: Useful Real-World Terms and Concepts.
Week 3 – What makes for good (sports) journalism? Autobiography for Week 5 must be approved.
Skill: Generating story ideas and finding angles.
Week 4 – Sports journalism that moves you.
Final Presentation Topic Due. (Topics must be approved.)
Skill: Interviewing.
In-class exercise: Interview classmate for Week 5 blog.
Week 5 – Long form sports journalism: The athlete autobiography.Skill: Blogging Basics
Week 6 – Sports Blogapalooza.
Sports blogs – Part I. Armchair quarterbacks or essential to the debate?
Skill: Curation
Midterm evaluation.
Week 7 – Navigating the Blogsphere.
Sports blogs – Part II. Blogs as reporting tools and the rise of the live blog.
Final Project Outline Due.
Skill: Twitter.
In-class exercise: Live blogging.
Week 8 – How has the digital age changed the sports media landscape?
Impact of the 24-hour news cycle – Part I.
Skill: Networking.
In-class Exercise: Write a “deadline story” in 15-minutes.
Week 9 – Athletes as celebrities – or Why Tiger Woods Hates TMZ.
Impact of the 24 hours news cycle – Part II.
Final Project Progress Check.
Skill: Ethics and corrections.
In-class Exercise: Simulated press conference.
Week 10 – The rise of ESPN and the regional sports networks. Convergence and multiplatform content.
Skill: Internships.
Week 11 – More than just words: The impact of Moneyball. The role of stats and numbers.
Final project presentations.
Skill: Building up clips, freelancing.
Week 12 – Diversity. Women and minorities in sports media.
Skill: Self-editing, tips for clean copy.
Final project presentations.
Week 13 – Wrap Up – What’s Next?
Skill: The good, bad, ugly and amazing.
Final project presentations.
Course evaluations.