Students Get Hands-on Experience Covering Adaptive Sports at the 2024 Paralympics

School of Journalism and Media student Griffin Hadley interviewing athletes at the 2024 Paralympic Games for USA TODAY

Senior Griffin Hadley was first exposed to the sport of goalball while visiting the Philippines with the VOLeaders Academy at University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

A year later, the School of Journalism and Media major and Tennessee Vol swimmer would be in Paris at the 2024 Paralympic Games producing an explainer video for the USA TODAY Network to introduce others to this unique and possible “new favorite” sport.

“In the middle of a trip where I was fully immersed in adaptive sports, learning how sport can change lives, I figured out that I would be going to the Paralympics,” Hadley said. “So I was able to learn about adaptive sports in two different places. It was just a very full circle moment when I ended up going to the Paralympics.”

Through a partnership with USA TODAY, nine students from the School of Journalism and Media reported on the Games for the national media outlet. Accompanying them were the School of Journalism and Media professors Erin Whiteside, Nick Geidner, and CCI doctoral student Aman Misra.

In preparation, the students completed a course during the summer about the competition and learned more about adaptive sports to prepare them to work with the athletes. For many of the students, it was their first time working with and covering adaptive sports and the athletes. 

“The students really captured the theme of inclusivity in their stories, both in written text and in social video,” said Executive Editor and Vice President of USA TODAY Sports Roxanna Scott. “For example, they created smart explainers about sports like goalball, which is not a sport that fans might come across outside the Paralympics.”

Hadley said his experience in the Philippines really helped him prepare for the Games. He not only learned and played various sports but also commentated on a wheelchair basketball game and interviewed several coaches to expand his understanding of the sports and athletes.

One connection he made while in the Philippines was with amputee and digital content creator Brylee Samgel Arombo. After sharing the news about being accepted to cover the Paralympics with Arombo, he learned he too would be in Paris for the Games as a volunteer. So, the two stayed in contact and were able to meet up and rekindle their friendship at the Games. 

“It’s such a small world,” Hadley said. “It feels like I have family across the globe and it’s really cool.”

A group photo of School of Journalism and Media students and faculty posing in front of a welcome sign at the 2024 Paralympic Games.
The School of Journalism and Media partnered with the USA TODAY Network to cover the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France this summer.

Covering adaptive sports

One thing that stood out to the students at the Games was how other countries prioritized coverage of these athletes compared to the United States.

Junior journalism major and sports writer Caleb Jarreau said other media teams from China and Japan far outnumbered those from the United States. He came to learn that those countries watch adaptive sports the way Americans watch football. 

Whiteside said the experience not only exposed the students to covering sports, but also gave them the unique angle of covering adaptive sports—an area she said is under-reported in general. When media outlets typically cover people with disabilities in sports, they often draw on stereotypes.

“To provide this kind of visibility to the Paralympics means we were also very much smashing stereotypes and helping audiences think about disability in new ways,” Whiteside said. “It’s the thing I am most proud of from this trip. I hope one learning outcome from this opportunity among our students is realizing the role they play in generating interest in various athletes and sports.”

Senior journalism major and sports writer Catherine Ligon said one of her favorite moments from the Paralympics was watching the young fans. The joy on their faces while watching someone with a similar disability to their own excel at the highest level almost brought her to tears. For her, it emphasized the importance of representation in the media.

“Obviously, it meant a lot to them, and it just was super moving for me to see them be able to witness representation for themselves,” Ligon said. “Being able to tell those stories is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We got to tell the stories of these athletes the way it should be told. Just to be a small part in that was awesome.”

Junior and sports writer Gabriel Jackson said covering the Paralympics reinforced the importance of accuracy in reporting. With so many different conditions and classifications in adaptive sports, he said accurate reporting is crucial.

Jackson said he learned how the adaptive sports community prefers to be described, and how to avoid some of the stereotypical pitfalls media can fall into when covering such events. 

For example, one of the athletes’ parents advised him to avoid words like “despite” or “overcome” as it can come across as belittling in the Paralympic community. 

“Covering the Games forced me to think about every word and question more,” Jackson said. “And when you go back to cover football, basketball, and soccer at UT, this experience is not going to hurt me but help. I’m in the practice of being extra diligent and researched as possible and being more intentional about my writing than I might have otherwise been.”

Increasing visibility of adaptive sports

Whiteside said visibility is key and there is a lot more sports journalism educators can do to expose future journalists to adaptive sports and athletes to help improve coverage. 

This includes bringing in para-athletes to talk about their disability and be an interview subject for practice assignments to help broaden their understanding of the sports and athletes. 

To better help students prepare for the Games, students completed a summer course in sports media and the Paralympics. They learned about the Paralympics sports movement, conducted background research and reporting, and communicated with USA TODAY Network sports editors ahead of the Games.

“We often think of sports as fun and a distraction from real life, but it’s important to also realize how impactful sports media are in shaping and normalizing shared values and norms,” Whiteside said. 

Scott said they were impressed with the students’ coverage of the Games, especially their storytelling, which she said was rich with details from Paris and gave readers a true appreciation for the athletes as people. Students wrote twenty-seven articles, photographed numerous events, and produced more than fifteen videos for social media as part of their on-the-ground coverage of the Games.

Whiteside said the partnership with USA TODAY was an invaluable experience for students as it provided them a once-in-a-lifetime immersion learning opportunity and showcased their work on a national stage, which will be beneficial for their portfolios. 

She added that along with building out their own experience, the students made a deeper impact, too. 

“The USA TODAY Network’s platform also allowed us to significantly increase the amount of coverage in the U.S. on the Paralympics in general,” Whiteside said. “It’s not an overstatement to say that our students helped fill a news hole and bring more visibility to the Paralympics in the U.S. than ever before.”

Gannett’s Emerging Platforms Director Traci Lee said USA TODAY builds trust with readers by meeting them where they are, and the students’ videos allowed the outlet to authentically inform readers and viewers on platforms where they are already highly engaged. 

“We were also able to focus on highlighting athletes’ voices and give them the platform to tell their own stories, which is so important for visibility and for deeper coverage of adaptive sports,” Lee said.  

Whiteside said the partnership with USA TODAY was an invaluable experience for students as it provided them a once-in-a-lifetime immersion learning opportunity and showcased their work on a global stage, which will be beneficial for their portfolios. 

“But, the USA TODAY Network’s platform also allowed us to significantly increase the amount of coverage in the U.S. on the Paralympics in general,” Whiteside said. “It’s not an overstatement to say that our students helped fill a news hole and bring more visibility to the Paralympics in the U.S. than ever before.”