Teaching Sports Media

As the latest volume in the Master Class series from AEJMC, this book introduces innovative best practices for teaching in the rapidly growing fields of sports media and communication.

This practice-oriented guide equips instructors with proven strategies and activities for teaching a wide variety of sports media courses. Contributing authors include experienced scholars and practitioners who have taught students both in the field and in the classroom.

The book covers general topics applicable broadly across subject matter, such as ethics, online teaching, accessibility and diversity, experiential learning, campus and local newspaper engagement, broadcasting, sports journalism, esports, and personal branding. A final section gathers teaching tips, assignments, and activities in a “gym bag” for use across course types.

Published in partnership with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Master Class series gathers the teaching wisdom of leading faculty across the Communication discipline to promote excellence in teaching today’s students and future practitioners in mass communication and journalism field.

Welch Suggs is Associate Professor of Journalism and Associate Director of the Carmical Sports Media Institute at the University of Georgia, USA. He has served in both roles since 2012. He and colleagues developed an undergraduate certificate curriculum in sports media for Georgia’s College of Journalism and Mass Communication, with alumni now working for a range of media organizations including ESPN, the Washington Post, the PGA Tour, and numerous NFL, NBA, MLB and MLS teams. Suggs’ research includes work in both sports media and college athletics policy, and he is a past officer and head of AEJMC’s Sports Communication Interest Group. He is the author of A Place on the Team: The Triumph and Tragedy of Title IX and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters.

Lauren Reichart Smith is Professor and the Director for research initiatives for the Center for Sports Communication and Social Impact at Rowan University, USA. Lauren's main research area lies in mediasport—the intersection between sports and mass media. Her research focuses on the effects of sports media on our emotions. She is the co-editor of Communication and Contradiction in the NCAA: An Unlevel Playing Field and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Her work with the Center at Rowan focuses on the social impact of sports on local communities and industry partners. She is currently the Executive Director for the International Association of Communication and Sport.