 Announcements  All late assignments must be turned in by Friday Nov 5 th in order to receive credit  After Nov 5 th assignments not turned in to me or in my mailbox by the Monday after the due date will not be accepted  Review the attendance policy ▪ Don’t let poor attendance affect your final grade

 What are some of your favorite sports teams ▪ Why are they your favorite ▪ When they play do you watch the post game show ▪ Why/Why Not ▪ What do people get from the sports game shows ▪ Anyone watch the half-time show for ▪ Football ▪ Basketball

 Sports and weather ▪ Received more coverage than any other subject ▪ Are there any newscasts with sports shows ▪ That have a catch name ▪ With a specific focus

 Think of a famous sports reporter  Radio or TV  What station or network  What makes them famous  Do you have a favorite sportscaster  Who are they  Why are they your favorite

 What is a catch phrase  What is one popularized by a sports reporter  What makes a catch phrase memorable

 How writing sports differs ▪ Sports is more video driven ▪ You need good video for highlights ▪ Can’t just use file/stock footage ▪ Video is self explanatory  Reporter can drop verbs and descriptive comments  This wouldn’t work for news story ▪ Sportscasters ▪ Use number more freely ▪ Often more critical of teams they cover ▪ Use more opinion & commentary

 Be cautious about these…  Being critical ALL the time ▪ Can lead to views of cynicism  Always showing praise for a team ▪ If it’s your team, be fair in your coverage ▪ Whether they’re doing good or bad  Too many clichés in sports writing

 “Sports Speak”  Language/jargon ▪ Terms sportscasters revert to or overuse  Be more clear than clever ▪ Can be tough to be creative night after night

 Getting Good Bites ▪ Try to get sound bites that are not clichés ▪ Develop good questions ▪ Usually result in better responses ▪ If good questions still result in cliché ▪ Look for someone else to interview

 Locker-Room Interviews  Unlike controlled interviews ▪ Locker rooms can be uncontrolled ▪ What possible problems to the locker room interview?

 “Rules of the Trade”  Get a comment or two ▪ About the game & athletes or teams performance ▪ Don’t overwhelm athlete with questions ▪ Mood may vary depending on games outcome

 Be aware of others agenda ▪ Professional courtesy may go a long way ▪ Radio deadline may be before yours ▪ Deferring to them may set up favor in the future  Avoid the dumb questions ▪ Many reporters ask same questions ▪ Most athletes respond to them ▪ Think about your questions ▪ If they are good, repetition isn’t bad

 Grammar – Poor grammar make YOU look bad ▪ Be aware of grammar use when writing your copy ▪ Sports is often overlooked more than news ▪ Poor grammar is reflected during delivery  Examples – Think of team nicknames as nouns ▪ Team is singular - Pronoun should be singular ▪ Nickname is singular – pronoun should be singular ▪ Nickname is plural – pronoun should be plural ▪ Who wants to try a few?

 It’s or Their – (Pick the proper pronoun) ▪ The Bengals won 3 of ____last 4 games ▪ The Heat, with 3 all-stars, won ____ first game ▪ Chicago dominated ____ opponents in the last game ▪ The Yankees lost ____ season opener at home ▪ Golden State is pursuing ____ first win of the year ▪ The Nuggets traded ____ top players in the offseason ▪ Identify which is correct and why

 Be Proactive  Audiences have different interests ▪ Some people love pro sports ▪ They will tune in regularly for info ▪ They are not the majority of people ▪ Some people don’t watch pro sports ▪ What can you offer THEM during the sports segment ▪ What might they watch if covered ▪ What is a non-pro sports story you can think of? ▪ How was it or could it have been appealing

DO  Look for features that would interest all viewers  Worry more about being clear than being clever  Find athletes who can talk and ask them good questions DON’T  Cover only pro sports  Get caught up in a “Sports Culture”  Fall into “sports speak”  Think that because you’re covering sports the writing rules don’t apply

 How do we avoid falling into the “Sports Speak” syndrome  Why is “Sports Speak” a problem