An introduction to working the beat in sports journalism, including developing sources and story ideas and maintaining a reporter's independence from the pressures of commercial sport and home-team cheerleading. The impact of deadlines on sports journalism and sports writing, and an examination of what constitutes excellence in sports reporting will be discussed. Students will be enrolled in sections with a view to the amount of journalism experience they bring to the course, and assignments will be tailored to these differing levels of experience.