Data Reporter, Sports

Hearst Newspapers • Houston, TX

124d

About The Position

The Houston Chronicle is hiring a Sports Data Reporter who thrives on finding and telling stories with data in a fast-paced, audience-centered newsroom. In this role, you will join the Hearst Texas Data Team, a collaborative group of journalist-programmers who partner with peers at the Austin American-Statesman, San Antonio Express-News, Houston Chronicle and Hearst DevHub to produce impactful, data-focused reporting. You will work closely with our sports journalists to uncover how data shapes the business and culture of athletics — from NIL deals and player compensation to ticket sales, contracts, demographics and fan engagement. This is a role where curiosity about the numbers behind the game translates into stories that resonate with everyday readers.

Requirements

• Has experience working collaboratively in a deadline-driven newsroom environment.
• Can self-manage and balance multiple projects at once, from quick-turn sports stories to deep enterprise projects.
• Possesses command of Excel and Google Sheets.
• Comfortable using Python, R or similar tools to clean, analyze and present data.
• Is comfortable with data visualization tools such as Datawrapper or Adobe Illustrator/ai2html.
• Has a working knowledge of Git and Github.
• Has a desire and ability to keep learning new data skills on the job.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with mapping tools such as ArcGIS or QGIS.
• Experience with APIs and web scraping.
• Knowledge of federal and Texas open-records laws related to higher education and athletics.

Responsibilities

• Produce data- and graphics-focused journalism centered on sports business topics, including NIL agreements, athlete contracts, revenue streams, attendance trends, and the economic impact of college and professional sports.
• Approach sports and business datasets with a healthy dose of skepticism, finding trends and stories that hold institutions accountable and provide readers with unique insights.
• Write and document reproducible, bulletproof code for data analysis.
• Collaborate with sports reporters and editors to craft audience-focused stories, pairing explanatory writing with compelling data visualizations.
• Support and further data literacy in the sports department and broader newsroom by sharing tools, methods, and leading data trainings.

What This Job Offers