Art by Samantha Miller
Over the past semester, a number of my many fans and admirers have asked me the following question: Why do you write for the Sports section?
My answer is always the same: Because Sports is the best section, of course!
For one thing, sports reporting provides unprecedented access to players and coaches. Have you ever screamed through your television at your favorite player, “What were you thinking!?” after they made a questionable decision during a big game? If you have, you’d be a great sports journalist; asking athletes “What were you thinking?” is about 60% of my job.
In all seriousness, sports journalism allows one to dig deeper into athletes’ and coaches’ thoughts and get to the heart of how and why they do what they do. Very few people have access to this information; sports journalists are the vital link in connecting a sports team’s thoughts and desires with their fans.
Likewise, sports reporting taps into an individual’s or community’s passion. Game coverage is not just about what happened in a particular game, it also involves communicating the emotions of the people involved. You can learn a lot about someone by listening to what they’re passionate about, and for a lot of people, what they’re passionate about is sports.
Want another reason to write for Sports? The content is always relevant. Simply put, people care about sports: In 2020, approximately 154 million people watched live sports at least once a month, according to PlayToday. Giving people more information about the things they care about is one of the primary goals of journalism, and it’s what the Sports section does continuously.
In order to stay relevant, Sports is constantly keeping pace with Pepperdine’s teams as they go through their seasons — game coverage is only valuable for a short time after a team plays. Working for Sports gives writers experience working with time-sensitive content and helps them hone their ability to work under a tight deadline.
Above all else, sports writing is unique in its ability to unite the Pepperdine community. When it comes down to it, we are all Pepperdine fans; while our sports coverage is always factual and objectively written, there’s no doubt we want the Pepperdine teams to succeed.
Sports reporting allows us to continually frame the achievements of Pepperdine’s numerous teams and organizations, which are triumphs for us all. Game coverage, athlete profiles, season previews — all of our articles highlight Pepperdine’s excellence. When Pepperdine inevitably stumbles in competition, the Sports section captures how we rise from defeat, stronger than before.
Sports are something that bind us together as a community at Pepperdine, and to be able to report on that is a special and worthwhile pursuit.
If you need more convincing, there’s the following fact: Sports are freaking cool.
Tell me, where else can you read about Pepperdine athletes achieving Olympic glory? Where else can you find insightful NFL commentary on a weekly basis? Where else can you experience the excitement of a National Championship title?
The answer to all of those questions, of course, is nowhere but the Sports section.
Applications to join the Graphic opened Nov. 1. What are you waiting for? Come join the Sports team!
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Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic
Email Alec Matulka: alec.matulka@pepperdine.edu
