Technology has impacted and improved every area of the sports industry. From the highly contentious Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in professional soccer to the Hawkeye Technology used at tennis Grand Slams, tech’s influence is obvious. You can now watch your favorite football team in NFL action from the stadium or on the move through a live stream on your smartphone. Coaches use the latest technology to track player performance, helping streamline recruitment and justify squad selection. The numbers don’t lie.
Tech has changed the jobs of professional sports players, how teams communicate with fans, and how consumers watch, buy, and interact with teams, players, and officials. Changes to the online gambling laws in the United States mean sports fans can even wager on the result of a game at the best sportsbooks online using their home computer or mobile. Things will never be the same again, and that’s great news for fans as tech is dragging the sports industry into the modern era.
Advances in technology have also changed the landscape of sports journalism. Big-match reports and interviews no longer come from battle-weary hacks packed into press boxes, submitting their account at the end of the play. Today, sports writers come in all shapes and sizes, working from anywhere and everywhere. But where do you fit into the equation, and is there a place in modern sports writing for you?
Open for business
Sports journalism and content creation is no longer a closed shop. A university degree is no longer a barrier for writers wishing to share their thoughts and opinions with the masses. If you have a reliable internet connection, a desktop computer, strong opinions, or a unique take on sports, you can target a career in sports writing. Newspapers are no longer the main employers and don’t hold the same weight in the industry they once did. Today, websites and apps are king.
Don’t believe me? Ask yourself a question: when did you last purchase a newspaper and learn something new about your favorite team, player, or sports competition? Take your time; we’re confident an answer won’t be at the tip of your tongue. That’s because how we consume news and interact with sports has changed. Today, fans have everything at the touch of a button and get breaking news stories, including match reports, sent directly to their smartphone.
But who creates the content you read, watch, and listen to on your Android or iOS device? Gifted writers and sports fans just like you. Thousands of writers are ditching their 9-5 jobs and forging a career in content creation. How do you get involved, and what tech do you need to help jump the queue? We explain all of this in the next section of our article.
Keep reading as we detail three everyday pieces of kit that’ll level up your writing game and allow you to become a part-time content creator or a full-time sports writer, working with the leading brands.
Writer’s laptop
Whether you cover the NFL or your local soccer team, sports move fast, and you must keep up to speed. Readers want to be first with the latest news regarding their team, including transfers, injuries, updated league tables, and results. If you don’t provide the latest and most accurate reports, another writer will, and you’ll soon find yourself on the scrap heap.
To keep pace with this fast-moving and constantly evolving industry, you need a laptop with the flexibility of a smartphone but the capabilities of a powerful, content-producing machine. Your laptop must be ready to go when you are, so it should be small and compact but powerful. Search for the Manny Pacquiao of laptops; small but fast and packs a punch.
Search tech websites and apps for a writer’s laptop, and you’ll see what we’re driving at here. They are compact but reliable, ready to spring from your backpack and into action when needed. You must respond if there’s a press release from the sports team you cover. If you consider your laptop your pen, you’ll understand its importance in writing.
AI
Not too long ago, there was a time when Artificial Intelligence was a danger to online content writers, but attitudes changed. Today, the best content writers embrace AI, learning from it, using it to plan content schedules, and harvesting ideas. AI content writing apps don’t just create articles; they edit, help brainstorm ideas, and improve articles. In short, they are a blessing for all content creators when used properly.
Let’s look at an example of how AI is helping content writers rather than aiming to replace them. Suppose you’re writing a sportsbook article highlighting the highest-paid athletes of 2013 and how earnings compare to today’s wages for footballers, boxers, and tennis stars. You’d research the article, make notes, and then turn to AI.
Understanding AI content commands is imperative to writing good articles. You’d ask an AI platform, like Chat GPT, to list the ten highest-paid athletes in 2013 and their earnings. You’d then research the highest-paid athletes in 2023 and compare the two. You now have the basis for your article.
After taking this info and writing, you can upload your piece to AI and ask for suggestions on improving. Run with the directions if you believe they add value to your work or edit what you have, working with AI’s feedback. That’s how professional writers use AI daily to stay ahead of the game.
Editing tools
You can use AI to help with your editing, ensuring all work submitted is as close to ready to publish as possible. Your editor will appreciate your efforts and likely send you more work. But many great editing tools, including Grammarly, do a better job than AI content writing apps.
The best editing sites are quick, easy, and user-friendly. Upload your text and get suggestions on how to improve your work. Some edits are better than others, so there’s no substitute for the human touch, but they can and will improve your content, helping raise the bar to a professional standard.
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