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
TAPinto network highlights work of Bona journalism professors and students
Apr 03, 2020
TAPinto, a network of more than 80 local news sites, has selected Jandoli School of Communication faculty
members Anne and Richard Lee as the network’s featured franchisees for the month of April. The organization highlights a different franchisee each month for making a difference in its community.
The School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University owns TAPinto Greater Olean, an online news site that covers communities near the university. Journalism students staff the site as part of the Jandoli School’s Journalists’ Workshop
course, which the Lees team teach.
Since its inception in January 2016, the news site’s impact on the Greater Olean community and its readership have increased steadily. TAPinto Greater Olean reporters have written more than 100 local stories on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the site
received more than 80,000 page views in March.
“TAPinto Greater Olean has become an important learning lab for Jandoli School students – and a vital source of information in Western New York,” said Aaron Chimbel, dean of the Jandoli School. “Anne and Rich Lee work tirelessly
to give our students a hands-on journalism education experience. It’s inspiring to see our students rise to the demands of breaking news and serve our communities and I am thankful they have such dedicated mentors to learn from.”