As a sports fan (especially football), I may not be able to support their teams when they travel far to play. I may also not get close enough to my best athletes to have an exclusive interview to learn about their lives. Sometimes I do not understand some sports jargon used in the game. This is where sports journalists play a vital role, as they keep us up-to-date with the latest happenings in the world of sports.
This article will examine the definition of a sports journalist as well as the leading sports journalists in Nigeria as of 2024.
What Is a Sports Journalist?
A sports journalist is a journalist who writes, talks, and provides reports on professional and amateur sports events and personalities. They offer a range of services as sports writers, including providing game commentary, interviewing coaches and players, and reporting game statistics.
They are employed in print, television, and online media, among others. It can concentrate on particular genres, like investigative and opinion pieces.
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What Stories Do Sports Journalists Cover?
The following are some examples of the stories that sports journalists cover:
#1. Straight-Lead Game Stories
Straight-lead game stories make use of a predetermined format and are among the most basic forms of sports journalism. Here, the sports journalists give details regarding who won and lost the match, as well as individual and team scores and important individuals.
#2. Feature Game Stories:
Feature game stories offer an alternative perspective and analysis of the events that transpired throughout the game and their reasons.
#3. Athlete Profiles:
A profile narrative features and centers on a person, whereas a feature game story showcases a game. This individual may be a prominent athlete, manager, or a promising newcomer to the sport.
#4. Season Preview and Wrap-Up Stories:
Sports journalists report what happens when teams and coaches are getting ready for the next season or rounding up for the season. Usually, these discuss the athlete’s expectations for the upcoming season or disappointments for the just-ended season.
#5. Columns:
A journalist expresses their viewpoint in a sports column. They occasionally contain passionate sentiments expressed when a team or team member performs above or below the expected level.
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What does a Sports Journalist do?
Sports journalists carry out the following tasks:
- Going to athletic activities and reporting in real-time or using playback
- Verifying and fact-checking stories and sources to make sure the data is correct
- Managing deadlines and making sure authors finish their stories in time for publication or release
- Interviewing players, coaches, and sports celebrities
- Establishing and preserving connections with individuals who serve as reliable information providers
- Providing information on player ailments, team setups, game statistics, and other sports-related topics
- Examining sports writers’ work to make sure it adheres to the magazine’s rules for formatting and editorial styles
- Presenting objective opinions by penning cover articles that offer comprehensive details regarding a sporting event
- Removing biases and objectivity to give impartial evaluations
- Collaborating with photographers, and editors, to create content for dissemination across several media platforms
- Observing sporting events to find captivating narratives
- Offering an alternative viewpoint on a topic without altering its facts
- Keeping up a social media presence by posting consistently to gain and keep followers
Types of Sports Journalists
#1. Print and Internet Sports Journalists
Print sports writers offer in-depth post-game analyses in addition to thorough previews of forthcoming events. Major national newspapers link to their material on the internet and cover both local and national sports.
For example, we have large-scale, major sports networks like SkySports, while we have local print platforms like Complete Sports in Nigeria. You could blog, produce narrative sports features, and write sports columns as a journalist or reporter.
#2. Broadcast
Broadcast sports journalists cover sporting events in real-time and offer analysis for radio and television broadcasts. These broadcasts are directed, edited, and produced by production teams; sideline reporters speak with players before, during, and following a game. Similar to print media, television features dedicated sports networks like SuperSports that cover sporting events.
#3. Photojournalism
Sports photojournalists take pictures during athletic events to preserve the excitement of the game in a single image. Newspapers, television, the internet, and publications all publish sports photojournalists’ work.
For example, Joseph Victor Olumasey is a sports photojournalist at Sportinglagos and a FIFA and FIBA-accredited photojournalist in Nigeria.
Who are the Top Sports Journalists in Nigeria?
#1. Paul Bassey:
Paul Bassey is a Nigerian sports journalist and administrator, born on July 9, 1958. He serves as chairman of Akwa United, in Akwa Ibom.
In 1977, Bassey started working for the Nigerian Chronicle newspaper as a sports reporter and writer. Four years later, he was elevated to the position of sports editor. Bassey began working as a sports editor for The Punch Newspapers in 1986. Bassey was made group sports editor by Champion Newspapers five years later, and he was eventually elevated to deputy general manager.
He departed from Champion Newspapers to start Today Sports, a daily sports journal published by DP Communications Ltd., which has its corporate office and publishing house in Ikeja, Lagos. He also hosted Master Sports, a well-liked Nigerian television sports program on NTA.
On Tuesday, November 19, 2013, Bassey officiated the FIFA World Cup qualification match between Algeria and Burkina Faso at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida.
#2. Godwin Enakhena
Godwin Enakhena is a sports journalist and analyst from Nigeria. He is currently employed with Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries as the Director of Sports (M.F.M.).
In 2014, he received the Nigeria Sports Awards’ Sports Journalist of the Year Radio award during the event, which took place at the Muson Centre in Onikan, Lagos.
#3. Mimi Fawaz
Mimi Fawaz is a sports presenter on Focus on Africa, a BBC news program that airs on BBC World News alongside BBC Africa and BBC Sports. She is a Nigerian-Lebanese sports journalist, show host and broadcaster. She has held positions with television networks like ESPN, and CNN. Mimi also co-hosted the 2016 GLO-CAF Awards with Nigerian actor Richard Mofe-Damijo in January 2017.
Fawaz began his career at CNN as an intern journalist. She subsequently worked for ITN, ITV London, and ITV News London, where she conducted interviews with Sarah, Duchess of York. She produced the ITV News coverage of Manchester United vs. Chelsea, the 2008 Champions League final, which took place in Moscow, Russia.
Furthermore, on the popular show Sports 360 on the Pan-African TV channel Vox Africa TV, based in London, Fawaz served as host, producer, and presenter. She was in charge of VoxLive on Vox Africa and VoxNews as a news anchor.
#4. Toyin Ibitoye
Toyin Ibitoye is a journalist and sports expert at Channels TV, Nigeria. She graduated from the University of Ibadan and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. She was chosen by the Nigeria Football Federation on March 18, 2015, to serve as the team’s media officer.
#5. Ejikeme Ikwunze
In the Nigerian sports world, Ejikeme Ikwunze, known as Mr. Football, is a well-known international personality. As a sports journalist, he writes for foreign sports publications and Nigerian newspapers, including the Daily Champion, Vanguard, ThisDay, and the National Ambassador.
In addition, he provides sports commentary on several radio shows, including Pacesetter Radio, Abia Television, BCA Radio, and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.
He served as the governor of Abia State’s special adviser on sports and consults with numerous Nigerian sports organizations.
#6. Chuka Momah
Chuka Momah is a sports journalist and administrator from Nigeria who served as president of the Confederation of African Tennis and the Nigerian Tennis Federation. His book Sports Spectacular, which tells tales about sports and analyzes sports in Nigeria, was released in 2013.
Momah graduated from the University of Nigeria with a degree in microbiology. He played cricket for the university and helped them win the 1974 NUGA games. Momah attended Government College in Ibadan.
He has experience as a sports analyst for both print and broadcast media. Between 1982 and 1985, he wrote columns for the National Concord and served as a contributing editor at Newswatch. He hosted “Big Fights of the Decades” on NTA, and was the network service’s anchor for Sports Spectacular on NTA.
#7. Ade Ojeikere
Ade Ojeikere is a Nigerian sports columnist and expert who previously worked for ThisDay Newspaper. Currently, she is the sports editor at The Nation Newspaper. He was the first to win the Nigeria Pitch Awards’ “Football Journalist of the Year (Print)” on November 16, 2013.
#8. Ogechukwukanma Ogwo
Ogechukwukanma Ogwo is a radio host and broadcaster from Nigeria who previously worked for Raypower FM. She is currently a sports analyst and presenter at Brila FM. She has been a radio host for over a decade and a half.
Additionally, she won the female categories of “Most Popular Sports Radio Presenter” and “Best Sportscaster on Radio” in 2012 and 2016, respectively, and is a recipient of the Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards.
#9. Dr. Larry Izamoje
Dr. Larry Izamoje, born February 24, 1962, is a Nigerian radio broadcaster who specializes in sports talk radio. He established Sports Radio Brila FM, the first sports radio station in Africa. He serves as the Executive Chairman of Brila Media Group, a business that offers digital services, publishing, printing, broadcasting, and consulting. originating in Onitsha,
Izamoje established Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM and has continued to serve as the organization’s chairman. In 2002, the first sports radio station in Africa and Nigeria went live. In January 2007, Izamoje inaugurated his second station in Abuja. Another significant achievement for Larry Izamoje came in 2011 with the launch of Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM in Onitsha.
Furthermore, he covered the Wimbledon tennis championships, the World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, and the Nations Cup. Additionally, Izamoje was a member of the 12-person Presidential Committee, tasked by former President Umaru Yar’Adua of Nigeria to guarantee Nigeria’s qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
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#10. Murphy Ijemba
Murphy Ijemba is a top radio sports journalist in Nigeria. He has received numerous nominations and honors at Nigerian award ceremonies because of his radio anchoring approach.
He began his radio career as a broadcaster at Raypower FM in Kano, the capital of Kano State, northwest Nigeria, where he was employed for five years by Daar Communications. In 2011, he started working as a sports journalist at the Brila FM evening show, where he was popular. However, in 2017, he abruptly left the radio station, submitting a resignation letter and stating that he needed to increase his “capacity academically and professionally.
Check put this detailed checklist on how to write an effective journalism resume
Who is the Most Famous Sports Journalist in Nigeria?
Dr. Larry Izamoje is the most well-known sports journalist in Nigeria. In Nigeria, he is a radio broadcaster who specializes in sports radio. He founded one of Africa’s first sports radio stations, Sports Radio Brila FM, with its main offices in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
Who is the Most Famous Sports Journalist?
Jeff Darlington is one of the most well-known sports journalists. Sports fans have come to know the ESPN Sports Reporter as a household name. He covers a wide range of sports, including football, soccer, and the NBA, and he travels the nation to some of the biggest games.
Jeff has one of the largest social media followings of any sports journalist, with 256,000 followers on Twitter.
Who is the Most Famous Football Journalist?
Fabrizio Romano is a well-known and trustworthy source on international football transfers, having worked as a football journalist in Italy.
Romano made a name for himself by handling transfer rumors and getting insider information, primarily from agents.
At first, he just covered Serie A and Italian football, but in recent times, he has become a trustworthy source for news from all over the globe, particularly Europe. In addition, Fabrizio Romano reports for CaughtOffside, CBS Sports, and The Guardian. His home is in Milan.
He is well-known for declaring a transfer transaction with the slogan “Here we go!”
What are the Top Sports Journalists Jobs?
#1. Digital Sports Reporter
Digital sports reporter salaries fall between $52,500 and $82,500.
#2. TV Sports Reporter
The majority of TV sports reporter salaries fall between $35,500 and $42,500.
#3. Sports Beat Reporter
Sports Beat Reporter salaries typically range from $35,500 to $42,500 per year. ZipRecruiter currently has a large number of available jobs for sports beat reporters who are hiring across the country.
Who is the No. 1 Journalist?
Lester Holt is one of the most well-known names in the news media when it comes to the top news journalists. Since 2015, he has served as NBC Nightly News’ permanent news anchor, covering some of the most controversial subjects in the world daily.
Throughout his storied career spanning multiple decades, he has covered some of the most significant events in world history.
Who is the Highest-Paid Sports Journalist?
Tom Brady is the highest-paid sports journalist, as his ten-year contract shows that he will earn $375 million for ten years thanks to his industry-leading contract. Sources claim that ESPN wanted to sign him as well, which certainly increased his market worth.
What is the Average Salary of Sports Journalists?
In Nigeria, a sports journalist can make between NGN 66,345 and NGN 470,000.
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