Bootcamp

The Bootcamp

The Sports Journalism Institute is a nine-week training and internship program for college students interested in sports journalism careers. The Institute is designed to attract talented students to journalism through opportunities in sports reporting and editing and enhance racial and gender diversity in sports departments nationwide.

Leading the Way

The Sports Journalism Institute works with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). Our funders and partners include Associated Press Sports Editors, MLB.com, Disney, and the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Our graduates work in print, digital and television outlets around the country. Here are a few examples:

Jonathan Abrams

Sports Reporter

The New York Times

Isabelle Khurshudyan

Reporter

The Washington Post

Cameron Wolfe

Reporter

NFL Network

Marcus Thompson

Columnist

The Athletic

Darren Everson

Sports Reporter

The Wall Street Journal

Candace Buckner

Columnist

The Washington Post

Paul Gutierrez

Raiders Reporter

ESPN

Rachel Bachman

Sports Enterprise Reporter

The Wall Street Journal

Malika Andrews

Anchor/Reporter

ESPN

The experience

The Sports Journalism Institute is a nine-week training and internship program for college students interested in sports journalism careers.

The experience includes:

Eight weeks of professional experience at a paid internship in the sports department of a newsroom
A $500 scholarship upon successful completion of the program for students returning to college

Eligibility

Fourteen student journalists will be selected. Ideally, applicants should be college sophomores or juniors. Candidates will be selected on the basis of academic achievement, demonstrated interest in sports journalism as a career and excellence on the required essay.

Eligibility is not limited to journalism majors.

application items

Applicants should submit the following items:

Application
A current college transcript
Two letters of recommendation
A professional-style photo (head shot)
A maximum of seven writing samples, all scanned into one singular PDF
An essay of no more than 500 words stating why he or she should be selected

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Who We Are

The Sports Journalism Institute (founded in 1992, welcomed its first class in 1993) is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to increase the diversity in the nation’s sports media from the ground up. The roughly 350 graduates of the classroom/internship program are a testament to our devotion to this goal.

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