1. News Reporting Mcom 201
Sports Writing

2. The Role of a Sportswriter
The sports writers challenge is to describe events with elegance, passion and wit.
To entertain, inform and break news that no one else knows.
To describe a game that everyone has seen & to impart a feeling of what it was like to be there, in the stands, in the field or in the locker room.
Good sports writing is about good observation so that meaning and perspective can be added to the event while describing it to the reader.
Most sport stories fall under the following categories; advances, game stories, profiles, sports news stories and sports columns.

3. Advances
A sports advance or a “precede” is a preview story that gives readers insight and information about an upcoming game.
Such stories typically include background on the rivalry between teams and quotes from coaches and key players about what they expect.
It is vital to find a fresh angle in such stories as they are not just a report on the team & who it is playing with.
Focus should be on long simmering rivalries between teams or a last minute upset the last time they played.
Get players to discuss their concerns about facing the best teams.
Interview coaches and players from opposing teams who can offer different perspectives.

4. Game Stories
These account for a single game – or a series of games – are the bread and butter of most sport sections.
They are essentially breaking news stories and written on a tight deadline.
Sport stories should have the same 5W’s and 1How questions.
Why did the team you covered win or lose?
Details from important moments in the game should be incorporated but don’t write too much play by play.
For each game story think about what your readers want to know:
What made the team (individual events/ athlete) win?
How did the star athlete perform?
How did an individual athletes efforts affect the outcome?
Were any of the players injured and did these injuries effect the game?

5. Game Stories
Did weather or other environmental factors, such as conditions or facilities effect the game?
How did the game affect the teams standing and future prospects?
How did the fans respond?
A game story should include a summary of a game, significant details, key statistics and quotes from players & coaches that offer analysis about what happened.
They are usually written in an inverted pyramid style.
For daily reports the opening is made by the elements that made a difference.
Comments should be added from both teams, insert analysis, address key players or stats and offer context for the story.

6. Profiles
A profile is a portrait of a player, coach, trainer or athletic official.
Players and coaches who have overcome obstacles are also good subjects as well as athletes who play multiple sports.
When writing profiles, look for key moments in your subjects life.
When interviewing sports profile subjects ask about their goals, their motivations, their strengths and insecurities.
Find out when they started playing & what obstacles they faced.
Ask about their childhood and how it influenced their commitment to the game.
Get multiple sources, coaches, fellow players, roommates, friends & family members for insight and gather anecdotes.
The best profiles are a collection of little detail-packed vignettes that together draw a vivid picture of a person.

7. Sports Features
Sports features captures a trend or a slice of life about a sport or a team.
Look for winning and losing streaks about a team, how a team works together, tensions that lead to divisiveness. Pressures, demands and health challenges can also make good topics.
Features can also be done on recruiting, tryouts, training regimes, coaching philosophies, resignation of a team member or coach or how a series of injuries affect the team.
Unusual sports like kickboxing or roller derby can also make good features.
Action, drama and vivid description is what makes sports writing excel.

8. Sports News Stories
When a coach resigns, is hired or fired, that’s news.
When a melee breaks out after a basketball game, that’s news.
When an athlete is charged with assaulting another player, that’s news.
Many of the stories on sports are news stories and follow the same structure as standard news stories. They should be balanced and obey the same rules of objectivity and fairness as the other stories.
An important story on sports should be start on the front page and then jump inside to the sport section.

9. Sports Columns
Columns personalize the sport page and build up a loyal fan base.
Column writing is hard work and demands three qualities from its writers.
An inspired understanding about the sport being covered.
An engaging writing style.
Creativity to come up with a new angle for each column.
A column writer should write about the sport he or she knows thoroughly about.
Like all opinion pieces, sport columns should be laced with facts, figures and even quotes.
The best columns are as thoroughly researched as any top news story.
The role of a columnist is to make people to react to an issue so that some change of mind or policy or action would take place.
Columns should have an opinion which is forceful but well reasoned.

10. Special Editions A game schedule A team roster Player profiles
Team and player statistics
Bios on coaches
History timelines

11. Avoiding Bias
Sports writers are usually sports fans and everyone has a favorite team.
The trickiest part of sport writing is not showing that you are biased towards a team.
Stories should cover a team from the eyes of someone interested in the team but not a supporter or fan of it.