Sports Writing

Three Types of Stories

Game Story Feature Piece Editorial

The Game Story Tells all of the pertinent details of the story with bias removed Gives the reader the feeling they were there, including details they wouldn’t otherwise know Combines the facts (stats and quotes) and feeling of the event to tie up the story in a tidy package

Your value as a storyteller lies in your ability to tell the story the reader didn’t already know.

The Lead Answer the 5 W’s and H Keep it concise They could stop reading at any moment

The Lead: “Texas A&M Commerce (1-0) opened the football season with a bang on its home field Saturday, registering its first win of the season, 98-20 over East Texas Baptist (0-1), while racking up nearly 1,000 yards of offense.”

Post-Game Interview Who Should You Interview? Depends on the game (win or loss, star or no star) Player, Coach, Both Teams Generic questions are a waste Focus on key events in the game, ask about those Base questions on statistics, know why they are important

Less correct information is always better than more incorrect informaiton. A short story told well is always a safe bet.

Feature Piece Highlighting an event, not necessarily the game Soccer player scoring 100th goal Star player getting ready for final game Golfer sinks 3rd career hole-in-one Completely different writing style. No solid lead to open the story Lots of background information to build your story Quotes will be the foundation Research and prep ahead of time makes the difference Savannah Reeves PDF from desktop

Editorial First person Making a point in an effort to educate the reader It’s personal It’s opinionated It’s dangerous Telling the truth in journalism often is dangerous

Tips of the Trade Show Up Early, Know the Story Lines Ask questions SID Coach Administrators Trainer Gather info Rosters Stats Injuries Be in the right place at the right time

Working on a Deadline Work within your means (timeline and skill level) Use timeouts, halftime, or other breaks to get ahead Pre-write where you can Keep your own stats, use official stats to verify Ask for help