Therefore, teams and leagues of sports have a particular focus on players to enhance fan involvement. The emergence of specialised websites such as The Athletic is an indication of this trend.
The entertainment value should not rule journalistic reporting in sports. The most important ethical guidelines (IFJ, Council of Europe) explicitly state that comments as well as speculation should be avoided.
Real time Soccer Scores
If fans aren’t able to watch their favorite team practice, they are able to use sites that offer real-time soccer scores. These sites offer tournaments, cups, leagues and tournaments in all countries. They also offer live game stats in addition to news and fixtures. In addition, they are optimized for both desktop and mobile devices.
In Germany The majority of live soccer TV commentators are employed for public service broadcasters (ZDF, NDR, and WDR), RTL, and private television channels including Eurosport, sportdigital, and Sky. As such, they are subject to a lot of high expectations, and as interviewee 3 describes it “They expect us to know everything, see every detail, and assess it correctly in a matter of seconds”.
The commentary is in a precarious position, since it’s supposed to provide information to the audience in a manner that is journalistic and serve as an orientation tool as well as entertain them. The hybrid version of journalism is called soccer commentary. It combines journalism of the factual report as well as subjective commentaries (Wiske 2017). The aim of this research was to examine the ways that live soccer broadcasters perceive the conflict between journalistic and entertainment value in their job.
Enhanced Fan Engagement
The engagement of the fans is among the primary aspects of sports coverage, as it impacts a variety of critical metrics for teams and organizations. A dedicated and active fan base can drive ticket sales as well as merchandise sales, and media coverage of the team. Furthermore, having a well-established and engaged fan base will build a sense and trust among fans which could lead to increased brand awareness and a better revenue model to the organisation.
An increase in the amount of engagement by fans with sports coverage can be found in the growing popularity of soccer “fanzines,” cheaply printed magazines created by the fans themselves that have no connection to official clubs’ match programming and other traditional media. The publications provide a blend of both journalistic and entertainment which blurs the distinction between entertainment and journalism. Many interviewees say that this trend toward trivial’soft journalism results in the loss of credibility as a journalist (Wiske 2017, 2017). Other commentators have noted that it could result in a more intense effort of journalists to build their personal brand.
Data Driven Analysis
The success of the book “Moneyball” has sparked interest in big data and analytics for sport. Today, we can acquire, store, transfer and process large datasets with a low price. It has also led to innovative methods of analysis as well as an increasing trust in the unbiasedness of decisions based on data.
This change will have an impact on the sports journalistic profession Keonhacai. The journalist’s role has become more than just a neutral spectator of sports but now it’s an essential mediator between the football fans and their club. The sports journalist is caught in their economic realities (drawing big audiences for entertainment) as well as pursuits of journalism (such in investigative journalism). This tension can have an impact on the way sports journalists is perceived and performed. Interviews with sports commentators reveal that they employ a variety of methods to distinguish themselves from other commentators such as emotional entertainers or independent mediators. Some rely on traditional journalistic style of presentation. The entertainment-oriented commentators aim to excite viewers through their voice, language and emotions.
Challenges of Reporting Live Sports Scores
Similar to all areas of journalism ethics are a factor for sports reportage. It is crucial for reporters to publish accurate data. Additionally, it is essential to have a strong relationship with sources, not giving into pressure from sources to provide data that is in line with a team’s or player’s view. Journalists shouldn’t accept gift cards or other invitations which may influence their reportage.
Moreover, it is essential for journalists who cover sports to comprehend the hybrid nature of televised soccer. One side, it’s factual and serves the purpose of providing information that is orientating, but contrary to that it’s a mix of subjective commentary as well as entertaining aspects (Schaffrath 2003). As such, sports commentators play a huge role in how people experience sports and how they shape opinions and perceptions.
