Next Gen Intern Diary: Discovering the Many Sides of Sports Journalism, by Dauda Musbau

Reporting on the Sports desk is as arduous as every other beat in journalism, and those who think otherwise might have mistaken sports to only mean football. Well, I’ve once had the same mindset before I secured Campus Reporter’s Next Gen internship placement. But I now know better.

When I was assigned to the sports desk at the Nigerian Tribune, I thought my tasks were finished once I wrote a report, feature article or trending issues about football. However, I was quick to learn that my job covers financial, partnership and sponsorship deals of teams, transfer values, club revenues, match-day income and other economic activity. The same goes for a lot of other non-football sports.

Beyond football, I learned from my editor, Femi Akinyemi, how to research and write about Basketball, Boxing, Formula 1 (F1 cars), Tennis, Rugby, Cricket, Golf, Cycling, Darts, Gymnastics, Horse Racing, Disability sports, Snooker, Swimming, Mixed Martial Arts, Netball, Olympic sports, athletics, and a host of others. Have I covered all of them? No! Have I written about some of them? Yes!

Recently, I wrote about how Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis players, was knocked out of the French Open by Brazilian Joao Fonseca. I also had the privilege of writing about how grassroots academies are shaping the future of women’s football in Nigeria. One interesting thing about it is that it’s a female players-led initiative to give back to their communities.

There’s a pleasure in sports that only the sports journalists know. From following the match updates and trends to writing compelling articles, the events have helped me grow my strength in the beat. What makes the whole experience easier is the editor’s constant check-in to see how far I have progressed.

The editors organised training, provided me with resources, including websites that I can follow to read, learn and ease my work. By following the guidelines, I often find it easier to navigate the ideas than doing it alone.

However, the challenge I’m currently facing is how to beat the tight deadlines. While trying to file my stories, I often get stuck with the delay from sources and experts whose comments are necessary for the story. I have explored alternatives such as contacting them through the organisation’s email or through my editor, who is familiar with some of the sources. 

Ultimately, I would say I’m having the whole experience of working with a newsroom, which is quite different from when I was a campus journalist.