Basic Sports Writing

Tips and Pitfalls

What Is Sports News?

Sports

news is in the sports section of a

newspaper in which the sportswriter
reports the scenes of sports,
tournaments and games such as
athletics, football, baseball, basketball,
volleyball, handball, softball, tennis
table tennis, boxing, swimming,
gymnastics, archery, fencing, golf,
squash, shooting, rowing, rugby football,
American football, hockey, billiards and
snooker, wrestling, bowling, canoeing,
cycling, equestrian events, tae kwon do,
judo, arnis, sepak takraw, weightlifting,
yachting, and Muay Thai.

Essential Ingredients
of Sports Story
The Teams and the score
Reference to whether it was a
championship or an exhibition
game
Site of the game
When the game was played
Key plays (who made them, and
who was responsible for calling
them, etc.)

Essential Ingredients
of Sports Story
References to the star players
Key offensive statistics
Key defensive statistics
Direct quotes by the players
Direct quotes by the coaches

Essential Ingredients
of Sports Story
Weather and its effect on the
game
Injuries and condition
updates
Results of previous games
between the teams

Essential Ingredients
of Sports Story
Conference records
Reference to national rankings,
if relevant
Next games for both teams
Historical significance, if any,
of the game

Gathering Sports Materials

Gathering

information before the

game:
1.Read the rules
2.Know key people
3.Get the names in full and check
the spelling
4.Attend sports events and practice
sessions
5.Make notes on things that count
6.Read various newspapers

Gathering Sports Materials

Gathering

information during the game:

1. Organize your materials
2. Be there well ahead of the event
3. Secure a good working place
4. Note interesting events before the game
5. Develop a system of note-taking
6. Make notes as complete as possible
7. Observe:

Important plays
The unexpected or unusual
Personal standouts on things other than point
scoring
Touches of humor or the light things

Gathering Sports Materials

Gathering

information after the game:

1.Seek out the coaches, outstanding
players
2.Get quotes
3.Check facts, especially scores
4.Gather more information from:

Special statistics
Newspaper stories
Game moves
Box scores
Standings

Gathering Sports Materials

Gathering

information after the game:

1.Seek out the coaches, outstanding
players
2.Get quotes
3.Check facts, especially scores
4.Gather more information from:

Special statistics
Newspaper stories
Game moves
Box scores
Standings

Types of Sports Stories

The

Advance Story
The Game Story
The Follow-up Story
The post mortem
story

Writing the Sports Story

Good sports
writing
is
good news writing

Structure of Sports News

The

headline must describe the

whole story
The lead may be summarized or
analyzed; it may give the
significance, the winner, the hero,
the score. The score is usually
played up in the first sentence or
set in bold above the story
proper.

Structure of Sports News

The

body plays up other elements not

in the lead and gives detail of those
already mentioned.
Key play an outstanding performer
Quotations from players, trainers and
coaches
Play-by-play account (seldom found in the
school paper for lack of space)
Personalities
Background of players
Importance of the event
Summaries of results and statistics (these
may be complied for future reference)

Parts of a Sports Story

Headline
Lead
Body
Conclusion

Organizing the story

The

sports writer wisely may adopt

the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared
The sports writer usually knows in
advance whether there is a press box
He should take notes systematically
The sports writer must concentrate on
the game
The sports writer for broadcast media
must keep up with the action
The sports writer writes his story after
the game

Writing the Sports Story

Since

good sports writing is good

news writing, the sports writer
should, by now, organize his story
in the inverted pyramid structure.
The sports writer will include the
five Ws and H in the first few
paragraphs and will include as
many elements as possible

Two requisites of good sports

story
Impartiality and accuracy
Check

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

your facts carefully

Names of players
Names of teams
Final Score
Individual scores
Tabulations

Pitfalls to avoid
Writing

in sports jargon
Organizing a game summary in
chronological order
Narrating play-by-play
Becoming a critic
Failing to get specific facts
Writing with too many adjectives
and adverbs
Too much clichs

A Good Sports Writer

A sports writer must be a natural descriptive writer

It is important that the sports writer must have a feeling

and genuine love

Training is important in this form of editorial life

The sports writer must always be in the struggle in

finding new words

The sports writer must be endowed with a keen memory

Sportsmanship

Ability to report accurately a fast contest

A style of writing that includes familiarity with sports

terms

A basic knowledge of sports rules and regulations

A specialized use of summary and feature leads

Popular Sports
Basketball
Volleyball
Boxing
Billiards
Football

(Soccer)

Tennis
Golf
Cycling
Athletics,

Track and Field

Baseball/Softball
Football (Rugby)
Badminton

Philippine Soccer Team Azkals

Philippine Rugby Team Volcanoes

Efren Bata Reyes and Django Bustamante

Manny Pacquiao

Philippine Dragon Boat Team

Jeson Patrombon

Wesley So

Tim Lincecum (Filipino/White)

Known as: Professional Baseball Player (Starting Pitcher for the
San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball; Two-time Cy
Young Award winner; Four-time All-Star; 2010 Babe Ruth Award
Winner; 2008 MLB Strikeout Champion; Three-time National
League Strikeout Champion)

Ateneo nears eliminationround sweep

Cebu Daily News7:08 am | Sunday, September 4th, 2011

THE SECOND encounter proved to be just

as one-sided as the first one as the Ateneo
Blue Eagles moved a win away from achieving
a sweep of the elimination round after they
disposed of the NationalUniversity(NU)
Bulldogs, 61-39, in the 74th
UAAPbasketballtournamentyesterday at the
Araneta Coliseum.
The four-time champions Eagles are now
just a victory away from gaining an outright
seat in the finals, but will be hardpressed to
complete the feat with the Adamson
SoaringFalconsstanding in their way.

Struggling to bust the Bulldogs zone all

game, the defending champion turned to
its defense and held NU to its lowest
scoring output since the start of the
archiving of statistics in the UAAP in
2003.
A telling third period exploit triggered by
a 10-0 blast to conclude the first half
gave the Blue Eagles their commanding
advantage as they dropped 22 points
compared to the Bulldogs eight in one
just one quarter.

Mainstays Kirk Long and Nico Salva

and newcomers Kiefer Ravena and Greg
Slaughter took turns in the demolition job,
churning out double-double scoring.
Salva, whose slam with 7:36 in the
fourth quarter spiked the lead to 24 points,
55-31, produced a game-best 14 points
even as Slaughter, Ravena and Long added
13, 12 and 10 markers respectively.
Long, who was tasked to contain NU
Ray Parks, held the hyped rookie to just 10
points on 3-of-14 shooting and forced him
to commit five turnovers.

Parks and Emmanuel Mbe contributed

10 points each in a losing cause for
NU. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio

Alaska's storied partnership

By Olminends
Leyba (The Philippine Star) Updated September 02,

2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The Alaska Aces ball club and long-time
coach Tim Cone officially parted ways yesterday, ending
probably the most successful team-mentor partnership in the
Philippine Basketball Association.
As theres been a lot of speculations, questions, we felt
its important to address the issue professionally. Were now
confirming that we have released Tim Cone as head coach of
Alaska Aces, team owner Wilfred Steven Uytengsu said in a
press conference in Makati.
Cone handled the coaching chores for Alaska the past
22 years, leading them to 13 championships spiked by a rare
grand slam in 1996 and a near-triple crown in 1998. The
former TV analyst steered the franchise to 25 Finals
appearances throughout his tenure.

Tim wants to explore other options,

challenge himself, pursue other horizons.
Were saddened but of course, we wish
him well. We really had quite a journey.
We know theres never been a 22-year
partnership like this in the PBA and there
never will be another,Uytengsu said.
Im disappointed, though, that Im
not gonna see Tim break Baby Dalupans
record while coaching Alaska, he added,
referring to the legendary Crispa mentor
who owns 15 PBA titles, just two ahead of
Cone.

Uytengsu said the show goes on for

Alaska and for starters, they are elevating
senior assistant Joel Banal to Cones old job.
I wouldnt consider it a rest; more of a
change in direction, kind of parting of ways,
not a breakup, and taking a different career
path, Cone said in explaining his decision
to ask for a release from Alaska.
The grapevine is swirling with talks of Cone
supposedly moving to another team but the
multi-titled mentor himself said hes not
going anywhere for now.

I dont have any firm offer. I have close friends saying

theres this or that but Ive not done anything. Im kinda
open, he said.
Saying goodbye to a long-time partner was quite
emotionally draining for Cone.
Ive been actually married to the Alaska organization
longer than Im married to my wife, said a teary-eyed
Cone.
The hardest thing for me right now is leaving the
players. When I saw them here, its like a sledgehammer
hitting my heart. I dont want anyone to feel Im
abandoning them but in fact I am so it kills me, he said,
getting a warm hug from team captain Tony dela Cruz.
But both Cone and Alaska management expressed
confidence with Banal, an assistant for 10 years and
champion coach with Talk N Text in 2003, taking over.
He (Banal) is too good to be an assistant coach, said
Cone.

Special Mass held for

Pacquiao, Marquez at
Manila Cathedral

A special Mass was held Sunday at the Manila Cathedral forFilipinoboxing

icon Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel Manny" Pacquiao and Mexican legend Juan
Manuel Marquez, who will face each other in the ring on November 12.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo presided over the Mass that
started shortly after 8:30 a.m., according to a report by radio dzBBs Manny
Vargas.
But Pacquiao and his party had yet to arrive more than 10 minutes after
the Mass started, the report added.
In contrast, Marquez received an early tour of the historic Manila
Cathedral after he and his party arrived early. Marquez wore denim pants
and a purple shirt, the report added.
Cathedral rector Msgr. Nestor Cerbo led officials in giving Marquez a tour
of the historic structure.
Security was tight at the Cathedral, which was packed with regular
Sunday churchgoers.
Pacquiao and Marquez held a face-off in Manila Saturday to promote their
November 12 bout. The two are to leave abroad to promote the bout further
before going into training. LBG, GMA News

Manny Pacquiao unrelenting

in workout

ByRonnie Nathanielsz, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILAMannyPacquiaohurt his left wrist early in a

punch mitts session with Filipino trainer Buboy
Fernandez on Thursday evening at the Planet Jupiter
Gym in Makati City.
But after a short break, Pacquiao shrugged off the
discomfort and continued his workout for six rounds inbetween discussing strategy with Fernandez on how to
counter Juan Manuel Marquez favorite right straight
and uppercut.
Pacquiao told the Inquirer that Fernandez was adept at
strategy for the Marquez duel at the MGM Grand on
Nov. 12 because he watched my two previous fights
with Marquez and he knows his style.

Pacquiao was throwing combinations to the

mid-section which was protected by a bodyguard when he inadvertently landed a hard
left on the punch-mitt that Fernandez used to
cushion the impact of Pacquiaos body shots.
Pacquiao appeared to twist his left wrist as
he connected and shouted and grimaced in
apparent pain with adviser MichaelKonczand
Fernandez himself showing concern.
But Pacquiao made Fernandez remove his
body-guard and Pacquiao went through his
regular routine working on the speed ball
along with skipping rope and a series of
abdominal exercises.

Although he was faster and hit harder on the

fourth day of his return to thegym after a fourmonth layoff since his last fight
againstShaneMosley, Pacquiao said he was not
satisfied because I am only 50 percent.
Reacting to Marquezs earlier statement warning
him to train hard because their fight was going to
be a war, Pacquiao replied: Its going to be a war
for him, for me its going to be fun.
But Pacquiao later insisted that it will be a good
fight and well give the fans a great fight to watch.
Fernandez said that
PacquiaostrainerFreddieRoachhad taught him
how to handle light training at the start of his
workouts.