Sports Writing

Sports Writing vs. News Writing Both use similar types of leads: feature (indirect) or summary lead. Both look for the most interest-compelling facts. Both writers write the body of the story, add an acceptable lead, and then present the predominant facts in order of their importance. Writing about sports is more colorful, less formal than news writing. Sports writing is faster paced and more lively.

Preview or Advance Story Builds excitement and gives insight into the upcoming game, providing as many specifics as possible: – Where and when the game or match will take place – Records of teams – Statistics of key players – Overview of how the season is going for both teams – Direct quotations from coaches and/or players about the upcoming game – Review of key players: who is injured, and/or whose performance will be vital – Importance of the game for each team’s chances for playoffs or championships – Discussion of the mood and atmosphere surrounding the game

Game Story Report what happened during the game Not a rehash of play-by-play action – recap the most meaningful and unusual plays and explain why the game turned out as it did Use inverted pyramid format – First, focus on interesting plays and game- changing moments – Second, provide a chronological recap of how scoring went – Include outstanding players and how they contributed – Discuss significance of the games’ outcome – Weave in practice, pregame, and postgame quotes from players and coaches *Seldom used in monthly student newspapers unless a late deadline on a significant game

Post-Game Story Written in inverted pyramid format Follows up on an element of a previous game – Where does a team go from here, given its last game – How a team deals with injuries – Fans’ reaction to game – Winning streak/Losing streak and team’s plan for the future

Sports Feature These are the stories behind or beyond the game 3 Types of Sports Features: 1. The News-Related Sports Feature - goes into greater depth about a sports topic that is already in the news. Ex. The story behind a team’s success Ex. seasonal activities 2. The Informative Sports Feature - reports on larger trends in sports. Ex. athletes paying for personal trainers Ex. Rituals Ex. Unusual sports and the students who play them 3. The Sports Profile/Human Interest Feature - focuses on one person (or a small group of people), with the emphasis upon getting to know the subjects of the profile as ordinary people. Ex. Athlete profiles Ex. Students who coach teams with younger kids Ex. Girls playing on boys teams

Part II. Sports Writing

Writing Tips Know the sport well (rules, strategy, team records, player records). Read professional stories to get an idea of what work. Spend time talking to coaches and players before game days. – What parts of the game is the team working on? Attend games. – It’s not enough to get info. second hand from coaches, players, spectators Be fair and unbiased even though you have a favorite team or player. Avoid the use of first and second person. Use the specialized language of the sport (jargon) if the average reader would understand it. Tell the story in plain terms, with specific details, and let the facts tell the story. Double check for accuracy (names, statistics, scores, etc.).

Things to Avoid Cheerleading – remain objective – *Let your quotes state opinion. Quotes that sound like they could be about any sport – Just because the coach says, “We have to play as a team,” or “We’re going all the way to state,” doesn’t mean you have to use it. Clichés ex. “a tough loss” or “a great win” Too much technical jargon (sports vocab.) Long lists of statistics or scores: highlight the most important and put others in a sidebar Boring leads. Weak verbs *Use action verbs, not state of being verbs – Ex. “The team will visit…” not “The team will be visiting…”

Sports AP Stylebook Guidelines Bold coach No apostrophe – yes: boys tennisno: boy’s tennis Don’t capitalize team levels – Yes: varsity tennisno: Varsity Tennis – Exception: JV (junior varsity) is always capitalized Capitalize “Coach” or “Assistant Coach” when used as a title – Yes: Coach Mike WatersNo: The Coach warned the athletes. Use numerals and a hyphen to indicate scores – Yes: 7-3 victory over NPHSNo: Seven three victory over NPHS – *Always put WHS score first Don’t write out rankings – Yes: 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd No: first, second, third Capitalize name of league – Yes: Marmonte LeagueNo: Marmonte league Capitalize names of professional or collegiate sports teams – Yes: Ohio State BuckeyesNo: Ohio State buckeyes postseason and preseason (no hyphens)

Ethics When making assignments, avoid conflict of interest – or the appearance of conflict of interest. Attend the sporting event as a reporter, not a fan. Do not abuse the privileges of the press pass. Remind students that they are representing the journalism program. Review the Code of Ethics created by the Society of Professional Journalists, and ask students to abide by it. Building relationships – and trust – is at the heart of solid journalism.

Remember It is not enough to report only the results of the game. The game off the field, i.e. the strategy and atmosphere, is as important as the one on it.