Celebrating the voices behind the game: The role of sports journalists in society

Every 2 July, the world pauses—however briefly—to recognise a group of professional journalists whose work is often taken for granted yet whose influence is felt in every corner where sport is played.

World Sports Journalists Day, marked this year on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, is a moment to celebrate the men and women whose pens, microphones, and cameras have become essential companions to every match, every race, and every victory lap.

The day itself traces back to 1994, when it was first celebrated to mark the 70th anniversary of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). Founded during the 1924 Paris Olympics, the AIPS emerged as a global voice supporting sports journalists and defending press freedom. Since then, July 2 has served as an annual reminder of just how central sports journalism is to the way we experience, understand, and remember sport.

In a world where sport has become a multi-billion dollar business and a unifying cultural force, sports journalists are more than chroniclers of scores. They are interpreters of history in real time, shaping the narratives that will live long after the final whistle.

They report on triumphs and heartbreaks, expose scandals that threaten the integrity of competition, and bring to light the human stories that remind us why sport matters. Whether it is the young sprinter from Ghana clocking a world-class time, the veteran footballer bidding farewell to the game, or a community stadium project mired in controversy, it is the sports journalist who asks the questions and connects audiences to the bigger picture.

Important for many reasons

Recognising Journalism’s Role: It highlights how sports journalists shape public discourse, influencing how stories are told and remembered.

Encouraging Ethical Coverage: It serves as a call for fair, insightful, and responsible reporting that respects both athletes and audiences.

Inspiring Aspiring Journalists: It shines a light for young people who dream of telling the stories behind the games they love.

Supporting Media Freedom: It reinforces the principle that a free and independent sports press is as vital as any other in a democratic society.

Celebrating Behind-the-Scenes Heroes: It acknowledges the long hours, the travel, the deadline pressures, and the challenges of covering live events accurately and with integrity.

Too often, the work of sports journalists is regarded as secondary to the so-called “serious” beats of politics or business. Yet, when we look back on the moments that brought nations together—World Cups, Olympic triumphs, unforgettable rivalries—we find the voices of sports journalists narrating those memories.

They are the professionals who turn numbers on a scoreboard into stories of hope and resilience, who make sense of the strategy and emotion, and who remind us that sport is not merely entertainment but a reflection of society itself.

On this World Sports Journalists Day, let us honour these storytellers for what they are: dedicated chroniclers of human achievement whose work educates, entertains, and inspires. Their contribution deserves not just recognition, but respect.

Report by Kelvin Papa Sackey for Asaase News in Greater Accra

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