Sports journalism is evolving at a rapid pace, bringing both new challenges and opportunities for aspiring professionals. In a crowded industry filled with shifting trends and new platforms, standing out requires more than just talent — it demands a deep understanding of storytelling and adaptability.
Profluence founding member Todd Grasley has spent years navigating the intersections of journalism, public relations, and business development. Drawing from his diverse experience, Grasley recently joined Sports Media Playbook to share valuable insights for anyone looking to carve out a path in this ever-changing field.
3 Pieces of Expert Advice on How to Succeed as a Sports Journalist
As a founding member of Profluence, Todd Grasley brings deep expertise at the intersection of sports, media, and technology. Profluence is a venture fund and community of over 600 professionals, offering resources, connections, and insights to help sports founders and innovators succeed. Through its Profluence Capital arm, the organization also invests in startups shaping the future of sports media.
Grasley’s career spans journalism, PR, and business development, and his track record of helping clients secure national coverage, paired with his understanding of storytelling and industry trends, makes him uniquely positioned to guide aspiring sports journalists and content creators.
Here’s Grasley’s advice on how to thrive in this fast-evolving field.
1) Find and Creatively Seize Opportunities
We’ve written at length about how the sports media industry is evolving in modern times. That’s an evolution that many — including Grasley — are fully aware of.
“Digital publications and mainstream media are falling by the wayside, but as they do, non-traditional podcasts and streaming and content creators – not your traditional sports journalist 20 years ago – are seeing more opportunity.”
Opportunity is the key word, and it’s one that younger sports media professionals — just starting out — have struggled to identify as of late. But Grasley says opportunities are still present.
“You have to be creative nowadays in this landscape of sports media. How do you differentiate yourself when everyone’s sharing the same highlights? How do you get those different stories that no one else has? How do you be innovative? How do you build your brand on social media? It’s all about changing and adapting with the times.”
Grasley, who connects with sports media professionals daily for his job, points to one recent connection as an active example of how opportunity still persists in the industry.
“I just met up with Justin Leusner of TDAY Sports. The stuff they’re doing for social – content for teams, content for athletes. The Fiesta Bowl hired them to create content around the event. That’s where it’s heading.”
Event-driven, team-driven, athlete-driven content. That’s where the industry is trending. That’s where the opportunities are accumulating. The tricky part is how to find and capitalize on them.
“How do you play the algorithm? How do you maximize the views, and how do you get sponsors? I think the key to that goes back to creating consistent content, and being raw, real, and emotional – building your own brand. Sports journalists in this era are building their own brand.”
Not only are sports journalists building their own brand now, but they have to accomplish much of it on their own. Despite this, Grasley says that journalists don’t have to be alone in an isolating modern-age industry, and they can maximize their efforts by going back to their roots.
2) Build Connections and Be Authentic
Having experience with both sports journalism and public relations, Grasley has a unique perspective on the ultimate root of journalism itself: Telling a story.
“First and foremost, [journalism] is about telling a story, and that’s what I love the most. That’s one thing that applies to all of journalism. Whether it’s PR, or a digital publication, or a podcast, or a TV report, it’s all about conveying that story with your messaging.”
How the act of “telling a story” is applied across sports journalism and PR is different. But for Grasley, a few common threads are clear. If you want to find and tell stories, you have to network, make connections, and nurture those connections. That not only helps your stewardship of stories, but helps you learn as well.
Of course, everyone talks about networking and making connections. But how do you do that? Grasley calls back to something a colleague once said to him: Be unapologetically authentic.
“People want to get to know people. That’s how this society works. It’s okay to be raw. It’s okay to tell your story.”
Another part of telling a story is diving into the journey from struggle to triumph. That’s a universal human theme, and it’s one that Grasley says is still popular as well.
“I follow Jason Feifer, he’s the Editor-in-Chief at Entrepreneur. He’s like ‘we get all these stories about entrepreneurs who made millions of dollars. That’s great… but I wanna know the struggles. I want to know the things you overcame.’ Someone once asked Tom Brady: ‘What were your greatest memories?’ He said: ‘My greatest memories were the times that I failed. Those were the greatest memories, and those were the greatest lessons, because that’s what taught me to be a champion.’”
Now, a good story isn’t a winning formula on its own. You have to know people. You have to know where to look and where to present. But Grasley says that, in and of itself, is an opportunity as well: An opportunity to learn, connect, and broaden your footprint.
“This whole industry is built on relationships. Reach out to some reporters and say: ‘Hey, can I pick your brain? Can I hop on a call? I want to learn what you did to get there. Let me tap into your knowledge.’ Get out there as much as you can. Learn as much as you can. Connect with as many people as you can, and just keep riding the wave.”
3) Be Versatile and Stay Persistent
By staying true to the foundational elements of journalism, you can separate yourself as a storyteller. However, Grasley emphasizes two more latent truths if one wants to eventually make it in the industry. The first truth is: You have to be versatile.
“Be as versatile as you can. I tell this to sports writers, and I’ll tell this to 40-year olds. The more ways you can tell a story, the more things you can do… the more beneficial you can be in this industry. Learn as much as you can. Be as versatile as you can be, and you can succeed in any ecosystem.”
The second truth is: You have to understand that it’s a long game.
“It’s a long-term game. Stay persistent. Keep your foot on the gas. Don’t be afraid of failure, and don’t be afraid to start in a lower market and work your way up.”
Grasley affectionately remembers an opportunity to work in Rapid City, South Dakota. Those kinds of opportunities aren’t glamorous, and sometimes it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but all of Grasley’s combined experiences have led him to where he is now: Helping the sports community grow with a guiding hand at Profluence.
“If you want to be part of a mainstream sports network, it’s going to take years. It’s going to take time. But like with anything, if you’re willing to put in the work…”
It could be worth it.
