EFFEC TIV E S P O R TS

JO U R N A LIS M

Elem ents ofSports Page

Sports News

Columns
Scores and

Game Stories
Pre-game Stories
Statistics
Advancers
Sports Editorial /
Post game Stories
Cartoon
Issues and
Developments

Sports Features
On Players
On Teams
History of Sports /

Game

O ther Elem ents ofthe Sports Page

Columns - like the opinion page, the sports

page may include commentary from sports

writers
Briefs - those items not covered as a story
may be included briefly on the sports page,
usually without quotes from sources
Box scores - a listing of scores or results
form sporting events
Sidebars - like other pages in the
newspaper, the sports pages may also use
sidebars to provide information in a short
and concise way

Sports W riting Term s

Backgrounding finding out info about the

sport, team, coaches, events, and issues that

will be covered in sports writing
Advance preview of an upcoming game
that compares teams and players, discusses
team records and gives lineups
Press Row row of seats at an athletic event
that are reserved for the press, usually
courtside
Press Box group of seats at an athletic
event that provide a good view of the entire
field
Homer sportswriter who favors the home
team in his/her writing

Be Prepared
Most people believe sports reporting is easy

because they have watched/played sports all

their lives.
There is more to preparation than immersing
yourself in sports. You need the following:
Psychology competition pushes people to

their limits, bringing out their best and worst

Sociology and history sports has played a
major role in struggles for gender and racial
equality
Economics sports, professional and amateur,
is big business
Math fans want to know player and team
statistics

Be Prepared continued
Specific sport
Know the rules, right sports

terms and various strategies

(and reasons behind them)

Get to know coaches and players

Go to practice sessions as well as

games
Read other sports pages, watch sports
on television, participate in sports
Once you have an understanding of the
sport and team, begin planning your
coverage.

Preparing for Com petition

Students should have a calm mind
Students should be capable to write

three or more stories game story

(one or two), sports feature, sports
column, editorial
Cartoonist must also come up with a
sports editorial cartoon
Cameras should be ready for Collab
And be sure to prepare for the
unexpected

Pre-gam e story
A story in advance of the sporting

event
Can include the following
information:
the previous years score
physical condition of the athletes
key athletes or starting lineups
comparison of teams or individual records
significance of event in terms of records
history of rivalries

The Pre-gam e Story

Gather information

Your coach
Opposing teams

coach
Opposing teams
sports editor

Pre-game story

content

Time, date and place of

game
Last years score
Teams physical condition
Starting Lineups
Comparison of records
Styles of play
Significance of game
Analysis of individual
players
Historical background of
rivalry
Weather outlook

The Pre-G am e Story

You can also help present and future

staffs by compiling your schools

sports history.
Pre-Game coverage should also not
overlook related spirit activities: the
bands halftime show, new
cheerleaders, pep assemblies, etc.

G am e Story
A report of the results of a game;

usually not included in a high school

newspaper because the paper is not
a daily publication
Watch for turning points in the game
Analyze the game
Avoid being a fan for the team;
simply observe and take good notes
Should be written in an inverted
pyramid format

Inverted Pyram id
To understand what the "inverted pyramid" name

means, picture an upside-down triangle -- one with

the narrow tip pointing downward and the broad
base pointing upward.
Most
Newswort
hy

Least Newsworthy

The broad base represents the most newsworthy

information in the news story, and the narrow tip

represents the least newsworthy information in the
news story.

Inverted Pyram id
News/Important - different
from fiction-gives relevant
info at beginning (5 Ws and
H)
Important
Less Important
Least
Important
can be deleted if necessary

W hy U se the Inverted Pyram id?

Readers get necessary information

given to them at the very beginning

In case a story needs to be
shortened due to space limitations,
editor/advisor can easily chop off the
end of the story without worrying
about losing the most important
information

W hy does the Inverted Pyram id lend

itselfw ellto journalism ?
It gets the point of the story to the

reader in the fastest way possible.

It provides the facts without all of the
fluff of normal writing.
It lends itself to quick editing of story
length.
Even if you cut off the last few sentences
of a story in this format to fit in a column
on a page, the story is still complete. It
only lacks some of the specifics.

G am e Story
Since the game story is not a play-

by-play rehash, the story does not

have to be organized chronologically.
Give the reader interesting and
game-changing moments first.
Weave in postgame quotes from
players and coaches.
The quotes can give the reader
insight into a second-half strategy or
a record-breaking day. Then move to
less important moments or points

G am e Story
Recaps the most meaningful plays and

explains why the game turned out the

way it did.
Usually begin by discussing the biggest
plays and then move to a chronological
recount of the game.
Can be written as the game is being
played (but obviously not finished until
the end)
Include quotes, context, and emotion!
Respect both sides.

G am e Story
Be sure your story answers these questions:
What was the final score and what made the

difference?
Was the game an offensive or a defensive struggle?
Who made the big plays or scored important
points?
How much time remained in the period when the
big plays were made?
Were there any serious injuries?
What did the coaches and players have to say
about the contest?
Was the crowd large? What kind of atmosphere did
they create?

Possible inform ation

for a gam e story:
Significance of the outcome. Was a

championship at stake? Do the standings

of the teams change?
Spectacular plays. Tell about the lastminute fumble, the triple that won the
game or the jumper from mid-court.
Comparison of the teams. How did their
weights and heights compare? In what
part of the game did the winners excel?
What were the losers weaknesses? Make
sure to support analysis with facts or

Possible inform ation

for a gam e story:

Individual performances. Who

were the games top performers

and how good were their
performances? Did the star player
made the best plays or the highest
score?
Weather conditions. Did mud,
sunshine, heat, cold or wind make
a difference?

G am e Story
Develop a system of note-taking
Recording play-by-play
Recording statistics

Watch for turning points in the

game

Turnovers that sets up a rally

Bench player who leads the team
Shift in defense that shuts down the

other team
Unforced and forced errors
Injuries, loss of stamina and pressure

G am e Story
You cannot be a cheerleader while

you are reporting.

You can be partisan (rooting for a
specific team) but you cant let that
interfere with the job of reporting.
Be sure that if the professional press
has covered the story, you find a
new angle that is close to your target
audience students, teachers,
school board and parents.

Interview ing for G am e Story

Be prepared to ask intelligent

questions

Dont ask questions that point out the

obvious (turning point in game

interception for touchdown with 30
sec. left)

Be aware of temperament of

coach

Dont ask questions that will make

coach mad/upset at beginning of

interview, but dont throw out all
softball questions

Have questions prepared but be

Follow ing the gam e,continued

Be observant
Observing what goes on in the locker room

(crying, laughing, bewilderment) is just as

valuable as interviews
Check with trainer
Check status of injured players
Remember to talk with assistant coaches and
non-star players
Have significant observations you might not
have seen or realized
Phrase questions carefully
Open-ended gives coach room to maneuver
and an opportunity to give a lengthy response
Close-ended Only get one-word answers

Post-gam e story
Often a sports feature story
Provides an opportunity to untangle

confusing events of the game or

clarify problems in the game or with
athletes
Updates the reader on facts or
statistics the reporter did not have
time to compile for the game story

Post-gam e story

Sports feature
Sideline story
Background story
Sports interview
Locker-room story
Can include the following:

Spectator's actions during

the game
Historical features on a
sport or rivalry
Wrap-ups of the season
Discussion of rule changes

Untangle confusing

events that occurred

during a game
Update readers on
scoring records and
individual statistics
New team standings,
awards earned because
of performance in game

Sports Leads that

w ork
Descriptive

Usually run longer,

Summary (AP)
5 Ws and H

Narrative

Appropriate on

features
Paints a scene

The rusting wire

fences and crumbling
graffiti walls mark its
entrance. The faded
lines of paint on the
dark asphalt draw its
inner boundary. In its
purest form, the game
of basketball belongs
to the city.

immediately thrust
readers into the
action

When Roger Clemens

toes the mound, you
cant take your eyes
off him. Standing
erect, he exhales
deeply as his empty
right hand falls
politely to his side.
Like a chubbycheeked choirboy
lifting an open
hymnal, he raises the
black Wilson mitt on
his left hand to a
resting place in front
of his solemn face.

Sports Leads continued

Contrast or Comparison

Effective in stories that

establish a relationship
between close to home and
far from home and that is
how it was and this is how it is
angles
Almost three years ago, the
Atlanta Hawks were looking
for a center whom they
hoped would make the big
shots and big plays for them.
So they signed Moses
Malone after deciding that
Bill Cartwright, whom the
Knicks were offering, was no
more than a second-string
center who had about two
years left in him. But Friday,
with Malone watching from
the bench, where he was for
most of the night, Cartwright
hit the big shot for the Bulls,
that enabled them to defeat
the Hawks 99-96.

Background
Used when the background
to a significant story is
nearly as noteworthy as the
new development itself.

They had lost an NCAA-record

34 straight games. They were
1,106 days removed from
their last victory. Each loss,
the players said, put another
monkey on their back.
Northwesterns football team
was living on the Planet of
the Apes.

Sports Leads continued

Literary
Staccato

Giving information

in short, rapid-fire
bursts

Bodies ache.
Adrenalin flows.
Mouths thirst.
Breathing is hard.
Sweat is dripping.
Players count the
days. Fourteen to
go.
State
University opened
fall football camp
today with 33
lettermen
reporting.

Sometimes

circumstances in
sports will parallel
a literary title or
reference
The USC running
back situation now
reads like the plot
from Agatha
Christies mystery
novel, Ten Little
Indians, also titled
And Then There
Were None.

W hat is a good headline?

Headlines are summaries of the news. They must be

short and accurate. In SPORTS, headlines are also lively

grabbers of a readers attention.
The headline of a game story should tell right away who
or which team won over whom or whose team( and
whenever appropriate or applicable, by what score).
Should always be in the present tense
And appropriate action words should be used to indicate
who won depending on how the event unfolded
Examples:
Beermen dump Gins, 106-93
Fil-Am sprints for gold in 100m,
sets new record in SEA Games

SO M E VERBS USED IN SPO RTS W RITIN G

English

Filipino

Bag
Grab
Harvest
Sweep
Triumph
Clinch
Take

Binulsa
Nasunggaban
Inani
Winalis, Tangayin
Namayagpag
Mapagtibay
Makuha

English

Filipino

Claim
Cop
Seize
Reign
supreme
Rule
Hack out

Angkinin
Agawin
Agawin, Lupigin
Pagharian
Pagharian
Makakuha

English

Filipino

Blank
Overwhelm
Outsmart
Outclass
Destroy
Demolish
Knock out
Shock
Shame

Binalangko
Lamunin, Puspusin
Daigin
Daigin, Lamangan
Wasakin, Paguhuin
Buwagin
Patumbahin
Sindakin, gulantangin
Hiniya

English
Prevail over
Snatch
Pocket
Capture
Romp away
Bring home
Chalk up

Filipino
Nakopo
Tangayin
Naibulsa
Umani
Itakas
Patunayan, Iuwi
Magtamo

English
Filipino
Beat
Tinalo
Rip
Sirain
Batter
Gulpihin
Nip
Kitilin
Overpower
Talunin, Magapi
Crush
Durugin
Pulverize
Pulbusin
Thrash/trounceGulpihin

D os and D onts
Take down Notes. Dont trust

your memory.
Write the story first before
the heads
Know your angle and
highlights
Do not write in a Chronological
order

D os and D onts
THE FIRST THREE

SENTENCES should contain

the following:
Name of Event/Activity
Teams and Players
Where it was held (Place) and

the date
Significance of the game if
needed

D os and D onts
OTHER IMPORTANT FACTS

THAT CAN SPICE-UP THE

LEAD: Crowd and
Celebrations, Weather, How
did the teams compare,
Significance of the outcome
Use the one sentence, one
paragraph rule

D os and D onts
KISS (Keep it short and simple)

keep your sentences short. But not

in the details.
Avoid Kilometric sentences. They
should be cut into half.
Usually a lead would have a word
count of 25-35 words.
Count proper names (long or
complete) as one word

D os and D onts
Use DESCRIPTION and get the

DETAILS
Avoid wrong Spellings of names
Avoid putting many descriptions of
a person in one sentence
AVOID PUTTING WRONG FACTS
AND FIGURES (Scores, dates and
stats)
Avoid too many cliches and wrong

Avoiding Cliches
Clichs rely on jargon (language

used in a specialty area) for that

sport. If you use sports jargon,
many readers will be confused if
they are unfamiliar with the terms.
If you use them, be sure to
explain.
It is easy to get caught up using
the same boring expressions in
sports writing (splitting the
uprights, deadlock, etc.)

Sports Interview ing

Clichs can also be found in

answers to interview questions by

team members and coaches.
Practice getting rid of these kinds
of clichs in your writing by coming
up with follow-up questions in an
interview if a source gives you a
pat answer (general statements
that dont show any real feeling or
opinion. They are just answers that
can please everyone, but dont

Avoid Pat Answ ers

Here are some common Pat

Answers:
The whole team did great!
We all did our best.
We are going to practice everyday

so we can win the next game.

I am very proud of all the players.

D os and D onts
Do not put new information

that are not given by the

examiner / judge such as
quotes
Do not convert statements
into quotes (The
statement would no
longer be from the

D os and D onts
Focus more on the players.

The story is about the

players
Focus on the scores and
how the score was made
Avoid writing minute details
of plays

D os and D onts
Interpret statistics. But do

not put in too much

statistics (do not include
minor data)
Know how to interpret data
(What should be used and
not to be used)

Dont try or
attempt

 Find a SINGLE FOCUS and stick

witht it!
D on
Try to D o Too M uch

Dont try to tell someones life

story
Its tough to tell more than one
persons story at a time, so
avoid the temptation to tell the
story of entire teams.
Pick
a player or two who have made
the best plays, highest scores
and winning moves NOT THE
WHOLE TEAM.

D os and D onts
Focus! Avoid wrong

continuity and focus in a

sentence or paragraph or
series of paragraphs
Keep same thoughts,
themes and topics together
before shifting to another
topic

D os and D onts
Do not put many thoughts

in one sentence. And

different topics in the same
paragraph.
Also AVOID REPETITION. Of
facts, scores, complete
names, statistics and other
details

D os and D onts
Be consistent in

measurements (either english

or metric system)
Use the active voice instead of
passive voice
Use the passive voice for
transitions
Team names = plural, while

D os and D onts
Write LIVELY, but...
Do not write like a fan (do

not put your own biases)

Dont write like a critic
(example: kung hindi
sana binakaw ni
___________, nanalo sana
ang ________ team)

D os and D onts
MUST! Straighten your

grammar when texting.

Avoid using shortcuts in
using SMS (No text
language)

D os and D onts
READ MORE SPORTS

NEWS!

No input!
No Output!

D ont Alw ays W rite

The O bvious Story
Look for the little-known,

unmined nuggets on your

campus.
Look for the stories that people
dont know about. Those are the
stories people will want to read.

Story ideas
DepEds Grassroot Program
Palarong Pambansa, Preparations and

During
Athletes and health; conditioning during
the season, during off season; prevention
and care of injuries
What its like to: warm the bench, lose
eligibility, be injured the whole season,
lose in the finals, be scouted
Recreational and extreme sports
How and why coaches become coaches
Maintaining the athletic fields, courts,
playing surfaces, scoreboards

Story ideas
A look in the weight room
Generations of athletes in the same

family, sibling athletes

A look at the athletic pep squad.
How athletes make the transition from
one sport to the next
How athletes prepare for the final game
of their high school career
Coping with sports injuries
The college recruiting process
Issues and concerns on sports
development