 Match the mascot to the team (NFL) ◦ Ravens ◦ Bills ◦ Bengals ◦ Browns ◦ Broncos ◦ Texans ◦ Colts ◦ Jaguars ◦ Chiefs ◦ Dolphins ◦ Patriots ◦ Jets ◦ Raiders ◦ Steelers ◦ Chargers ◦ Titans ◦ Cardinals ◦ Falcons ◦ Panthers ◦ Bears  Match the mascot (MLB) & National League ◦ Angels ◦ Athletics ◦ Blue jays ◦ Devil rays ◦ Indians ◦ Mariners ◦ Orioles ◦ Rangers ◦ Red sox ◦ Royals ◦ Tigers ◦ Twins ◦ White Sox ◦ Yankees ◦ Astros ◦ Braves ◦ Brewers ◦ Cardinals ◦ Cubs ◦ Diamondbacks ◦ Dodgers ◦ Giants ◦ Marlins ◦ Mets ◦ Nationals ◦ Padres

 Matching: NBA ◦ (Central Div.)  Bulls  Cavaliers  Pistons  Pacers  Bucks ◦ (East Teams)  Celtics  Nets  Knicks  76ers  Raptors ◦ (NW Div.)  Nuggets  Timberwolves  Blazers  Sonics  Jazz ◦ (SE Div.)  Hawks  Bobcats  Heat  Magic  Wizards

 How did you do?

 Logistics  Statistics  Deadlines  Ethics  lingo/jargon

 Conflict of Interest  Boosterism  Freebies

 Coaching changes  Letters of intent  Awards  “unsavory” stuff ◦ Difficult stories require courage, a sense of fairness- and for HS journalists since Hazelwood- a supportive administration

 Sports features  Trend  Advance  Advance trend  News stories  Game stories

 These are the stories behind or beyond the game  Based on human interest and/or oddity ◦ Athlete profiles ◦ Seasonal activities ◦ Girls playing on boys teams ◦ Athletes paying for personal trainers ◦ Students who coach teams with younger kids  Informative features on unusual sports and the students who play them

 Does not rehash plays from each game  Highlights trends in the course of a team’s play since the last issue  Answers the question: What’s gone on over the last month and WHY?  More analysis and focus on individual players

 Gives insight into the upcoming game, providing as many specifics as possible  May focus on a specific aspect of the upcoming game: how will the team replace an injured star?  Built on strong quotes, description and anecdotes  Requires coaches and reporter to think ahead

 Adds information on the upcoming game to the trend story, including how last month’s games influence it  Include information on the upcoming event as the first part of the story  Devote more space to the upcoming event  Condense into the available space as many of the highlights of the past events as possible

 Sports have also become big business, especially at the college/professional level  Look for stories about college recruiting, sports funding, fan behavior, use of performance enhancing drugs

 Seldom used in monthly student newspapers unless a late deadline on a significant game  Excellent option for posting on line  Not a rehash of play-by-play action  Focus on interesting and game-changing moments first  Weave in postgame quotes from players and coaches

 Differences ◦ Sports writing is more colorful, less formal than news writing ◦ Sports writing is more faster paced and lively ◦ Sports stories can be more flexible than news or feature writing  Similarities ◦ Both use similar types of leads: feature angle or news lead ◦ Both look for interest-compelling facts ◦ Both use an inverted pyramid structure (unless it’s a feature)

 News in descending order ◦ Game events aren't told chronologically; key moments or developments are played high ◦ Second graph supports the lead ◦ Some basics are played high but no “bunched” together  Transitions ◦ While stories may be written in an “unnatural” (not chrono) order,they should still flow. This can be accomplished by simply using appropriate transition words

 Scores are numerals separated by hyphens (12-6, not 12 to 6)  Team records are numerals separated by hyphens (8-2, not 8 to 2)  Winning scores always come first (your team lost 12-6, not 6-12)  Spell your opponents’ team/school name mascot correctly  Use sports terms that apply to the specific sports occasionally, however, you do not have to define them unless they are obscure

 1. have a strong lead  2. write clearly and concisely  3. know the content  4. give the major play by play  5. use quotes as possible  6. check you facts **See your handout for these notes**

 Write about players and teams, not games  When writing about players, always identify them by class in school and position on team  Keep up with team stats and use them frequently in stories  Keep up with individual stats and use them frequently in stories  Know sports writing style  Watch the team practice and play (especially for personality profiles)  Look for opportunities to do sports feature stories that are not tied directly to the games  There is a difference between reporting and commentating on…  Never be a cheerleader for your team

 Score  Records  Site  Classification  What’s next (tournament or playoff…)

 Commentary  Expertise  Player criticism  Clichés  Redundancy  quotes

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 Give the outcome of the play if possible  Name players on BOTH teams  Give the outcome of the game/match within the caption  It’s preferable to have stats about the player in the caption  Use player’s number (in caption) after their name, if they number is visible in the photo

 Example: ◦ While avoiding an East Paulding defender, senior Drew Coffee, #45, prepares to go up for the shot. “I played pretty well this game. I was very relaxed. Having a good game feels great and builds your confidence,” said Coffee. Coffee scored 14 points aiding the team in their defeat of the Raiders.  1 st sentence in PRESENT and describes what’s going on in the picture  2 nd sentence is a QUOTE related to the picture/game  3 rd sentence is PAST tense and gives background on stats/game outcome

 Write a caption for the Photo to the right-

 See handout