A New Sports Business Text for Journalism Students

Yes, call this an advertisement or self-promotion. If anyone is teaching sports journalism, he or she may want to consider my text -- the only one to my knowledge that directly covers business issues in sports. Called "The Business of Sports -- A Primer for Journalists" (Erlbaum, 2006), it provides budding journalists with a foundation for understanding the various segments of the sports business. The text covers the structure of professional sports, amateur sports, the Olympic movement and collegiate sports. It also discusses contracts, labor agreements, franchising, stadium construction and economics, agents, drug testing, risk management, intellectual property and media issues.

The idea for the book germinated about four years ago, based on the need to educate students on writing about such a multifaceted area. A reporter must have a working knowledge about business models, labor relations, facility management and economics, liability and intellectual property and new media, to name a few. However, I found that all too many students (and even some working journalists) do not have the foundation to cover complex stories involving some of these issues. I think the book gives students a blueprint for writing about the sports business.

If anyone has questions, please send a comment and I would be happy to respond. To view a link to the book, check out: http://www.amazon.com/Business-Sports-Primer-Journalists-Communication/dp/0805850449