Buffalo, while small, is one of the most passionate sports markets in the country. Many young sports fans in Buffalo desire careers in sports journalism but do not know which classes they can take that will help them work on their true passion. That’s what Buffalo Sports Insider was made for.

Up until two years ago, there was no class or club at Buffalo State where students could directly talk about professional sports in the area. This was especially disappointing because many communications majors at the school specifically wanted to have a sports journalism-based occupation.

Having noticed this, then-student DeShawn Francois pitched to the Communications Department the idea of the school offering a sports journalism class. By doing this, Francois was able to effectively create one of the most important and widely loved classes in the entire department, that being Buffalo Sports Insider.

Every Monday and Wednesday, students meet to discuss the latest sports news. The class is titled Digital Sports Journalism, with a COM 403 designation. The name of the actual program and all of the corresponding social media is Buffalo Sports Insider.

Buffalo Sports Insider is made possible by the Buffalo Broadcasters Association and is hosted by the organization’s president Steve Monaco.

Buffalo Sports Insider is organized in a newsroom-like setting. Every other show, students will head into the broadcasting room in Buckham Hall to lead live-streamed discussion panels about everything that’s relevant in the world of Buffalo sports.

These discussions are broken up into four different segments, each dedicated to a different sport. These different segments can range anywhere from the latest free agent signings in football to the WNBA playoffs.

The discussion panels are live streamed through Streamyard website and are available for viewing on the Buffalo Sports Insider YouTube channel.

In addition to the on-air hosts, panelists, and journalists, there are also student producers who work to make sure the organization runs smoothly. Producer Thomas Bailey, a sophomore Journalism major, said his work involves a range of tasks during the live stream and for the website.

“I edit a lot of articles. I proofread them then upload them to the website. I also work as a technical director where I sit through and watch the discussions, where I mute and un-mute people and make sure the audio is perfect,” Bailey said.

Bailey said that Buffalo Sports Insider is very important to the Buffalo sports community as well.

“Buffalo’s a huge sports city with the Bills and the Sabres. Buffalo State, being a state university and institution, would obviously want to highlight that. By having students join this class, it provides them with a lot of long-term experience for their careers down the line,” he said.

Buffalo Sports Insider provides students with unique opportunities that cannot be found in any other class. For the Bisons season, Buffalo Sports Insider has multiple press passes. As long as you fill out and sign a media credentials form, you will be able to attend any Bisons game of your choosing and watch it from the press box.

The Bisons games are just one of the numerous examples of the perks of joining the class. Buffalo Sports Insider always finds creative ways for students to engage in the world of sports both in and outside of class time. Last year, Buffalo Sports Insider hosted live studio coverage and reactions to the 2024 NFL Draft.

In addition to joining the class as a student, Buffalo Sports Insider can also be joined as an internship. This internship will give you invaluable experience to prepare you for the professional world. Not only that, but it counts as an internship credit towards graduating as well, strengthening its case.

Those who wish to join Buffalo Sports Insider can do so by registering for COM 403 Digital Sports Journalism. The course is available for any Communications major who has completed the pre-requisite courses. It is also available to Communications majors who reach out to Steve Monaco and are granted access.

For those who would like to become an intern, they may fill out an application and submit it to Gabe DiMaio. Internship applications may also be submitted via email to [email protected].