I found both of these readings to be quite interesting in terms of their evaluations of the role and overall purpose that sports journalism has played in society since its rise in the early 1900's. There was an interesting line from the "Finding Their Place in Journalism" reading which coined sports journalism as "diversionary material from the day's serious news," when comparing it to other forms of journalism. From the time that this understanding became something that was recognized on a grand scale, sports journalists have had to take on the task of shaking the stigma that their news is not serious news.
When the first article broke down the study, it showed how sports journalists were asked to identify the problems facing sports journalists and the problems facing the industry as a whole. I found it interesting because some of the problems identified appeared close to the same on both lists while others were vastly different. For example, the number one problem identified for sports journalism was professionalism. This stems from the perception that sports journalists are "buddy buddy" with their subjects. Professionalism also ranked high on the list of journalism problems coming in at number two. However, the number one problem identified for journalism was reader related issues, which came in tied for six under problems facing sports journalists.
I think this study certainly served to show the vast differences between sports journalism and any other type but, I do believe that the validity of sports journalism was verified in the list of issues facing the craft.
Another issue brought up in that article instantly connected me to the second reading, The first, acknowledged the plight of the newspaper sports journalist constantly having to compete with broadcast journalist. This makes the perfect bridge to the second reading, "Tweet Talking: How Modern Technology and Social Media are Changing Sports Communication." This reading went on a journey through the advancements in technology and how they have changed the way we consume sports news. Obviously, newspapers were the first on the scene, but the emergence of radio gave audiences something they never experienced before. You could sit in the comfort of your own home and actually get updates on a sporting event as it is happening. This allowed broadcasters to paint vivid pictures in the listeners head as they enjoyed the game. Then came television sports broadcasts which allowed audiences to no longer have to paint the picture in their mind because it was on their screen. People were becoming closer to sports because they were right at their fingertips.
The article also touched on the emergence of the popular magazine "Sports Illustrated" which proved that Americans would indeed enjoy a weekly publication dedicated to sports.
The television role expanded even further with the rise of ESPN which debuted in 1979 and which created its own website in the mid 90's. The internet is the final piece of the puzzle. The most fascinating part of the reading was the fact that the internet handed power to the audience as opposed to the media deciding what/when the audience would get news. Now it is possible to go online and completely dictate the information you are receiving.
I think the second article was a completely enlightening look at where sports journalism came from and where it is going. The Bill Simmons anecdote showed the vast potential and the overwhelming danger of sports journalism today.
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