Sports Media Program

The Bachelor of Arts in sports media is specifically geared toward students seeking communication careers in sports-related fields, such as sports journalism, sports broadcasting, public relations, marketing communications, and sports information.

Like all Jandoli School of Communication programs, sports media is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

A focus on fundamentals

Students enrolled in the major learn the same solid communications fundamentals as in the Jandoli School's undergraduate majors in journalism, strategic communication and broadcast journalism. They then focus on sports-related classes including "Sports Writing," "Sports Commentary and Analysis," "Sports Photojournalism," and more.

A primary focus of the sports media program is equipping students with solid writing skills, the bedrock on which all successful sports media careers rest.

Internships & opportunities: Put your education to work

St. Bonaventure's NCAA Division I athletics program, with nine men's and eight women's sports, offers sport media majors the opportunity to learn while doing, without leaving campus. Jandoli School students broadcast the university's D-I games on ESPN+. It's just one of a number of on- and off-campus internship opportunities available to our students.

All Jandoli School majors are required to complete 400 hours of internships, a combination of on-campus and off-campus experiences.

Internship Requirements
Campus Media Opportunities

Adrian "Woj" Wojnarowski, ESPN's Senior NBA Insider, speaks during the induction of his friend and fellow SBU graduate Michael Vaccaro (in sportcoat), lead sports columnist at the New York Post, onto the Jandoli School's Wall of Distinguished Graduates.

Jandoli grads achieve success, from ESPN to USA Today

Graduates of the Jandoli School hold some of the most prominent positions in the most respected sports media organizations in the country.

Adrion "Woj" Wojnarowski, Class of 1991, Senior NBA Insider at ESPN, has long been considered the most dominant force in reporting on the NBA. He has been named National Sportswriter of the Year three times by the National Sports Media Association.

Woj's good friend, Mike Vaccaro, Class of 1989, lead sports columnist for the New York Post, has a trifecta of his own, having been named New York Sportswriter of the Year three times by The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Donna Ditota, '83, sports reporter for Syracuse Media Group, is the first woman to be named New York Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Ditota has also been selected for the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame.

Tim Bontemps, '07, is an NBA writer for ESPN; Rachel Axon, '06, is a sports investigative reporter for USA Today; and Todd Dybas, '99, is a senior writer at NBC Sports Washington..

Jandoli Graduates in Sports Media

Program Information

WKBW’s Specht honored with prestigious duPont Award for reporting on diocese scandal

Dec 11, 2019

St. Bonaventure alumnus Charlie Specht, Class of 2010, was honored today with a 2020 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for his investigative reporting into the sex abuse scandal in the Diocese of Buffalo.

Specht’s reporting over the last year on the mishandling of the crisis ultimately led to last week’s resignation of Buffalo Bishop Richard Malone. Specht is the chief investigative reporter at WKBW-TV, the ABC affiliate in Buffalo.

Columbia’s announcement lauded Specht’s reporting: “The searing compilation of investigative reports took clergy sex abuse and cover-up by the Catholic Church, and revealed hidden, long-standing problems within the diocese in Buffalo.”

On Twitter, Specht lauded those who came forward to give credence to his reporting.

“Thank you to the survivors and also to Siobhan O’Connor and Fr. Ryszard Biernat, two devout Catholics who gave up their careers and so much more to expose truth in the Buffalo Diocese. This is a tribute to you,” he wrote.

The Alfred I duPont-Columbia Award is considered the Pulitzer Prize of broadcast journalism, said St. Bonaventure’s Aaron Chimbel, dean of the Jandoli School of Communication.

“Charlie’s work represents the best ideals of the Jandoli School and its founder, Dr. Russell Jandoli,” Chimbel said. “This dogged, important reporting and willingness to confront a powerful institution and leader shows why thoughtful journalism is so important.”

Columbia Journalism School announced the 16 winners, who will be awarded their Silver Batons at Low Memorial Library at the university on Tuesday, Jan. 21, in a ceremony hosted by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and Michael Barbaro, host of the New York Times podcast, The Daily.

The Alfred I duPont-Columbia Awards uphold the highest standards in journalism by honoring winners annually, informing the public about those journalists’ contributions and supporting journalism education and innovation, thereby cultivating a collective spirit for the profession.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. In 2019, St. Bonaventure was named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report.