Why I write sport

Claire Thomson

Sports journalism is more than the back page of a newspaper. It’s a world of inspiration, motivation and determination.

Sports journalism, similar to sport itself, for so long has been a field dominated by overly masculine opinions and sexist comments targeting the heterosexual male gaze. In recent years, there has been a drive for gender equality in all aspects of the sporting world, including media and television coverage. Whilst there is still a long way to go to raise the profile of women in sports journalism and diminish the bad reputation and negative stereotypes that surround the industry, across the world developments are constantly being made, making the future of sports journalism more appealing to upcoming, aspiring writers.

Dare to dream

Growing up, my dream was always to represent Team GB at the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, despite perseverance, a lot of sacrifices and the drive to succeed, I lost touch with this dream early in my teenage years. Before moving to university, it would be fair to say that I had fallen out of love with sport and as far as I was concerned, it was time to become an adult (at only 17 years old, which I now realise was a crazy thought to have) and find a new, more “realistic”, serious ambition away from my childhood obsession, for want of a better word. However, with all that said, I came further in my first three months at university than I had in the previous five years to then. I went back to training to compete; raced better, stronger, faster, and made myself truly proud of myself for one of the first times ever. All I had needed was a fresh start to take a step back and work out what really mattered to me and what I loved.

The Covid-19 pandemic ruined my streak of good performances. Although I still think about what I could’ve done as an athlete and miss the adrenaline of standing behind the blocks, I had the opportunity instead to discover a new aspect of sport and change my outlook on the sporting world.

Wish others well. Their successes will not limit yours

For me, writing sport is the perfect balance of both self-achievement and sharing the achievements of others. Sports journalism and media provides the ability to retell the journeys and stories of athletes, volunteers, coaches etc and give them the credit that they deserve after years of determination and commitment. It creates a platform to inspire and prove that anything is possible with self-belief and motivation. Every four years, we are in awe of the headlines produced about athletes overcoming obstacle after obstacle to compete in the Olympics against all odds. It makes us feel encouraged to strive for our own goals and go down roads that we would never have imagined going down, otherwise. That’s the power of sport and without sports journalism, these achievements would be hidden.

“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another”

As far as women in sport and women in sports journalism are concerned, that’s a whole different ball game. There should be no women’s sport and men’s sport, there should just be sport – a world with equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender or identity. I knew that I would be in the minority as a female aspiring to become sports journalist, but with only three out of more than 90 permanent staff positions in Sport sections across Scottish print titles, I hadn’t truly realised how hard I will have to fight to reach my new dream. Taking up the position of Sports Editor at The Glasgow Guardian this year, I wanted the voices of women in sport to be heard and feature prominently throughout our coverage this year. This is only the first step in my journey to share my love of sport with others. 

It’s a marathon, not a sprint

Currently, Women in Journalism Scotland is launching a campaign to tackle gender inequality in Scottish sports journalism, and I’m very fortunate to be a part of it. The first action of the campaign was to establish five sports journalism mentorships through their mentorship scheme. At the end of 2021, I was over the moon to have been paired with BBC Scotland Sports Reporter Heather Dewar, and two months in I have already learned so much about broadcast journalism, podcasting and interviews, all of which I had never considered as a path of journalism that I could go down before. She has encouraged me to become more confident and opened my eyes to opportunities that are out there in the sports journalism world, and I look forward to seeing what else I can gain from this programme.

Additionally, I have particularly been inspired by the work of Sue Anstiss (who has written an incredible book that explains everything much better than I ever could), Jordan Guard and Anna Kessel. All three, amongst others, have built platforms to support women, who have the dream of working in the sporting industry. Fearless Women and the Women’s Sport Trust, Women’s Sport Alliance and Telegraph Women’s Sport are slowly changing the ways in which sport is perceived, something that is so important as we strive towards gender equality in a traditionally male-dominated field. It’s about the process and gaining the respect and attention that women’s sport has been missing for so long now. We’re getting there, but it’s not going to happen overnight.

Be the change that you wish you to see in the world

Whilst sports writing may not be everyone’s interest or cup of tea, it is something that I’m becoming more and more passionate about as I continue to educate myself and learn more about the sporting world. I’m constantly feeling inspired by so many great women campaigning for change in sport and I hope that I can help to share the achievements of athletes and teams, both male and female, as they achieve their sporting dreams, similar to the ones that I left behind. Sports journalism is a chance for selflessness and reflection, the spotlight is no longer on you and your success, it’s on you supporting others through thick and thin so that they can have the attention, be given a voice and become the role models for others to look up to. It’s rewarding and I’m so thankful to not only have stumbled across this sector but to have the opportunities that I now have to pursue my sporting dream, albeit in a different form.

Feature image courtesy of Claire Thomson.