From the classroom to the field: A new sports media minor
A new sports media minor in the School of Communication allows students to gain hands-on experience while pursuing a career in sports.
At the University of Miami School of Communication, hands-on experience isn’t a perk, it’s part of the curriculum.
To meet the demand, senior lecturers Ed Julbe and Erin Brown, alongside lecturer Jon Gorchow, developed a new sports media minor that dives into the world of sports journalism, digital media, and more.
“The program has been in the works for quite some time, reflecting ongoing conversations about how best to serve students interested in the rapidly evolving sports media industry,” Julbe said. “Until now, there hasn’t been a formal way within the School of Communication for students to clearly define and pursue that interest as a structured area of study.”
The sports media minor, launched in spring of 2025, gives students a structured path to combine journalism and digital media skills with real-world experience in sports coverage. It prepares students for a number of different careers in the field, including sports reporting, writing, photojournalism, announcing, digital content managing, and more.
Editor-in-Chief of Ibis Yearbook, Jake Sperling, at the National Championship game.
One required course is JMM 448, Sports and the Media, which examines the relationship between the two, the financial side of the industry, sports production, and more.
“The creation of this minor fills that gap by providing a pathway that aligns with their ambitions and prepares them for careers in an increasingly competitive industry,” Julbe said.
One program that illustrates this vision is UMTV’s “SportsDesk,” the School of Communication’s award-winning sports show run by students, which Julbe oversees.
Students on “SportsDesk” got the unique opportunity to cover Miami’s historic college football run, producing a special presentation called “SportsDesk: Championship Countdown,” broadcasting live from outside Hard Rock Stadium.
Students like junior Shea McDonald got the chance to cover the game, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity many students dream of.
“I mean, having the ability for that whole Hurricanes playoff run to go travel and follow the team was special,” McDonald said. “As for the show itself, being at the National Championship was just the culmination of all that work and all those special moments coming together for one big show.”
Broadcast journalism junior Shea McDonald reports from the field during the National Championship game.
On the field at the National Championship game, students meet Tom Brady during a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Other students also covered the historic season for The Miami Hurricane and Ibis Yearbook, the University’s student-run newspaper and yearbook, and attended several playoff games as well as the National Championship.
Third-year architecture student and Editor-in-Chief of Ibis Yearbook, Jake Sperling, is minoring in sports media, and had the opportunity to apply his skills on the sidelines this season.
“Getting to cover the National Championship was a dream come true, and a once in a lifetime experience, but it definitely wasn’t easy to pull off, ” Sperling said. “It required extensive collaboration with the other student media outlets, campaigning to UM Communications for representation on the field, as well as executives at the CFP and other national media organizations.”
But on the field, the hard work had paid off.
“Next to me were representatives from the New York Times, ESPN, AP News and so many more, and it made me feel like I had truly made it,” he said.
Jake Sperling throws up the U beside the National Championship trophy.
For Sperling, the minor itself was a natural fit alongside work he was already doing.
“I heard about it last semester for the first time, and I thought it was a cool blend between my journalism interests and my active involvement in sports reporting and photography,” he said.
The new minor sets the School of Communication apart, not just in what it teaches, but how it encourages students to follow their passions.
UM students are given real access and opportunity as early as their first year — something that faculty say is intentional.
In many peer institutions, students often wait until their junior or senior year to gain meaningful industry experience. But, UM’s sports media minor is another example built into the curriculum to get students on the field from day one.
