SPORTSWRITING

RAZEL C. LAGRADA
Master Teacher I
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

Sports page have become one of the most read

sections of the newspapers now a days. And the readers
are not dominated by men. More and more women ,
young and old alike are addicted to sports, hence they
too are avid readers of sports stories
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

Sports writing is a form of news writing- an action

story. However, a sportswriter does something more than
a news writer. He has the privilege to use colorful words
with quick tempo. Lively and informal style that is usually
centered around a conflict
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

Here are some differences between straight news

and sports news.

* In newswriting, the journalist uses short words, short

sentences, short paragraphs.
* The sports writer has more freedom in his writing
style than the news reporter. His writing has more pep,
more enthusiasm.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

• A news reporter is not permitted to write his own

opinion on persons and events. The sportswriter can
do this to a certain extent. He can even use slang
which is discourage in the news page.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

Sportswriter uses figures of speech like;

- Simile – Ben Johnson, the world’s fastest man, ran

like a demon possessed.
- Metaphor- Giannis Antetokounmpo was a tiger at
both ends of the court.
- Synechdoche- Cleveland won by six runs. (means “
Cleveland’s baseball team”)
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

QUALITIES OF A GOOD SPORTS WRITER

1. Must always bear in mind that you are writing for your
readers and not for yourself.
2. Must attend games as a reporter, not as a spectator
or as a cheerer.
3. Must observe accuracy in his article.
4. Must be fair and unbiased when reporting.
5. Must know sports well enough.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

QUALITIES OF A GOOD SPORTS WRITER

6. Must know the coaches and players.

7. Must be able to take notes quickly.
8. Must use the specialized language of the sports he is
reporting.
9.Must tell the story in plain, factual terms that truly
describes the action.
10. Must not make comments without supporting them
with facts.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

TYPES OF SPORTS REPORTING

1.Play by play account - demands close observation

and ability to work at top speed. Knowledge of the game
is necessary
2. Straight-Lead game Story
The most basic form of all sports writing. It is an
article using a straight-news format. The article
summarizes the main points of the game. Which team
won or lost,the final score and what a star player did.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

ex. Second-string quarterback Robert Jamesbond threw

the game-winning touchdown with just 10 seconds left to
lead the Marcos High School to a 21-14 victory over the
Robredo High School Saturday night.
3. Feature Game Story
The feature game story is the favorite tool for
professional sportswriters because it gives fans and
readers a different angle from the highlights they have
seen on tv.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

Ex. It’s the start of another season. The quite of the

night contrasts the vibrant group gathered in the upper
room of their local church fervently praying as the clock
ticks closer towards midnight. The spiritual coach of the
state’s professional rugby team receives an impression
from God- “the last placed team he is mentoring will win
the entire league this very year.”
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

4. Profile
Whereas a feature game story spotlights a game, a
profile focuses on one player who had or is having a
standout performance throughout the season or career
* How s/he grew as a player
* Struggles s/he overcame
* Successes experienced
* Future plans (satisfying ending)
Narrative form
Include quotes from player and coach.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

5. Season Preview and Wrap Up Stories

These stories are published while the coaches and
their team are preparing for the upcoming season or
after the season has ended- whether in victory or in
defeat.
6. Columns
A sports writing column is the place where a sports
writer shares their opinion. Sometimes these columns
may include venting when a team or player doesn’t meet
the expectations.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

PARTS OF A SPORTS STORY

1. Headline- should tell right away who or which team

won over whom. Appropriate action words should be
used to indicate who won depending on how the
event unfolded.
ex. MSU sluggers rips HTC batters,15-5
headline verbs- large margins- demolish,rip,outplay, rip,
massacre,tear,overpower,etc.
slim margin- nip,edge,nose out survive,struggle
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

PARTS OF A SPORTS STORY

2. Lead - attention getter - the news in a nutshell. It uses

sports lingo and contains the total score of the game.
The sports lead may be one of the following:
a. The classic “5Ws”
b. The Key Play lead
c. The Outstanding Player lead
d.The Analytical Approach lead
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

a. The Classic “5Ws” lead- it answers,

Who won? Against Whom? By what score?, Where
When and How?

Example:
JRU poured out 10 baskets in the last three minutes to
edge out the ADMU,65-63 at the opponent’s
homeground yesterday afternoon.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

b. The Key play lead- It starts with the most exciting

parts of the game where a certain team scores more
points.
Example:
1. The Aquino NHS sluggers bombed the Marcos NHS
batters with six runs in the third inning to subdue a
nerve-fuzzling Marcos rally 14-12 as they clinched the
invitation games here in connection with the celebration
of Sports week.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

c. The Outstanding Player lead- It features a favorite

outstanding player. It sometimes called the “ hero of the
game” lead.

Example:
Harry Cruz of CMU, after almost four hours of battle
over the chessboard copped the most coveted YMCA
trophy after outwitting SKEI chesser John manuel in 27
moves of a Sicilian defense.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

d. The Analytical Lead - The outcome of the game is

the result of a particular key plan in action- Analyze the
game. What made a certain team win? What
advantages has it over the loser? What Techniques did
they use?
Example:
Pumped-up Cyclones played solid defense to frustrate
the Blazers,115-105 last night and arrange a winner
take-all, Sunday for the NBA conference crown at the
Ultra.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

3. The Body

- After the lead comes the body composed of the other

elements arranged in descending order or decreasing
importance. If it is a basketball story, report it by quarter;
if a volleyball story, set by set,if softball/baseball story,by
inning, by respective scores.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

WRITING THE SPORTS COVERAGE

❑ The sportswriter must always be punctual in covering

sports events so as not to miss the sidelights during
the opening of the game.
❑ The reporters need to gather the reaction of the
audience and the cheers of the many competing
teams or groups and the members of the team as
well as the supporters.
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

The reporter must get the following facts for his in depth
sports story.
➢ The score or outcome
➢ Significance of the outcome
➢ Spectacular plays
➢ weather conditions
➢ Size of the Spectators
➢ individual stars
➢ sidelights
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

SAMPLE SPORTS STORIES

The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School
The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School
The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School
The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School
The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School
 The Official Publication of Kimamon Elementary School

THANK YOU!