“Take the course, it’ll be easy.”
This is exactly what I said to myself before I decided to take sports journalism for an elective class.
Growing up and even now, I was never a sports person. Yet, I decided to take a leap of faith and take a course all about sports, because you never know when that information will be useful.
This is especially true in today’s society, because journalists have to be skilled in many different things because there is so much competition among other anchors, producers, and other positions. The more you know, the better off it is.
From a student perspective, I can honestly say that sports journalism has been a challenge, but a good challenge. It has molded me into a well-rounded journalist by making me ask questions and dig deeper into sports. I have learned more about what goes on behind-the-scenes when it comes to interviewing athletes, watching press conferences, and more.
The most challenging part, to me, is being confident when talking about sports. It is easy to feel like you aren’t good enough or if you aren’t a man that you can’t comment well on sports. I am doing my best to be confident in learning more about sports. I am doing my best to work toward breaking barriers and making history as a young black woman.
One thing that has stuck with me is that it takes a lot of work to be a sports journalist. You have to be able to think fast and go with the flow. Things happen very fast in the sports world and it can get pretty overwhelming at times.
In the end, I am glad that I decided to take this course because it is pushing me to be a better student, journalist, and overall person. I love learning new things and hearing new perspectives, especially when it comes to journalism.