Press Release:
Students will have the opportunity to prepare for careers in the sports industry through a distinctive new sports communication major at Bradley University. The new major responds to the need for qualified communication professionals in the sports industry and will be offered starting next fall. It will prepare graduates for leadership positions in professional, collegiate and amateur sports, sports media, and sports information.
Included in the new curriculum will be courses in sports writing and announcing, digital journalism, sports promotion and publicity, and international issues and ethics in sports. Students will gain experience in sports writing, production, promotion and publicity. Writing, theory, ethics and the cultural influence of sports in America will be emphasized.
“This is a cutting edge program as scholars are just beginning to give academic attention to the interplay of sports, communication and society,” said Bradley President Joanne K. Glasser. “Bradley has an impressive roster of graduates currently working in sports communication professions. This program will help continue that tradition by giving students in-depth preparation in a field that is rapidly evolving.”
Bradley’s Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts offers outstanding regional, national, and international programs in art, communication, multimedia, music, and theatre arts. The new sports communication major is one of six concentrations offered in the Department of Communication.
“Bradley’s program is like no other in the country due to the hands-on, professional and industry-intensive experience students will receive,” said Dr. Jeffrey Huberman, dean of the Slane College. “Our program will partner with major sports and media organizations to provide students experience outside the classroom as well as in our high tech facilities on campus.” The University has a rich history in sports communication dating back to the basketball teams of the 1930s with the legendary Jack Brickhouse ’37 HON ’90 doing play-by-play. Brickhouse had a long career with WGN and the Chicago Cubs from the late 1940s until the early 1980s. And, Bradley has an impressive list of graduates currently working in sports communication professions, including Charlie Steiner ’71, who is a former ESPN SportsCenter anchor and current radio play-by-play announcer for the L.A. Dodgers; Ralph Lawler ’61, who is the television play-by-play announcer for the L.A. Clippers; and Andy Masur ’89, who is the radio play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres.