Patrick S. Washburn and Chris Lamb tell the full story of the past, the present, and to a degree, the future of American sports journalism. Sports Journalism chronicles how and why technology, religion, social movements, immigration, racism, sexism, social media, athletes, and sportswriters and broadcasters changed sports as well as how sports are covered and how news about sports are presented and disseminated. One of the influential factors in sports coverage is the upswing in the number of women sports reporters in the last forty years. Sports Journalism also examines the ethics of sports journalism, how sports coverage frequently has differed from that of non-sports news, and how the internet has spawned a set of new ethical issues.

PRAISE:
“Sports Journalism, from two of journalism history’s all-stars, Pat Washburn and Chris Lamb, is a thoroughly accessible study and what will likely become an indispensable book in expanding our understanding of sports journalism and, by extension, sports in America.”—Brian Carroll, professor and chair of the Department of Communication at Berry College

“Provides a clear-eyed look at the development of sports journalism as a profession and an industry while also giving us a glimpse at how it will evolve in the next decade.”—Marie Hardin, dean of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University

“The history of the press’s role in the coverage of sports is the story masterfully told by Washburn’s and Lamb’s Sports Journalism. At the heart of the narrative . . . is the growing tension between journalism and entertainment values. How the sporting press responded to this challenge to its underlying legitimacy not only reveals the story of American sports journalism but also illuminates the larger challenges that journalism as a whole will certainly face in the future.”—David Abrahamson, professor of journalism at the Medill School at Northwestern University

“This is the most dynamic and complete history of sports journalism that I have ever read. From the current to the one-time well-known to important sports journalism people who have been ignored or marginalized in other histories, all get their due in this thorough work. Highly recommended for both popular and academic markets. I learned a lot and was reminded that the history of sports journalism, from the beginning in the United States in 1733 (!) to today, is a history of changing social mores, political economics, athletic accomplishment, and always evolving media technology.”—Robert Bellamy, professor of media at Duquesne University

Sports Journalism: A History of Glory, Fame, and Technology was named one of the Best 100 Journalism Books of All Time, by Book Authority, 2022

Sports Journalism: A History of Glory, Fame, and Technology, finalist, best book in journalism history, American Journalism Historians Associations, 2021