Sports Journalism

Greg Toland is the weekend sports anchor at Channel 7. Greg joined WJLA-TV in October of 2000. He previously worked as the weekend sports anchor at WPGH-TV, the FOX affiliate in Pittsburgh.
Before that, Greg was the sports director at WBTW-TV, the CBS affiliate in Florence, S.C. In 1998, he was chosen the state’s sportscaster of the year. He also won the AP award for best sports story that year. Then two years later, he won the AP award for best sports story in Pennsylvania.
Greg is a 1984 graduate of the University of Maryland. He majored in Radio, Television and Film.

GRADED EXERCISE: In the comments section below, add the three things you learned from Greg’s presentation. Deadline is 30 minutes before class on Thursday Feb. 28 No exceptions!

DON’T FORGET your questions for USA Today sports writer Jeff Zillgitt for Thursday.

The greatest sports upset I ever saw was 28 years ago today on Feb. 22, 1980, when the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union, 4-3 at Lake Placid, N.Y.
Many people forget that the game was a semifinal and that the U.S. won the goal medal by defeating Finland.

My good friend, Joel Sucherman, Executive Producer at USA Today, will speak to my Online Journalism class as part of the “New Media Series” on Tuesday Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. in SUB II, rooms 3-4.

Joel has an extensive sports background — we worked together at USAToday.com — and will talk about multimedia production at USAT. You can expect plenty of examples.

Your comment must be posted by 30 minutes before the Tuesday Feb. 26 class.’
You must include the URL so that others can read the column, too.
Let me know if you have any questions.
See you in class.

Alan Goldenbach, who will hopefully be with us in class on Thursday March 6, has a wonderful centerpiece story on the Washington Post sports front headlined “Blindness Doesn’t Deter Mat Vision” about C.H. Flowers High School wrestler Michael Spriggs. Give it a read and leave Alan a comment.

The online version of the story includes video. That’s good use of the online platform to enhance a print story.

You can read other stories online by Alan.

Our class friend and Mason alumnus BJ Koubaroulis of the Washington Post and Fairfax Sports Network has a terrific story Thursday in the Post’s weekly Fairfax Extra headlined, “Injured ‘Sports Junkie’ Maintains His Focus.”

It begins:
“Through a window near his wheelchair, 17-year-old Nick Cafferky can see the top of a 20-foot-tall chain-link fence that wraps around a full-size basketball court in the back yard of his Great Falls home.”

I hope you will read it and post your comments here for BJ.
BJ will visit class on Thursday March 27. You can read all his Post stories online.

Your comment must be posted by 30 minutes before the Tuesday Feb. 19 class.
You must include the URL so that others can read the column, too.
Let me know if you have any questions.
See you in class.

Julie Ward is the former assistant sports editor of USA Today.
She joined USAT from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat as a general assignment reporter in 1984. She served as assistant sports editor from 1989 to 2007.
She is a Pioneer Award recipient of the Association of Women in Media (AWSM).

GRADED EXERCISE: In the comments section below, add the three things you learned from Julie’s presentation. Deadline is 30 minutes before class on Thursday Feb. 14 No exceptions!

DON’T FORGET your questions for Mason Athletic Director Tom O’Connor on Thursday.

Your comment must be posted by 30 minutes before the Tuesday Feb. 12 class.
You must include the URL so that others can read the column, too.
Let me know if you have any questions.
See you in class.

Meeting with B.J. Koubaroulis ?

For students that will be attending Communication Day on Feb. 7 in Dewberry Hall, I look forward to meeting with you and hearing your ideas, aspirations, goals and gripes about your future as a sports writer or some other more financially-rewarding career!

Here’s a quick synopsis of what I plan to discuss in a segment the Comm Department has labeled “Networking and Getting Ahead.”

…There are three main things that I believe are crucial in Networking:

1. Earn it
2. Respect it
3. Give it Back

Earn it

…Earn your place in your career. Work hard, invest in your long-term success and you’ll see that a network will begin to build itself. Networking is not about using people, which is a common misunderstanding among young and eager professionals. Networking is about sharing yourself with others and earning your place in your career by developing a strong work ethic and product.

Respect it

…By working hard and developing yourself as a professional, you will naturally develop a respect among your peers and colleagues; hence a network. This respect is only earned through hard work and it is this respect that will allow you to grow in your career. As a sports writer, your byline is your career. Respect it and hold it in high value and you’ll watch your network grow.

Give it Back

…There are so many ways that a person can give back. Giving back is not always about being the most highly-regarded financial donor to a university. Giving back is about creating opportunities for others in your network and those who need one, for example up-and-coming professionals that need a break in the business. Giving back is the most important part of networking.

I look forward to meeting you all at Communication Day.