Why Is Sports Journalism Getting Shut Out?

Much like its general news counterparts at CNN and Fox News, ESPN has also received criticism from fans for its recent focus on entertainment value.

- Anthony Elio

While sports have seen some minimal changes over the years, such as minor rule tweaks or instant replay, how we follow our favorite games has changed dramatically. First, fans were reading up on the game scores in the newspaper. Then they were catching up on sports stories on the nightly news. And, in the smartphone era, they are getting immediate phone notifications in real time.

The medium of sports journalism itself is also no stranger to change. In fact, it was only around 1914 that sports editors were widely recognized in the journalistic world. As the Super Bowl attracts viewers in the hundreds of millions and highlights have become a mainstay of water cooler talk, sports coverage has become a necessity of popular culture.