Sports Communication

Are you interested in reporting about athletes or sporting events? Do you want to pursue a career with a sports organization? The Charley Steiner (‘71) School of Sports Communication — the first named school of Sports Communication in the nation — is your first step toward going pro. Instead of starring on the court or field, you can call play-by-play, work behind the scenes as an editor or producer of sports media or pursue sports management and promotions.

Preparing You For Success

You won’t spend much time on the bench at Bradley. From the day you start, you can write stories for the campus newspaper, work with ESPN and BravesVision and seek internships with Peoria’s minor league hockey and baseball teams. These experiences sharpen what you learn in classes, where you learn fundamental skills in journalism, production, management, marketing and media relations. Though you can train in areas of interest, you also acquire skills in research and multimedia storytelling. With these experiences, you’ll build a portfolio that will launch a communication career in sports.

By the time you graduate, your experiences may include:

• Hands-on sports writing and production experience with student media
• Networking and professional development through the Steiner Symposium on Sports Communication, an annual event that brings leaders in the sports and media industries to campus
• Opportunities to attend professional conferences and publish research with faculty
• Internships with major professional, collegiate and amateur sports organizations such as NBC’s Olympics, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Los Angeles Dodgers

Making Your Mark 

Sports communication majors often pursue careers in sports sales, reporting, promotion and management. Recent Bradley graduates work as on-air reporters, columnists, recruiters and social media coordinators with companies such as the Peoria Chiefs, Chicago Bears, Oakland Athletics, Boston Celtics and ESPN.

Major Requirements

Required Courses - 24 hrs.

• IM 113: Introduction to Multimedia - 3 hrs.
• COM 160: Sports, Media, and Society - 3 hrs.
• COM 201: Journalistic Writing - 3 hrs.
• COM 265: Ethical Issues in Sports Communication - 3 hrs.
• COM 360: Digital Journalism - 3 hrs.
• COM 370: Global Perspectives on Sport - 3 hrs.
• COM 400: Communications Research - 3 hrs.
• COM 460: Sports Promotion and Publicity - 3 hrs.

Required Non-Communication Course (choose one) - 3 hrs.

• ATG 101: Survey of Accounting - 3 hrs.
• ATG 157: Accounting Principles-Financial - 3 hrs.
• MTH 111: Elementary Statistics - 3 hrs.

Required Electives - 6 hrs.

Students should select 6 hours from this list of electives, with at least 3 hours from the junior/senior level:

• COM 215: Basic Reporting - 3 hrs.
• COM 219: Public Relations - 3 hrs.
• COM 220: Advertising as Communication - 3 hrs.
• COM 260: Sports Writing and Announcing - 3 hrs.
• COM 292: Organizational Communication - 3 hrs.
• COM 310: Broadcast News Reporting and Writing - 3 hrs.
• COM 335: Introduction to Video: Field Production - 3 hrs.
• COM 415: Global Media Systems - 3 hrs.
• COM 420: Media Sales - 3 hrs.
• COM 430: Media Management - 3 hrs.
• *COM 491: Topics in Communication - 1-3 hrs.
• *COM 494: Communication Expedition - 1-3 hrs.
• COM 495: Communication Internship - 1-3 hrs.

*Must be sports related. Requires approval of department chair. No more than three hours from COM 491, 494, and 495 combined may count toward the major.

Total Hours - 42