top of page
Search

Racing The Story Road

Here is a Career Assessment Paper I made back in 2024. I got to do a sit-down interview with NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass for this assignment.



Racing The Story Road


Logan Martini

INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION (MCOM101001)-1244

Dr. John Kirch

November 22, 2024







Job Summary

Sports Journalists are one of the most important positions in sporting industries. They are the people who bring the sport to you when it’s not on the air. They’re the ones who tell you the behind the scenes stories, keep you up to date on all the news, and write articles for their companies. According to megainterview.com, “Sports journalism is a dynamic and exciting field that combines a love of sports with the skills and techniques of journalism… sports journalists play a vital role in keeping fans informed and entertained.” Sports Journalists keep the fans informed in many different ways. While it’s not a popular media form any more,  journalists write in print media, such as articles in newspapers or stories in sports magazines. In forms of audio, you can find Sports Journalists reporting on news stations, specific sports channels, and internet podcasts. Since the invention of television, Sports Journalists also report on TV for news stations and sports channels, as well as video mediums on the internet like YouTube videos and sport shows on streaming services. 

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, journalist’s main jobs depend on what medium they work for. For TV and radio, journalists “set up and conduct interviews, which can be broadcast live or recorded for future broadcasts…” However, these journalists may also be expected to “edit interviews and other recordings to create a cohesive story or report…write and record voiceovers to provide the audience with supplementary facts or context.” Journalists for print media, on the other hand, are expected to “conduct interviews and write stories or articles to be used in newspapers, magazines, and online publications.” The Bureau also notes that “most newspapers and magazines have print and online versions…” so newspaper journalists will find the articles they write for print online

. 

Career Field Assessment

What is it like in a day of the life of a journalist? I interviewed infamous, well trusted, NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass and asked him what his day to day schedule was throughout the week. NASCAR races are primarily run on weekends, so what does the busiest time look like for Mr.Pockrass? “...Usually I’m at the track…about an hour before the garage opens…usually between seven and eight, and then I’m there all day talking to people…depends on if there’s a lot of track activity, it’s monitoring that activity, if there's not a lot it could just be going around trying to talk to people…” But Mr. Pockrass doesn’t have the rest of the week off, “On Monday I get back from the race, so I’ll rewatch the race…I’ll watch the races, if we’re going to Martinsville this weekend, I’ll watch the races at Martinsville from previous, last couple… I listen to a lot of podcasts on Mondays, I do a lot of writing, do a lot of planning, lot of texting, Monday’s Tuesday’s Wednesday’s…If I go for a run in the mornings when I’m home…usually that starts between 6:30 and 7, and I’m listening to a racing podcast usually during those…on a regular weekday, I probably get done sometime between 7 and 10 p.m just depends…” Journalism is an all day every day job. Journalists are always working with their beats, studying everything and anything they can to get information out as quickly, and truthfully, as possible. “FOX doesn’t pay me to sit in the media room” Mr. Pockrass said, “We’re all competing, so we’re not necessarily sharing a lot of information.” 

 According to the  United States Bureau of Labor Statistics journalists are paid annually, with a wage averaging out at about $57,500. The Bureau also notes that “employment of news analysts, reporters, and journalists is projected to decline 3 percent from 2023 to 2033,” but assures hopeful journalists that “despite declining employment, about 4,500 openings…are projected each year, on average, over the decade.” 

Action Plan

During my younger years, I had always envisioned my plan as “get a Communications degree in college and then find a job in NASCAR media,” simple as that. During my time here at Towson, and my interview with Mr. Pockrass, I have learned that it’s not that easy. Mr. Pockrass himself started by covering college sports at his school Indiana University. He had limited knowledge in motorsports until he was asked to cover the Daytona 500 for the Daytona Beach News-Journal. 

When I asked Mr. Pockrass, he gave this advice: “Do sports that you don’t know anything about, things that you need to learn how to report on, that maybe you’re not familiar with so you get used to studying on a topic. Don’t worry if your first job is not totally covering NASCAR or auto racing, but try to find an outlet where you can cover a local track and potentially a NASCAR race or two. People will start seeing your work…a lot of employers like people with diverse backgrounds and people who have covered a lot of other sports…” 


As I was writing down what Mr.Pockrass was saying, the thought hit me that we have an on campus newspaper that covers sports around campus. My first night here, the girls on my floor told me to come see a field hockey game. I came to the first one, started observing, listening, asking questions, and began to learn a sport I walked into with no knowledge of. I think that the next step in my dream to become a NASCAR journalist is to start going to the games and writing about them. I’ve thought of either creating my own web article or my own segment in the Towerlight and calling it “NASCAR Fan Watches >Insert Sport Name<.” The article would be a few paragraphs or possibly a video of all of the information I learned while sitting there and watching a sport I’ve never taken the time to do a deep dive into. Towson has introduced me to college football, a friend of mine has introduced me to ice hockey and NFL football. I would, of course, love to go down to local tracks like in Hagerstown and possibly cover a race down there, but I think that Towson University would be a great start in getting into a journalist mindset on new sports for me.


Sources

David. (2023, February 28). Sports Journalist Job Description: Salary, Duties & More. Megainterview.com. https://megainterview.com/sports-journalist/

Reporters, Correspondents, and Broadcast News Analysts : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). www.bls.gov. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/reporters-correspondents-and-broadcast-news-analysts.htm#tab-2

Reporters, Correspondents, and Broadcast News Analysts : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). www.bls.gov. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/reporters-correspondents-and-broadcast-news-analysts.htm#tab-1













Recent Posts

See All

Comments

bottom of page