Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on sporting topics and competitions [1]. It covers match reports, play-by-play, analysis and investigation, and it has moved with new media such as radio, television and the internet [1]. In the sports ecosystem it is the channel that tells fans what happened, and its journalists help create a sports celebrity system [2].
Key points
- Forms range from game recaps and play-by-play to analysis and investigative reporting [1].
- Specialised sports media, such as Sports Illustrated (1954) and ESPN, grew out of public appetite for sport [1].
- The field is often called the “toy department” of the news media, a jibe that research has tested rather than simply accepted [2].
- Sports journalists help build and maintain the sports celebrity system [2].
- Digitalisation has changed the work, and women are still underrepresented as authors and subjects of sports reporting [3].
Origin
No single person coined or first studied the term. Sports journalism grew with the press itself, and histories of the field trace it from the Georgian era to the twenty-first century, with printing technology as a powerful driver of sporting culture [4]. In the early nineteenth century the British sportswriter Pierce Egan coined the phrase “the Sweet Science” for prizefighting [1]. Sports-only publications followed in the twentieth century, including Sports Illustrated in 1954 [1].
Academic scrutiny came later. Rowe (2007) used data from the International Sports Press Survey 2005 to ask whether the “toy department” label was justified [2].
How it works in sports media
Rowe (2007) concludes that sports journalists play a role in creating, maintaining and enhancing a sports celebrity system, which is how coverage feeds hype and fame [2].
Quality is uneven. The 2021 International Sports Press Survey, which analysed 6,614 newspaper articles from eight countries, found a focus on current events over in-depth research and a limited use of sources, though it also found a slight positive trend in diversity and quality since 2011 [3].
Examples
- Sports Illustrated (first published in 1954) and ESPN are standard examples of sports-only media [1].
- Pierce Egan wrote about bare-knuckle boxing in early nineteenth-century Britain [1].
- Online sports desks: in a UK interview study, online sports journalists saw themselves, and were seen by traditional colleagues, as professionally illegitimate, even though they had a reputation for digital innovation [5].
Common questions
What is the “toy department” of the news media?
It is a familiar jibe that treats sports reporting as less serious than other news. Rowe (2007) notes it contains an element of cultural snobbery, but argues that sports journalism should still be judged by the usual professional standards [2].
How is sports journalism different from sports marketing or PR?
Journalism reports on sport for an audience. Marketing and PR promote a team, athlete or brand. In practice the lines can blur, because journalists help build a sports celebrity system [2].
How has the internet changed sports journalism?
Digitalisation has changed media consumption and put pressure on print, especially daily newspapers [3]. It also created a new group of online sports journalists whose professional standing is disputed within the trade [5].
Related terms
- Sports Storytelling — how narratives give sport meaning.
- Sports Highlights — short clips that carry the moments of a game.
- Sports Media Rights — who may broadcast and report on competitions.
- Social Media in Sports — where athletes and fans now publish directly.
- Sports Documentary — long-form screen storytelling about sport.
- Hype — the buzz that coverage can build around an athlete or event.
Read more on Play of Values
- Media Revolutions in the Sports Ecosystem
- Sports Marketing History
- What Drives the Most Popular Sports
Sources
- Wikipedia. (2026). Sports journalism. Wikipedia. Link
- Rowe, D. (2007). Sports journalism: Still the 'toy department' of the news media? Journalism, 8(4), 385–405. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884907078657
- Horky, T., Nieland, J.-U., & Seeger, C. (2025). The toy department has grown up: The 2021 International Sports Press Survey (ISPS) in comparison to the 2011 survey. Journalism and Media, 6(2), Article 81. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia6020081
- Bradshaw, T., & Minogue, D. (2019). The history of sports journalism. In Sports journalism (pp. 24–36). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429505409-3
- McEnnis, S. (2020). Toy department within the toy department? Online sports journalists and professional legitimacy. Journalism, 21(10), 1415–1431. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884918797613