Sports biz reporting hits its stride in journalism

By Alex Barinka

Sports business reporting may be the next dark horse in business reporting, according to a Friday afternoon panel at the 2012 Society of American Business Editors and Writers‘ conference in Indianapolis.

The “New Playbook for Covering Sports Business” discussion focused on the development of the sports business beat and the backgrounds of the panelists that lead them to cover it.

The panelists were Kristi Dosh, writer for ESPN’s Sports Business Blog; Sam Mamudi, business of sports reporter at MarketWatch.com; Bill King, senior writer for the SportsBusiness Journal; and Anthony Schoettle, sports business reporter at the Indianapolis Business Journal

The business of sports — its collective bargaining agreements, sponsorships, television deals — wasn’t always visible in the news, Schoettle said in his introduction of the panel.

The SportsBusiness Journal, owned by American City Business Journals, was one of the first trade publications to focus on the business of the sports industry.

“There was nobody, nobody, putting out a publication on the business of sports,” said King, who worked at the publication since its founding, said.

Now the visibility and impact of sports business reporting is growing.

“The complexity of the beat and the complexity of the subject matter has grown a great deal,” Schoettle said.

“The growth of the beat and editors really seeing it as a viable option,” Mamudi said.

With the sports business beat gaining momentum, the panelists were asked what skills would be most beneficial for beat reporters.

While Mamudi said that a business reporting background may be the most helpful for covering the business of sports, Dosh thought her background as an attorney has enabled her to decipher contracts and agreements that most reporters may not be able to understand.

King said that all sports beat reporters should be able to understand the business side of sports because those covering a team’s beat may be faced with a business-related story opportunity and should have the knowledge to report it thoroughly.

“I do think this has to be a club in everybody’s bag,” King said. “Find great stories and tell them well—it’s no different in sports business.”

Barinka is a UNC-Chapel Hill journalism student attending the SABEW conference.