Perry Lefko of Rogers Sportsnet will be teaching a sports writing course at the University of Toronto.

Freelance Sports Writing, which is offered U of T’s School of Continuing Studies, will take place on Monday nights from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. starting on October 4 and will run for eight weeks.

Lefko, a veteran in the business of sports journalism, will be teaching this course for a second consecutive year at U of T.

Specifically designed it to help students find their forte and build on their technical writing skills, the curriculum is both innovative and packed full.

Writing techniques for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and blogs will be covered in the course.

“It’s important for students to realize that there are a lot of people out there who like to write and write about sports. You must be able to understand how to combine both of them. If you want to write a blog, you may have all the knowledge but your writing may not stand up that well, and people will notice that,” Lefko explained.

“You have to know how to write. People will want to read what you have to say.”

Through the Freelance Sports Writing course, students will get first-hand opportunities to impart knowledge from well-known professional journalists and athletes in the business.

Last year Lefko brought in Elliotte Friedman from CBC Sports and Spider Jones from CFRB’s Newstalk and the students got the chance to ask them questions about how to get a story, how to write a story, and how to present a story to their editors. He also managed to nab CFL legend Damon Allen to come in and speak to the class about his view of the media.

Lefko is looking to enlighten students who have a passion for writing and sports, and to push them forward, separating themselves from others in what has become a very saturated business.

Lefko said, “I encourage the people who take the course to be very interactive and take the opportunity to make the most of what they are learning.

“I want the students to learn the importance of writing and enjoy what it is that they are being taught.”

More information is available here.