When we look at how the sports media industry has evolved over the past few years we have seen many shifts and pivots as the space moves with the changing times, and someone who has been using this to their advantage has been Tebogo Motebejane.
The journalist started her journey into the media began during lockdown when, like many, she was looking to hone in a new skill, and that’s when she realised she wanted to be a sports writer. She began her blogging about various sports, and like they say the rest is history.
These days, Motebejane writes for the Guardian Report and Limpopo Chronicle.
She hails from a village in the northern most province of South Africa and being a part of the sports media industry was an idea she didn’t even entertain as a youngster, given her humble beginnings. Motebejane is now a familiar face at various press conferences and sporting events.
Motebejane shared some of her precious time with gsport and spoke about how her career started, what her career dreams are, and gave some advice for those looking to make their way into the industry.
How did your career in journalism begin?
“It all started in 2020 during lockdown, a lot of people were learning new skills and I decided I wanted to learn how to write to become a sports writer. I researched different blogging platforms and I found that WordPress was the better of the blogging platforms. I created my blog and I knew I would focus on sport. I initially named it Football Expressions because I thought I would write about football but as time went on I felt I was boxing myself and there is going to come a time when want to branch into other sporting codes. I then changed it to Precious Sports Expressions, as Precious is my second name.”
“I blogged in 2021 and in 2022 I got an opportunity in sports journalism and I gained my first-ever experience through a media company called Great Sports Media. I was a sports journalist there for a period of 12 months and when I joined I received my PSL accreditation and that is how I broke into the sports industry.”
Was being in media and communications always something you wanted to do?
“No … I grew up in a village called Mafefe in Limpopo and in the area where I grew up, there was a lack of information. At school, you would be told you should study education, law, those kinds of qualifications. There wasn’t much knowledge about media and sport, sports management, or journalism. What I did know is that I wanted to be in the sports industry because I love football but because of where I grew up I excluded it from the equation. I thought let me finish Grade 12 and see if I can get into the sports industry once I completed school. I didn’t think I would be in this line of work because of where I grew up.”
What does your job entail?
“I am two things, I am a sports journalist and a sports analyst. I write about sports, for instance with my PSL accreditation, I get to cover games and press conferences. When it’s the Soweto Derby I will attend the joint press conference (of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates). I will get content there and interview the coaches and players for my pre-match reports.”
“On match day I will go to the stadium to watch the match and submit a match report and then after the match I will attend the post-match press conference to get out content for stories. This also happens when I cover other sporting codes like cricket or any event that I get to attend.”
How do you ensure that you are always putting out the best content?
“It’s really about what the readers want to read and the content they will find more absorbing. The publication you will work for will dictate what content is the best to put out there for your readers. It’s dependant on the readership/viewership but what I do is make sure I know what kind of content the people want and it depends on the talking points on social media, radio, and television.”
What do you feel it takes to be a successful sports journalist?
“Once you get into the industry you get to understand there are different kinds of markets, you will have journalists who break down the transfer markets and deadlines. Those who write feature stories and match reports. It depends on what you like writing about, I enjoy event coverage and pre-match and post-match press conferences.”
“Focusing on what you do well, ensuring that you utilise your social media platforms and making sure you move around different publications to gain different knowledge on how publications work. Dedicating your time to all that you do. Forget about the popularity part, you could be a popular journalist and not do things according to the book. It is more about the dedication you have to your work and making sure that you can reach viewers. The more you move around and the more experience you gain, that is what will make you successful and able to navigate in the industry.”
How do you navigate being a woman in a male-dominated industry?
“It is still dominated by men and when I first started I sometimes felt out of place because there are a lot of men and a lot of people are watching you. You just have to tell yourself that you belong here, you deserve to be here and you can do the same work that they do, it doesn’t matter what your gender is or the colour of your skin. For me, it means a lot to see myself being able to step into rooms with people I never thought I would never meet. The kind of people I would only see on television. I get to be the voice of many people especially when I do feature stories. That’s really what it means to be a sports journalist in South Africa, while you are busy doing that you are in a male-dominated space and just focus on what you are doing.”
What are some of the career lessons you have learned?
“In terms of writing, at the beginning, I would just blog about everything and I remember covering my first Soweto Derby which is where I learnt a lot. Many things are happening in a live event like the Soweto Derby, it’s a huge game in South Africa and the continent so there are a lot of angles to cover.”
“So you get to learn along the way and you get to improve your writing and your conceptualisation when it comes to stories. You could maybe get five stories from one audio clip. I didn’t know these things when I started blogging so that has been one big career lesson, navigating how to learn how to write.”
What is your biggest dream when it comes to your career?
“I see myself writing for an international publication, covering the UEFA Champions League, the EURO’s, I just want to go international. I see myself covering the biggest tournaments, like the US Open.”
What is your advice to young girls and women who are looking at taking up a career in sports media?
“Don’t do it for the fame, please. Do it for the passion, do it because you love it and because you see yourself having a future in the media. Create your platform if you can, if you want to be a sports writer, start blogging, and write your own stories.”
“By the time you are discovered by a publication, you have experience and are ready to step up. If you want to be a sports broadcaster, there is TikTok and YouTube that can be used. Promote your work on social media, so that you can also get the exposure you need.”
You have seen how the sports media world has grown women as you are an integral part of it, what does this growth mean to you?
“It means a lot, it gives us hope and it gives those trying to get into the media industry hope that they can do it. From broadcasters, presenters, writers, and even athletes, the growth goes a long way and it means that I can step into three shoes one day as I grow myself in the media space. It is about inspiring motivating and encouraging the next generation of women who feel like they can’t make it in the industry. The more the growth happens worldwide, the more girls will look at the industry and that they can make it and make a living from it.”
Main Photo Caption: Tebogo Motebejane started her journey to her media during lockdown when she was looking to hone in a new skill, and that’s when she realised she wanted to be a sports writer, beginning her trade by blogging about sports and ‘The rest is history’. All Photos: Supplied
Photo 2 Caption: Growing up in a village called Mafefe in Limpopo, Motebejane relates that there was not much information about media and sport, sports management, or journalism.
Photo 3 Caption: Attending matches and sports press conferences in person, Motebejane now writes for the Guardian Report and Limpopo Chronicle.
