SPORTS WRITING

Martin A. Sadongdong
March 14, 2019
Adamson University
Ermita, Manila
 OUTLINE
1. Definition of Sports Writing
2. Characteristics of a Sports Story
3. Elements of a Sports Story
4. Types of Sports Stories
4. Structure of a Sports Story
5. Characteristics of a Good Sports Writer
6. Sports Lingo
7. Guidelines in Sports Writing
8. Inside the Sports Page
9. Activity
 DEFINITION

SPORTS WRITING is a specialized field of writing which

combines news reporting, editorial writing and feature
writing, the content of which is sports, athletics and physical
education.
Advance Campus Journalism, Ceciliano Jose B. Cruz
 DEFINITION

The sports story has the structure of an ACTION story but

with greater freedom of style in writing.
 STRAIGHT NEWS vs. SPORTS STORY
• In news writing, the journalist uses • In sports writing, the journalist has
short words, sentences and more freedom in terms of writing
paragraphs. style; writing has more pep and
enthusiasm.
• A news reporter is not permitted to
write his opinion about the story. • A sports reporter can do this to a
certain extent; can even use jargons
which is discouraged in news.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A SPORTS STORY
• Answers 5Ws and 1H: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

• Has an exciting lead which tells about actions and competitions

• Uses a special language called sports lingo which cannot or can hardly be

understood by an ordinary reader

 ELEMENTS OF A SPORTS STORY
 Personalities Background of players

 Play-by-play description Significance of the event

 Statistics, comparisons  Background of the game

 Quotes by players  Weather conditions

 Quotes by trainers, coaches  Crowd and celebration

 TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES
• Coverage Story

• Advancer/Prediction Story

• Sports Features/Profile Story

• Sports Column
 TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES

COVERAGE STORY is a straight news story that is written after the coverage
of an actual game.
TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES

“Barangay Ginebra San Miguel dealt

the surprising NLEX Road Warriors
their first loss in the PBA
Governor’s Cup after posting a 110-
97 victory last night at the Calasiao
Sports Complex in Calasiao,
Pangasinan.”
 TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES

ADVANCER or PREDICTION STORY builds up enthusiasm for upcoming

events. It is also called "dope" or "prognostication."
 TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES

“Manny Pacquiao doesn’t plan on

retiring just yet as he wants a rematch
against WBO welterweight champion
Jeff Horn, says Top Rank promoter
Bob Arum. The rematch between them
could take place in November in
Australia. It would be in front of
Horn’s fans again.”
 TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES

SPORTS FEATURES or PROFILE STORY shows the background story of

interesting sports personalities, teams or organizations.
 TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES
“Hidilyn Diaz is quickly becoming a household name in the
Philippines as she ended the 20-year Philippine Olympic
medal drought after winning silver in the women’s 53-kg
weightlifting competition.

Behind her great feat is a story of incredible strength. Hidilyn

was born on February 20, 1991 to Eduardo and Emelita Diaz
in Zamboanga. At just 11-years-old, she had to walk 50 meters
to draw water from the community water pump and walk
home lifting two big buckets of water whenever her big family
needed it. That built up her strength.”
 TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES

SPORTS COLUMN is the haven of a sports writer where s/he can give an
opinion about a certain topic whether it be a rant about a problematic system,
praises or criticisms to an athlete, or even personal experience.
 TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES
“The first time I wrote a sports story for
the Manila Bulletin from the field, I had
to dictate the story word-for-word to a
fellow back in the office, sometimes
spelling out words, letter-for-letter, and
repeating whole phrases, almost in
exasperation, because the line was poor.

I don’t know how many articles I’ve

written since then but after 44 years, give
or take a few months and a few days, this
will be my last for this newspaper as its
sports editor.”
 STRUCTURE OF A SPORTS STORY
The HEADLINE and LEAD
• Summarize the entire story
• Must be catchy so the readers
will be interested to read the
article
BODY and ENDING
• Personalities
• Play-by-play account
• Statistics/Comparison
• Quotes from players, coaches
• Background of players
• Significance of the game
• Background of the game
• Weather condition
• Crowd and Celebrations
STRUCTURE OF A SPORTS STORY
 TYPES OF LEADS

• Straight Lead - the most basic type of lead; answers the 5Ws and 1H.
• Key Play Lead - highlights the most important play of the game.

• Outstanding Player Lead - presents the player who had the most impact
 TYPES OF LEADS
Straight Lead

Pocari Sweat edged Air Force, 25-22, 16-25,

23-25, 25-21, 15-12, on Sunday at The Arena
in San Juan to keep its title-retention bid alive
in the Premier Volleyball League Open
Conference.
TYPES OF LEADS
Outstanding Player Lead
OAKLAND, Calif. – The Golden State Warriors
are kingslayers once more. Riding 39 points from
NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and 34 points
from Stephen Curry, the Warriors finished off the
Cleveland Cavaliers with a 129-120 victory in
Game 5 at Oracle Arena on Monday, secured
their second championship in three years and
cemented a compelling case, on the heels of a
16-1 playoff run, as perhaps the best team to ever
play the sport of basketball.
 TYPES OF LEADS
Key Play Lead
MIAMI (AP) – Paul Pierce demanded the ball for the
last shot. The Boston Celtics were rewarded. And the
much-anticipated offseason of 2010 is closer than the
Miami Heat ever wanted. Pierce's 21-foot jumper at
the buzzer – with injured Heat star Dwyane Wade
watching helplessly from the bench – gave the Celtics
a 100-98 win over Miami in Game 3 of the teams'
Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Friday
night.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SPORTS WRITER
• Must have a "nose for news" and interest in sports, its rules, strategy, team
and players' records
• Must have a working knowledge of the sports lingo
• Keeps an accessible file of pictures, statistics, past records and facts about
players and sports events
• Must attend the game as a reporter, not as a cheerer or spectator
• Must observe accuracy
 SPORTS LINGO and JARGONS

It is important for a sports writer to master the LANGUAGE of sports because

only when he has a complete command of the LINGO can he sound
authoritative and convincing to his readers.
 SPORTS LINGO and JARGONS
Dunk
Lay-up Spike
3-point shot Dig
Mid-range jumper Serve
Free throw Ace
Foul Kill
Pass Block
Rebound Toss
Assist Rally
Block Free Ball
 SPORTS LINGO & JARGONS
Pace
Bird or shuttlecock
Warm-up
Racket
Cool down
Drop Shot
Strides
Smash
Endurance
Kill
BPM (beats per minute)
Deuce
Rally
 SPORTS LINGO & JARGONS
Jab
Stance
Hook
Octagon
Bob-and-Weave
Combatant
Submission Knockout
Rear-naked choke Below the belt
Arm lock Stance
Leg kick Southpaw
Orthodox
Saved by the bell
Footwork
 SPORTS LINGO & JARGONS
(Player/Team) draws first blood.
They're feeling each other out.
It's going down the wire.
A nail-biter game.
The fans are getting their money's
worth.
This is an offensive shootout.
Teams are locked in a defensive
battle.
The fans are on their feet.
Players scratched and clawed their
way back into the game.
Player 1 had a monster game.
 GUIDELINES IN SPORTS WRITING
• Be OBJECTIVE even though you have a favorite team.
• Be PRECISE in your details.
• Be FULLY INFORMED of the game's rules, terminologies, teams, players,
records, etc.
• Take down NOTES. Don't trust your memory.
• Be ATTENTIVE and FOCUSED. Learn to take notes without losing the
sequence of a play.
• Report the REACTION of the spectators at some point of the game.
• Don't devote the entire sports section to just one game or sports.
• READ a lot. Learn how other sports writers practice their craft.
 BONUS TIPS ON EFFECTIVE WRITING
In Alito Malinao's book, Journalism for Filipinos, he gave several tips on
effective writing:
• Think first, then write.
• Get to the point and keep your sentences short. KISS.
• Use familiar words.
• Use verbs rather than nouns. Verbs are action words, nouns tend to be
static.
• Revise and sharpen.
• Write to express, not to impress
INSIDE THE SPORTS PAGE
INSIDE THE SPORTS PAGE
INSIDE THE SPORTS PAGE
ACTIVITY!
Instruction: Write a four- to five-paragraph story out of the details below (Short
Interview for quotes):
WHO: Four Adamson University students
WHAT: Finals of the Campus-wide Thumb Wrestling Competition; Best-of-3
WHEN: Thursday, March 14, 2019
WHERE: Adamson University, Ermita, Manila
WHY (What's at stake?): The winner will be crowned as the first title holder of
the Campus-wide Thumb Wrestling Competition
END! THANK YOU!