As I’ve gone on the journey of creating my capstone project, I’ve found that the most helpful sources are not the articles I’ve found, but the interviews I’ve done with journalists. They have enhanced my understanding of the topic simply because they do this either for a living or have been doing it for many years, so they are experienced and extremely knowledgeable. In these interviews, they have told me lessons they’ve learned along the way and how they’ve had to adapt with the emergence of social media. For example, in my interview with Keith McPherson, he emphasized how important it was to build a presence and brand on social media long before he joined WFAN, starting in college. He explained that because he had built a brand before joining WFAN, he brought his following with him when he launched his show there. That’s proof why having a brand is so important as a sports journalist nowadays.
My most unexpected discovery from my research
There haven’t been any specific surprises or unexpected findings in my research, perhaps because I already expected what I would find as I read multiple articles on sports media. The biggest thing I was unfamiliar with that I learned more of, though, I’d say, is the emergence of AI in sports media. Some leagues, like Major League Soccer, now use AI to write recap articles for some games. That’s part of my project and a big reason I think the future of sports media isn’t great.
How has the research informed me?
The research has informed my project as I’ve moved forward because I’ve been compiling different ideas and facts, and I just need to figure out how to put it all together for my capstone project. I will also go back through each of my interviews and find good soundbites to include in the project. I plan to do that from all my interviews as a way to help back up what I will be saying about the current state of sports media and the future of it. The most important lesson I’ve learned about my topic so far is what I said before: You must have a brand and online presence if you want to be a successful sports journalist. Because of that, my perspective on the topic has not changed during my research.
