In the old days of the sports beat, reporters would be the first source fans would go to. The sports beat reporter would cover practices or games and then write an article, which was read in the newspaper the following day. The newspaper determined what sports fans would read and how they would read it. Now, in the Internet age and with the explosion of social media, fans have access instantaneously and from many sources, including the athletes themselves. The day of the typical sports beat is gone, and reporters must learn to not only roll with the times, but find innovative ways to connect with fans. This panel brings together sports reporters and a social media professional in order to explore and dissect the ever-evolving impact of technology and social media and what the sports beat might look like 10 years from now.
Jonathan Abrams is a staff writer for Grantland, a website from the mind of ESPN’s Bill Simmons which merges sports and pop culture. Abrams joined Grantland from The New York Times. Abrams likes writing for Grantland because it is a “place for longform journalism, where I can take my time with stories.” He is able to delve deeply into each subject, and sometimes talks to “30 or 40 different people for one story.” This type of reporting gives him “a different type of satisfaction then typical newspaper writing.” Abrams, like many other reporters, is still trying to figure out what the future of sports beat reporting might look like, but he knows that “players going directly to fans via outlets like Twitter” has had a major impact. However, he believes that the sports beat is always needed, because reporters offer “unbiased coverage”, which differs from what the athletes, coaches, etc. offer fans. Abrams knows that the fans “are looking for the complete and total package, and reporters must get the fans involved.” He believes the key to survival is “embracing social media and change.”
Kevin Arnovitz is an NBA writer and editor of ESPN.com’s TrueHoop Network. Arnovitz emphasizes the need for a discussion on the future of sports media, especially given that “we don’t really know where we are yet (in sports journalism)–15 years ago reporters covered a team in a specific way. Basically, a reporter went to the gym, covered the game, wrote a game story, which was accessible to fans the following day in their local paper.” “On non-game days, reporters would give updates and file a note column and that was it.” Arnovitz maintains that their wasn’t “much variance on how you covered the beat, because there were no blogs online, no Twitter.” Now, he says, “all bets are off, and reporters are grappling, trying to figure out what’s next.” He believes that questions such as: “Does it even make sense to write a game column?” and “If so, when should it be up?” are questions that need to be asked. Arnovitz believes that as different as covering the beat is today, he “can’t imagine what it will be like in five years.” He wants to use this panel to ask that very question. He realizes that given the growth of technology and the rate of change, that the sports beat may be vastly different. “Athletes communicate directly with fans. Kevin Durant tweeted out his contract extention. In the past, the reporter was the one the fans went to for breaking information. The question then becomes, “Do we even need traditional reporters?” This is a “confusing and exciting time trying to figure out what fans want, because this changes year-to-year.” Both Arnovitz and Abrams emphasize that their is a greater need for immediacy. Arnovitz contends that “fans want reporters to be everywhere all at once.”
Abrams and Arnovitz will be joined by Johnny Ludden, Senior NBA Editor at Yahoo! Sports and Kathleen Hessert, the President of BuzzManager Inc. “Sports Media: The Beat Goes Gone?” will be a fun and exciting panel, where thought-provoking questions about the future of sports journalism will be raised.