We are going to start a sportswriting unit today by discussing how to write game stories. I have posted five web resources below describing how to write this type of story. We will refer to some of these in today's class.
When
writing a sports article, it is your job to obtain the statistics.
The
headline should be an abbreviated sentence summarizing the game. Who’d we beat?
The
lead paragraph should tell who, what, when, where. Set the score off with commas in your
first sentence.
The
how and why will probably be the top players’ statistics and the
coach’s comments. The top players’
statistics should be the second paragraph.
Have the coach’s comments be the last paragraph.
Use strong action verbs!
Brief example of a basketball template:
The Andes
Central Eagles soared past the (opponent), 85-34, (date) at (town/home).
(WHO) (WHAT) (WHEN) (WHERE)
Leading scorers were _____________ (player name) with ___ (number of points); _____________ (name), ________ (number); and ___________ (name),
____ (number).
Top rebounders were _____________ (player name) with ___ (number of rebounds); _____________ (name), ________ (number); and ___________(name),
____ (number).
_________________ (player name) had _________ (number) assists, while
_________________ (player name) had ____________ (number).
Coach
_____________ commented, “______________________________________ .”
Below is an article from the September 11, 2007 , Daily Republic:
Andes-Central Beats
Bridgewater-Emery, 3-1
Jenna
Winckler had eight kills to pace Andes Central in its 3-1 victory over Bridgewater-Emery
Monday night.
The
Eagles won by scores of 15-25, 25-7, 25-20, and 25-15.
Amy
Chykta had four service aces and 10 set assists, and Danielle Walder had 13
digs for Andes Central.
Jessie
VanLeur led the Huskies with five service aces, seven kills, and three blocks.
Robbie
Letcher had nine kills, and Kayla Olinger paced the defense with 16 digs.he
Eagles are now 4-7 and host Scotland
Bridgewater-Emery
is 2-3 and hosts Freeman tonight in Emery.
Andes
Central’s junior varsity also won its match over the Huskies by scores of 25-17
and 15-15.
You may want to use the above article as a guideline
for future volleyball stories. Notice
that the leading players’ kills, service aces, set assists, and blocks are
mentioned.
Since
our paper comes out only once a month, we won’t worry about the next game or
the record because these probably wouldn’t be accurate by the time people read
the paper.
Below are some action verbs
that will make your sports headlines and articles livelier:
Smash Score Shave Earn
Trounce Fly by Battle
Pulverize Soar Above Slide by Blast
Trample Sail Past Sneak past Shatter
Write 10 synonyms for the word beat that could be used in the
following headline:
Eagles Beat the Hawks.
Write
3 better versions of the following sentence: Jenna had 11 rebounds, Chrissie had 9, and Casandra
had 7. Strive for strong, vivid words and variety.
*
*
*
Write 3 better versions of the following sentence: Derrick
had 22 points, Colter had 21 points, and Colten had 20 points. Strive for strong, vivid words and variety.
*
*
*
Write
3 better versions of the following sentence:
The Eagles lost to the Hawks. (Feel
free to change the subject order, if desired.
Hopefully, we will never need to use one of these sentences, but if we
do, we want to be as tactful as possible.)
*
*
*
Number
the typical order of how facts are written in a sports article. Which should come first, second, etc. (Hint:
The date should never be first!)
_____ when _____ who _____ what _____ coach’s comments
_____ where _____
how _____ why
Sports Article Template
Before you can successfully write a sports article, you must be
able to dissect one. Select a short article that interests you from the sports section of your
local newspaper. Read it carefully and label it using the following categories.
Label Definition/Example
LEAD The lead
of a sports article is creative and
interesting. It grabs the reader’s attention by describing a scene, introducing
a player, or using a quote. It should transport you to the game.
Example: A
heavy hush blanketed Fenway
Park Boston
NUT The
nut of a sports article is the paragraph that
summarizes the main conflict and story. It is the place for vital information
that doesn’t appear in the first paragraph—and if a reader wanted to stop
reading at this point, they should walk away with all the necessary answers.
Example: This
was the last game of the 2003 American League Championship Series between the Boston New York
INFORMATION The body of a
sports article sounds like a real news
(Who, What, When, article. It includes complete
information and details
Where,
Why, How) about a game, in
logical order.
Example: Who was the star player? How did the game end?
What was the final play? The winning score?
Example: Who was the star player? How did the game end?
What was the final play? The winning score?
CONCLUSION
The conclusion
lets the reader know what will happen as a result
of the events described. It does so in a
creative and interesting
way.
Example: Everyone was surprised when the ball landed in Bernie Williams’s glove. A collective groan rose up from the Red Sox fans. Their team had lost. The Yankees had won again.
Example: Everyone was surprised when the ball landed in Bernie Williams’s glove. A collective groan rose up from the Red Sox fans. Their team had lost. The Yankees had won again.
How
to Write a Game Story
Writing
Your Game Story
The information presented here explains how
to write a basic high school (or other) sports article. You can apply
this information to writing game stories, articles, or other general news about
your high school sports team. Last night's game, next week's
"signings" (athletes confirming their intentions to attend a certain
college), upcoming rivalries, or other general, newsworthy pieces can be posted
on Joomple.High school game stories are easy to write, once you get the hang of it. Basically, a high school sports game story has an opening and closing paragraph with the body of the story in between. I'll show you how to do this in a minute. But first . . .
An important part of good journalism is to ensure there is no slant towards one team. In other words, if you are from one school which is playing another, try not to focus on your school as the "best team". Be fair to each school's team. If your team pounds the rivalry, you can mention that. But, if your team is pounded by the rivalry, mention that. Just be fair and impartial.
Don't use terms like "we" or "they". Again, this indicates your ownership to one of the teams. "we were down 14-0" is not a good statement. "The Eagles were down 14-0" is the best method.
Opening
The opening paragraph should identify the "who, what, when, where, and how" of the event. Everyone knows the "why" - each team wants to win! So, generally there is no "why" in high school (or other) sports articles. The opening paragraph should be no longer than a couple of sentences - three at most. Preferably, one sentence will do the job. Along with the title, the initial paragraph will grab your readers attention, making them want to read more. It needs to include the town or city (in caps) and the date. (WE WON’T USE THEIR STYLE FOR THIS PART.) Here is an example:
AUTAUGAVILLE -
You can see that I have the name of the town and date listed first in this format:
AUTAUGAVILLE -
Next, I chose to identify one of the game's star players, Smith, emphasizing his accomplishments. I also identified the two teams, final score, and name of the stadium. Notice that I also mentioned it was a "football" game. This is important for several reasons. Primarily, your readers may not realize you are referring to a football game. Obviously, you can't score TD's anywhere else! But, all of your articles should indicate the sport played during the opening paragraph.
Your opening can start in myriad ways. Here is another example, focusing on the teams/mascots:
AUTAUGAVILLE -
Notice how I mentioned the names and mascots, though peppered throughout the sentence.
Either of these two could work as an opening paragraph - even if they are just one sentence long. Others will work well. It just takes practice. The important thing to remember is you need to immediately grab the reader's attention. You can do that by identifying who played (Akron and Autaugaville), what they were playing (high school football) and what the outcome was (38-0), when it happened (August 26, 2007 and/or "tonight's"), where it happened (James Memorial Stadium), and how (Akron piled up 600 yards . . .)
Body
The body of your game story will outline important parts of the game, significant accomplishments of players (including more about the "star player" you mentioned in your opening), and other game specific information. Include scoring performances, plays, drives, stats, goals, shooting/hitting/batting/rushing percentages, and other game data. Also, don't hesitate to build the setting for the game. Include the number of fans in attendance, temperature, weather, etc.
Here is an example:
More than 5,000 Autaugaville fans welcomed the Rams to the historic 50th meeting between the two teams. With the temperature at a chilly 48 degrees at kickoff, the packed stadium came alive when the teams took the neatly manicured field.
Taking the ball at the
Forcing the Eagles to punt late in the first quarter,
Autaugaville scored late in the half when junior DE Billy Stewart sacked
"We quickly discovered their secondary was easy to penetrate," said
Up 28-7,
You can continue the game, covering each score and mentioning important plays. There are several key features of a good sports article:
- Stats. When you are finished with the body of your article, go back and pepper as many stats as possible throughout your article. You'll likely have total yards for quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers. In baseball and softball, you'll want to include the top two or three batters and their runs, hits, etc., as well as pitching strikeouts, ERA's, etc. In volleyball, you want kills. In soccer, you clearly will need goals scored. In basketball, you'll want field goals for the top few players. These are just a few of the types of stats you should be looking for while at the game. Like I said, you can get a lot of these from the press box. And, if you are in or near the press box, your job will be that much easier. You may also be able to get this information from interested fans (moms and dads sometimes keep stats at baseball games, for example). Better yet, you should try to keep track of it yourself, where possible. In football, writing down play-by-play accounts of the game will give you everything you need in regards to stats. But, you have to make sure you have rosters for each team. This will permit you to use a term like A-13 for
- Plays. Every scoring drive should be covered. If you are writing a basketball, volleyball, or other "back and forth" sport, this may not be possible. But, try to mention important parts of the game.
- Abbreviate where appropriate. Use "TD" when including stats in your sentence. Use "touchdown" when discussing general scoring information. Use "DE, TB, QB, etc." instead of "defensive end, tailback, quarter back, etc."
- Watch for redundancy. Use this:
"The Rams did this . . . putting
instead of:
The Rams did this . . . putting the Rams up . . ."
Also, once you describe the player's class, position and name (senior QB William Braxter, for example), don't use this whole description again. Instead, use his last name (Braxter), or his team and name (
- Pepper quotes from your post-game interviews throughout the game story - don't just put them all at the end of the article's body. For example, the following quote from an interview with the
"We quickly discovered their secondary was easy to penetrate," said
This quote complements Braxter's stats and helps break up the monotony of the article.
- Use proper quote etiquette. Notice how I placed the quote symbols (") around the opening statement by Braxter above? The comma separating the opening statement from:
... said
is always placed inside the quote (...penetrate,"). Then, use quotations around the second part of the quote:
"I kept finding ... advantage of that."
Breaking up a quote in this manner makes for good reading, as opposed to writing down everything the person said and then ending it with:
... advantage of that," said Braxter after the game.
or beginning it with:
Braxter said after the game, "We quickly discovered their secondary was easy to penetrate. I kept finding my receivers open and of course, took advantage of that. So I always looked for the middle of the field on passing plays that were covered well. It worked for us in the first half, so I kept targeting the secondary during the second half. All in all, it was a successful strategy for us . . . "
The above quote is too long and somewhat gloating. Break it up with leading text such as
... said
- Clean up quotes. If a 10-grade defensive end uses poor judgment in the words he chooses, you may not want to include that part of the quote. And, don't hesitate to use filler text where you know it is appropriate. For example, if someone states:
"... we knew we had it after that"
then readers may not know what that person is saying. You would emplace something like this in your quote:
"... we knew we had it (won the game) after that"
Additional items you can include in your game stories:
- Complete stats. Provide a list of known stats at the end of your article. If you have your digital camera, just take a snap shot of the stat sheets for both teams. At football games, there will most likely be someone from each team in the press box, calculating their stats. Ask them if you can make a quick photo of them when they are finished. Or, write them down.
- Game Summary. You've seen these. They are basically outlines of the game's scores. For example:
FIRST QUARTER
0:01 - Rams - Smith 81-yard run. Washburne PAT
Etc . . . . . . . .
- Photographs. Usually, one of your best shots goes at the top of the article. You can put additional photos throughout the article. You can also post photographs in the Joomple gallery.
- Video. If you want to upload a video clip (or several clips), that is possible as well.
Closing
The closing paragraph should include each team's records (overall and conference/league), and who they will play next. Here's an example:
The bracket "(0-1/0-0)" represents the team's overall record and conference/league record.
You can add additional comments about each of the teams
If either of the teams are ranked in the state polls, or are leading their particular conference or league, mention that in your article. If it is a county or cross-county rivalry game, indicate this as well. Perhaps this is a unique meeting between the two teams (such as the first, 50, or 100th time the teams have played each other), you should talk about that. Discuss their records vs. each other (i.e. "
Opinionated information can also go in the closing. In other words, if you want to mention your views for how the conference or league is shaping up, do so. If you want to talk about a particular player's stats, go ahead. Talk about each team's performances. Discuss strategies for upcoming games. You can write about anything you want here - so long as it relates to the game, teams, etc.
Choosing a Title
Now that you have finished your game story, you will want to assign a title. A title should include a quick statement about the game. It should be no more than 5 or 6 words and contain eye-catching information. Here's one:
RAMS WIN!
It's simple and easy to read. Of course, it doesn't explain who the team beat. This type of title should be reserved for games where everyone knows what you are talking about. For example, if it is a major game such as a conference or state championship, this will work. But, if it is a regular season game, use something like this:
This indicates
However, it does little to indicate which sports you are talking about. If you want to make it even clearer, use:
The score helps readers understand immediately that you are talking about football. Fans know that it is football season, and tennis or soccer scores don't relate.
Notice how I used the term "pounds". Think about this. In the wild, a ram may pound his head against another ram. Using complimenting verbs is better than the boring terms "defeated" or "beat" or "won" or "lost". Since the Rams did defeat Autaugaville Eagles, you could also compliment your verb towards the Autaugaville team. Such as:
It's a bird we are talking about here, so the verb "grounds" works well.
Here are several others:
LIONS MAUL . . .
GIANTS STOMP . . .
ROCKETS DESTROY . . .
JETS DESTROY . . .
TROJANS OVERWHELM . . .
Or:
ROCKETS SHOOT DOWN JETS . . .
MOUNTAINEERS DESADDLE WARRIORS . . .
LIONS SILENCED BY INDIANS . . .
The idea is to try to come up with a title that is clear, concise, and exciting. Look to imitate common phrases from T. V. Commercials or local or national idioms (sayings). You can even use something from Hollywood Movies . . . just use your imagination. Otherwise, just post the teams and results . . . like Patriots Defeat Lions 45-13.
A subtitle could be used if you prefer. Usually, a player's or team's stats or game accomplishments go here. For example:
Rams Collect 600 Yards Total Offense (Sub-title)
You can also use milestones (important achievements) of teams and/or players:
BEARCATS MAUL PATRIOTS IN BIG WIN (Title)
QB Braxter Surpasses 8,000 Yards (Sub-title)
When you put all this together, you get something like this:
------------
Rams Collect 600 Yards Total Offense
AUTAUGAVILLE -
More than 5,000 Autaugaville fans welcomed the Rams to the historic 50th meeting between the two teams. With the temperature at a chilly 48 degrees at kickoff, the packed stadium came alive when the teams took the neatly manicured field.
Taking the ball at the
Forcing the Eagles to punt late in the first quarter,
Autaugaville scored late in the half when junior DE Billy Stewart sacked
"We quickly discovered their secondary was easy to penetrate," said
"I kept finding my receivers open and of course, took advantage of that."
Up 28-7,
The eagles scored their final TD late in the game when senior QB Danny Jacobs connected with
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
0:01 - Rams - Smith 81-yard run. Washburne PAT
SECOND QUARTER
THIRD QUARTER
0:01 - Rams - Braxter 8-yard pass to Bequilliard. Washburne PAT
FOURTH QUARTER
Mind you, this is just an example and doesn't include every option you have at your disposal. Use your discretion.
News
writing – how to write a sports report in 4 steps
|
by Nazvi Careem
|
News writing
style is just as important for sports reporting as it is for general news,
business stories or any other journalistic work.
Sports writing, however, allows you to go to town in describing plays, the atmosphere, fans and other colorful aspects of a sporting event. For this article, we will go through, step by step, how to write a straightforward sports report using quotes. Ideally, any sports story would have quotes from the winners and losers. Indeed, many sports articles are written around what athletes say rather than what they have achieved on the field of play. However, you also have sports articles written without quotes. When rookies learn how to write like a journalist, especially in sport, they are likely to come across the structure that we will show you here. We will adapt the NBA game between Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers on April 1 as our example article. 1. Intro – the most important news aspect of a sports game is the score. Who won? How did they win and what effect did the victory have? Also important is whether we are writing from a “Cleveland Cavaliers lost 98-96 to the Boston Celtics after Delonte West’s sank two free throws in the final seconds, dropping three and a half games behind the Pistons for the best record in the Eastern Conference.” 2. More info – The above is enough for those who have a passing interest in the sport. However, NBA fans would want more information and you could give it to them in one or two paragraphs. “The Cavaliers were without star player LeBron James, suffering from a knee injury, while the Celtics were minus Paul Pierce. Gerald Green led the way for Celtics with 25 points while Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and nine rebounds. The Cavaliers, for whom Larry Hughes scored 24 with Sasha Pavlovic scoring 17, have already qualified for the play-offs while 3. Quote – This is where you can provide a quote from the coach or a key player from both teams. You can precede each saying with a lead-in paragraph or go straight into the quote. “Celtic forward Al Jefferson, said: ‘They were missing their best player and we were missing our best play. We just stuck in there.’ Cavs coach Mike Brown said James’ absence was a key factor in their loss. ‘We miss LeBron. We miss LeBron every time he doesn't play. He's our guy,’ said Brown.” 4. The rest – Once you got the main information and key quotes out of the way, you can go on to describe the game. Even better would be to describe just one or two plays and include more quotes. The thinking behind sports articles is that people would have watched the game on TV anyway and would not want boring game description. Therefore, quotes from the people who matter, such as athletes and coaches, would offer better reading value. There are many types of sports news writing that is offered around the world everyday. We have merely showed you its simplest form. Certainly, it is a rewarding form of news writing for journalists who love their sport. And the structure they use allow them to adapt their skills to any type of journalism writing. Nazvi Careem is an experienced journalist, writer and writing coach who has written for newspapers, magazines and global news agencies such as Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. To download a free chapter of his book on news writing secrets, check out his website dedicated to the art of news writing. |
How To Write a Sports Article
By Beth Danesco
February 24, 2007
Before the age of ESPN, the Internet, and instant replay,
it was the reporter in the stands writing up the game for the local paper, and,
okay, also the guy covering it live on radio, who made fans feel like they were
right there, cheering on their favorite team, game after game. If you're
interested in writing a sports article, you will utilize general journalism
"tricks of the trade" and also some specific sportswriting
techniques.
1.
Have a strong lead. Like any article, you want to start your sports article out with a strong
lead, one that encapsulates the available information on "who, what,
where, when, why and how." Look at sports articles in almost any paper to
see how they introduce the game or event they are covering with their lead
paragraph. They get the reader's attention with a strong but concise summary of
the story to follow.
Also, note that a lead always places emphasis on an important or interesting aspect of the story. For instance, a specific Boston Celtics loss may, in itself, not be as significant or interesting as the fact it is the fifteenth loss the team experienced in a row. The article would tell the story of the game, but the lead would introduce the game with the most important or interesting fact about it, that it's continuing a horrible streak, and would expand on that fact in the article.
Also, note that a lead always places emphasis on an important or interesting aspect of the story. For instance, a specific Boston Celtics loss may, in itself, not be as significant or interesting as the fact it is the fifteenth loss the team experienced in a row. The article would tell the story of the game, but the lead would introduce the game with the most important or interesting fact about it, that it's continuing a horrible streak, and would expand on that fact in the article.
2.
Write clearly and concisely. If you've ever read Sports
Illustrated, you know that some sports articles can be what you might call
"literary non-fiction:" lengthy, poetic, filled with metaphor
and digressions into back story. If your particular assignment requires that
kind of writing, go for it. But if you read the daily sports section of your
city paper, you will also notice that most sports articles reporting on the
sporting events of the past day are concisely written. Yes, sports articles
include context and metaphor and technical sports terms, but they're also
to-the-point and generally stick to basic vocabulary.
3.
Know the context. Like any news article, a sports article will require you to have a basic
working knowledge of the universe on which you're reporting. This may mean not
only knowing all about the current players, coaches and standings but knowing
some history, as well. This may be common knowledge to you, but if not, you may
need to do some research.
You will also need to know about the sport itself including rules, history, league standings, current controversies and other information. You may already know much of this if you're a sports enthusiast--but be aware that a journalist may need more in-depth knowledge than a casual fan. Be sure to have a solid grasp on the sport you're covering before you start to cover it.
Also, keep in mind that many sports teams have press departments that will provide journalists with extensive information about their organizations including current players and team history.
You will also need to know about the sport itself including rules, history, league standings, current controversies and other information. You may already know much of this if you're a sports enthusiast--but be aware that a journalist may need more in-depth knowledge than a casual fan. Be sure to have a solid grasp on the sport you're covering before you start to cover it.
Also, keep in mind that many sports teams have press departments that will provide journalists with extensive information about their organizations including current players and team history.
4.
Give the major play by play. Obviously, there are hundreds of plays in any match or
game, and no article will include them all. Your job as a reporter is to report
the basic chronology--beginning, middle, and end, of the sports event--with
details about the major moments: turning points, big plays, big mistakes,
momentum-builders. In other word, you're providing something of a verbal
highlight reel. This will mean you need to pay careful attention to who does
what, when during the event. You then must figure out which moments to include
and which to leave out. You have the advantage of hindsight when putting these
events together: "That shot turned out to be the fatal blow..." Your
thorough understanding of the game and how it's played will also be important
when you are evaluating what events are key. You will also need to connect the
events smoothly as you help your audience to create a mental picture of what
happened.
5.
Use quotes as possible. Most news articles, no matter the subject, include quotes from people
involved. Most pro sports teams hold post-game news conferences or speak
to reporters in the locker room after the game. Asking good questions and
collecting answers from players and coaches is an important part of writing a
sports article. Be prepared when approaching your interview subject. Know
what you're going to ask and listen to the answer--it may not be what you
expected to hear--and be conversant enough in the subject to have a good
follow-up question, no matter what the answer ends up being. Incorporate these
quotes into the body of your article.
6.
Check your facts. Also like regular news articles, sports articles should correctly present
the facts. Sporting events usually generate a lot of statistics. They can also
be very fast-paced, involve tens of different players, and follow rules you
might need to double-check if you're going to reference them. A clean, concise
sports article will have its facts straight.
Sports articles provide information and insight to rabid
and casual fans alike. If you're a rabid fan yourself, and want to try writing
sports articles, step up to the plate. Even if you aren't a sports nut, in a
sports-crazy society, having the ability to write a solid sports article can be
an asset for any freelance writer.
Quick Tips:
To report well on a sport, you must know
the sport thoroughly.
Check your facts: Sports involve many
people, stats and technicalities.
No comments:
Post a Comment