I landed my dream job last year.
Having been a sports fan all my life, reporting on it courtside was a natural progression. But for me, the best part of being a sports correspondent was getting to know the athletes. In my first year on the job, I had the honor of reporting on the National University Women’s and Men’s Volleyball Team. Throughout the volleyball season, I watched these teams train for hours, tirelessly refining their form.
Last season, my close friendship with NU Women’s Volleyball player Jen Nierva allowed me to understand what she was going through as she attempted to defend her team’s championship. Before their do-or-die finals game with the De La Salle Lady Archers, I witnessed a brief yet special moment between Jen and the rest of the girls. I heard motivational speeches showing their hunger to win and promises they made to each other. These translated to their performance in the finals match later on.
The friendship was a bonus but I believe empathy does a lot to enrich one’s reporting — a real feel for what a team is going through. It inspires reporting that isn’t just heartfelt but informative, so that an audience has an even greater connection with the players they’re watching.
I realize that my favorite sports correspondents possess this emotional depth — the kind that only humans tap into when understanding the immense pressure athletes like Jen have to endure on a daily basis.
In light of recent discussions surrounding Artificial Intelligence taking a seat in the world of sports media and broadcasting, I spoke with some sportscasters about their most emotional moments on the court. While I acknowledge the myriad benefits that AI brings to the field, I remain steadfast to the human and emotional aspect of sports reporting. These reporters see their jobs as something more than a source of income; it has become their passion and way of life.
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Pauline Verzosa
CNN Philippines Sports Correspondent since 2018
I would say it’s really the interviews [that’s the most emotional part of the job] because as a sports reporter, you have that access of getting to communicate with the players themselves, asking questions that fans want to know. The timing of sports is unprecedented because Filipino athletes have been succeeding consistently in the last five years alone so imagine when you’re there to see them celebrate success and cry when they get defeated — it’s those moments that makes our job emotional because you share that journey with them, and not only that but you get to ask them about those moments, and be the one to share it with fans who can also learn and resonate from it because at the end of the day [the fans] are also human. [Being a sportscaster] is about finding that human aspect in [the athlete’s] journey. People can relate with them. May it be a player’s resilience, camaraderie, determination. All those aspects are emotional as a sportscaster.
Before in college, wala naman masyadong opportunities lalo na for women in sports media. Now, it’s a great time that a lot of doors are opening up for girls and boys in sports — whether that’s in writing, reporting or even managing teams. It’s doing something we love that makes our job special.
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