Careers in sports media
Join a rapidly growing industry and tap into the world’s passion for sports. Cover the action from the sidelines, or communicate on behalf of a team.
Career possibilities
- Play-by-play announcer
- Sports writer
- Sideline reporter
- Producer
- Videographer
- Content manager
- Public relations specialist
- Director of communications
- Social media specialist
- Photographer
- Sports broadcaster
52,700 U.S. residents are employed as sports announcers
187 million tweets were published about the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
103 millionpeople watched Super Bowl LII
To begin your career, consider these concentrations:
Don’t be afraid to try the unknown, and don’t ever be afraid of a new challenge. It’s how we make this business — and our work — better.
Zach Osterman, BAJ’09, IU Insider at IndyStar
Helpful classes
Sports Writing and Reporting
Learn the foundational skills of news gathering and writing within the sports world, including crafting effective leads, deadline coverage, feature story and column writing, and interviewing.
Sportscasting
Produce live, on-air broadcasts of sporting events, with particular focus on play-by-play and analysis.
Applied Social Media in Sports
Learn effective use of social media channels for news distribution, communication with consumers, source development and personal brand building.
Hands-on experience
Apply your classroom learning to real-world scenarios in student media outlets and organizations, including:
Big Ten Student U
Create live broadcasts of IU sporting events on the Big Ten Digital Network, either on air or behind the scenes.
Learn more about Big Ten Student UNetwork with professional and student journalists around the country and learn writing and reporting techniques.
Cover IU athletics as a credentialed sports writer, columnist, photographer or multimedia specialist.
Join the student TV sports team behind the scenes or in front of the camera on either of its two sports shows.
Command the airwaves as a producer, sports talk show host or play-by-play broadcaster.
National Sports Journalism Center
The National Sports Journalism Center connects IU students to the sports journalism industry through internships, interactions with sports media professionals, extracurricular training and sponsored work-study opportunities.
Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology
The Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology allows students to use cutting-edge technology and equipment to hone their media production skills and produce high-quality professional content.
Featured internship
