The expansion of football reporting and a deal struck with Scudamore
The former chairman of the FWA (Football Writers Association) Gerry Cox- who has presented the organisation’s prestigious award to players such as Frank Lampard and Thierry Henry sat down to discuss the transformation that sports journalism has undergone during his 35-year stint in the business, but what has also pivotally remained the same.
Reporting on the world of football is one of the most populated sections of sports journalism and is a sought-after career for almost any journalist who has an interest.
However, reaching the pinnacle requires an expected level of commitment and desire that not everyone within the industry can fulfil.
On the other hand, the generational shift in the demand for sports journalists has given almost anyone- ranging from a student with a master’s degree to a football fanatic in their bedroom with a mic and camera- the opportunity to gather an audience and discuss sports.
The freedom of involvement in the discourse of sport- particularly in football- has opened up a can of ‘churnalism’ to the sporting news agenda, affecting the reputation and credibility of what some might call, ‘proper journalism.’
Sports journalists need to adapt to the digitization of the world and be more unique than ever to stand out amongst the queue of aspiring sports aficionados who wish to have their voices and views propagated on the biggest of platforms.
It has certainly changed and will continue to do so and one man who is well-informed as anyone on the trials and tribulations of the industry is Gerry Cox of Hayters TV.
A way of documenting the transformation and development of sports journalism is through the lens of Gerry’s time with Hayters TV and his pioneering role with the FWA (Football Writers Association).
The adaptation of Hayters TV and key role with FWA
At Hayters, Gerry reinvigorated the business to adapt to the new era of media and technology but with the FWA, he was a custodian for improving the rights of sports journalists.
Gerry spoke about the punitive regulations on photographers during the early 2000s that was spearheaded by the Premier League- who wanted more control over what was being photographed and documented in the press rooms.
Football Data Co tried to impose similar restrictions to writers on what they could write about in press boxes, but Gerry and the FWA acted as protection for their freedom of expression.
“In around 2001, the Premier League particularly wanted to take control of what was going on in press boxes, Gerry explained.
“At the FWA, I just happened to sort of talk myself onto the negotiating committee and it was quickly apparent I was the only person there who actually spent any time in a press box. Most of them were heads of magazine publishers and lawyers for the National Union who did not quite grasp it.”
“So, I was sort of ‘lead negotiator’ for football writers in that and we forced the Premier League to back down on a lot of things.”
What followed was a meeting with Richard Scudamore, the executive chairman of the Premier League, in which the FWA and Gerry managed to retain the privilege of football writers but also to preserve what little access they had to matches and events.
“We had a four hour meeting and we managed to keep a big chunk of our sort of freedom. We forced the Premier League to back down on a lot of things”, he said.
Gerry was then appointed chairman of the organisation for three years and has remained on the committee since.
With Hayters, he increased his already renowned reputation in the industry with the growth and adaptation of Hayters TV- which initially started as a written editorial agency but has since transitioned into the digital scene.
“Because of Hayters, I’m still the go-to guy on multimedia, simply because we’ve had to progress and develop our business,” he said.
“That ability to freelance with the written word went out the window so we started taking cameras along to press conferences- doing digital video content. We were the first people who were not traditional broadcasters covering those press conferences.”
The intervention of the FWA has paved the way for smaller organisations to gain access to footballing events and it now looks revolutionary given the many organisations you see in a stadium’s media room.
Gerry’s work with Hayters and their adaptation demonstrated the new wave of digital journalism and was one of the earliest organisations to highlight different professions in the sporting sector.
This was a huge advancement in making journalism more cordial and inclusive and it has steadily increased in the 21st century.
However, it has created a bigger demand for more multi-talented journalists and has given conventional journalists direct opposition to the control and propagation of the sporting narrative.
Old-school journalism is still the way forward
Employers now look for sports journalists who are all-rounders. An aptitude for sport and a pen and paper does not cut it anymore and there is a demand for a young candidate, who ideally has a degree and obtains a wide range of skills in using digital tools.
Editing and recording a podcast, chopping and clipping up footage and managing the accelerating barrage that is social media are skills that can be self-thought.
It has created new avenues in a contested industry, but the hallmark of any elite sports journalist’s credibility has not altered since the profession’s inception and remains the primary resource for anyone looking to excel according to Gerry.
“The one thing that has not changed is the ability to get a good story- based on good journalism, good contacts, and good practice. That hasn’t changed at all,” he explained.
“I could not possibly imagine how many hundreds of thousands of stories there are about football- particularly Premier League football- around the web on a daily basis. But most of them are being generated by a handful of people.
“And those handful of people are the old-school football journalists. Whether it’s a transfer story or a takeover saga, these sorts of stories are largely generated by old-school journalism,” he said.
The ability to source exclusive stories that everyone wants a slice of has become the principal nature of sports journalism. It is the timeless asset of a job that takes incredible dedication and consideration to gain the license of information.
What has changed is the increase in the number of media outlets and journalists that are regurgitating these stories for a quick buck.
Take Fabrizio Romano for example. A popular, mainstream journalist who has garnered a reputation for being the most reliable transfer guru in the business. But in truth, Romano is merely reproducing a list of articles that are written and sourced by someone else and publishing them on a subscription-based newsletter.
Even the Ivan Toney betting scandal epitomises this. There is an enumerable number of articles about the saga, but that one journalist who grinded for the scoop has created an avalanche of reaction to it.
The Fabrizio Romano’s of the world can’t do their jobs without the efforts of sports correspondents across the world who have built an empire of connections to source their sought-after news pieces.
The limited access and nepotism within journalism explain why some people in the industry are content with rehashing the work of others and adding their own spin to it.
“The interesting and good stories in journalism are ones that people, the clubs, the federations and the authorities don’t want to be out there,” Gerry said.
Long gone are the days of the ‘fly on the wall’ journalism in which someone like Hunter Davis could just rock up to the Spurs training ground, have a kickabout with the team and author a full book about his experience.
But today the leading football reporters are providing thousands of others in the field with content and stories to debate and develop.
Current state
Breaking into the industry is tough. The journey to being in liaison with football’s inner circle is easier said than done, and those who do not have that privilege are left to frame the work of those who can.
Not just football writers, but all journalists have been forced to invent new methods of gaining stories and gathering contacts in order to build towards their breakthrough moment.
The rest must feed off the work of others, and have done so efficiently- but then does their reputation become tarnished if they comment on stories that they have not sourced themselves? It’s a complicated dilemma for sure.
Gerry and the FWA’s pushback on the Premier League’s proposed regulations has safeguarded the very essence of sports journalism and the early ethos of Hayters has shown the many facets the industry would go on to develop.
Has this all made sports journalism easier to break into?
Football journalists still have the opportunities to attend events and build a career as they did in the past- but what separates the best from the rest is the ability to dig out the gossip first.
The climb to the summit of sports journalism is an arduous one- but it always has been despite the rapid conversion of the world around it.
