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SPORTS WRITING IS, BASICALLY, NEWS WRITING, TOO.

Observably all the elements found in news

writing – timeliness or immediacy, prominence,
proximity or nearness, oddity, conflict,
consequence, human interest, drama, romance
or sex, numbers and others – are also present
in sports writing. All the rules present in news
writing – especially those on accuracy, brevity
and clarity -- virtually apply to sports writing,
too.
The latter, however, has a greater freedom
of STYLE.
Moreover, the most defined element in sports
writing is conflict as sports connotes
competition, contest, dispute, struggle or
battle for supremacy by individuals or groups
of individuals. Definitely, conflict is present in
sports competitions.• Opposing forces
generally fight for the crown and exert all
efforts and strategies towards this much-
sought triumph.
ACTION, therefore, is present in sports and it is
the duty of the sports writer to bring or
picture this action to the readers who were
unable to directly watch the actual contest.
The sports writer who can expertly describe
the sports action through words, phrases or
sentences is one successful writer, indeed!•
Since action is foremost in sports, there is
consequently a need for the writer to be
adept at or knowledgeable about verbs and
adjectives. Verbs are action words and
adjectives are words that can aptly describe
the action in the event.
At present, there exists much leeway
in sports writing styles. Merely
reading sports stories at present
immediately proves that most
sports stories are now gearing
towards NOVELTY LEADS.
Nevertheless, of course, sports
writers have not totally forsaken
the summary lead.
The leads nowadays promptly
describe the action through
carefully selected sentences
that instantly deliver the
reader to the sports scene.
THE SUMMARY LEAD

THE LEAD ITSELF• When utilizing the

summary lead (Five Ws and One H), the
writer must not fail to state specifically who
won the game and against whom.• It is
imperative to state the score or outcome.
Where was the contest held? When?• If the
game was not completed due to weather
conditions or other incidents, say so; but tell
the existing score when it was stopped.
THE BODYOF THE STORY

If the lead is written in a thrilling

vein, the body should be given
the same treatment.•
Give the play-by-play account of
the contest, taking note of
decisive or interesting plays or
any highlights that occurred
therein.
Give the best scores of the day as well as
the team or individual standings after
the game, plus the game’s significance,
if any. Statements that are quite
controversial or significant may
likewise be included in the body of the
story. The weather condition may be
mentioned, too, together with the
crowd’s reactions and subsequent post-
game celebration scenes.
USE OF SLANG LANGUAGE

DISCARD:… asevere blow administered to

the face and another, with the left hand,
to the region of the stomach.•
PREFERRED : … a hard uppercut to the
jaw and a left jab to the belt line.•
DISCARD: The left-handed pitcher
threw the ball so well that his opponents
were unable to strike it.•
PREFERRED: The southpaw pitched
airtight ball.
SPORTS VOC A BUL A RY

(Some frequently used terms or

sports lingo)
VOLLEYBALL
-

booming service, net ball, spikes,

change court, wallop, best
attacker/receiver/
server/blocker/digger/setter, block,
two out of three, blocked his kill,
spiker, peppered with 12 hits.–
SOCCER FOOTBALL
- goalie, fullback, corner kick, pigskin, penalty
kick, centrada, corner kick–

- SIPA - fancy kick, dead ball, single, ball

on play, double.
BASEBALL/SOFTBALL -

diamond, pitcher, short stop, southpaw,

shut out, back stop, pegged at third,
swatters, pitcher’s mound, hit a
homerun, fails to make the catch, deep
center, fielder, strike out, innings, a
double steal of second and third bases,
unearned runs, reaches first base safely.
-FIELD EVENTS –heaved the shotput, hurled the javelin, threw
the discus, broad jump, pole vault, hop-step-and-jump, Grecian
disc, long jump.–

CYCLING - wheel by wheel, remate, multi-lap, yellow jersey, lead

pack.–

BOXING - round by round, slugfest, flyweight, welterweight, jab,

uppercut, heavyweight, uppercut, ring, knockout loss, landed a
left body blow, lightweight, super-featherweight, split decision,
boxing stable, flurry of punches.
SWIMMING - aquabelle, freestyle, tanker, breaststroke, naiad,
backstroke, diving board.– TAEKWONDO - turning side kick,
jins, heavyweight, finweight, flyweight.–

CHESS - grandmaster, chess board, zugzwang, plus 47 ELO

rating, nine-round tournament, blitzkrieg chess, king, queen,
board one, bishop, knight, opening move, rookor tower, pawn.–
ARCHERY - bowman, drawing back
IT GIVES ADVANCE INFORMATION OF THE COMING EVENT. THE
FOLLOWING ARE THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES NEWS.

Historical background of the game or event. Players and

coaches. Physical and mental qualities of the athletes.
Strengths and weaknesses of each player and team
based on their previous competitions. Noteworthy
event that could be included in the news. Weather
that could affect the game. Expected viewers.
Statement of the coaches and athletes.
. It contains important reports like the
following: Outcome. Spectacular parts of the
game. Star player. Weather.
Audience/viewers. comparison of the strength
and weakness of the athletes of both teams.
Significance ofthe Outcome
it summarizes the activities of the team. It also
analyzes the recently concluded game like a
player, who was injured and the psychological
aspects of the players, chaos on the
technicality, statistics and its significance
it is based on the data gathered from
authorities or officials of the game.
It could also be a summary of the
different events and almost
simultaneously played in an athlete
meet.
Know the rules of the game. Know key people—
coaches, trainers, players and their weight,
height, and position in the team, experience
and others. List down their names in full and
check the spelling. If possible, attend practice
session. Jot down quote, anecdote and other
event, which can be included in the sport
news. Interview key persons who are involved
in the game.
. Beat the venue ahead of time. Look for a good working
place where you can closely witness the game. Note
interesting events before the game. Observe closely
and list down the following: The most thrilling part
of the game. Unexpected event like a neophyte who
performs excellently. Humorous event. Audience’s
reactions. Celebrities or prominent people who
witness the game. Statement of the players, coaches
and the audience
Check the accuracy of the score from
the officials. Interview star player
or coach of the winning team, coach
and athlete of the losing team can
also be interviewed. Note audience
or viewers’ reactions.
Must be sports enthusiast. Must know the basic
rules, strategies and players or team’s
records. Ability to take note quickly without
missing the important sequence of the play.
Must be fair in reporting even if he has a
favorite team or player. Must observe
accuracy in presenting facts. Has wide
knowledge on sports lingo
Write the story immediately after the event. Be accurate
not only with score but also in all other highlights of
the game. Include human interest like the personal
background of the player. Inject humorous event
when needed. Follow the inverted pyramid structure
in presenting the data. Support data with opinion. Be
original. Use sports lingo but do not overdo it. Be
selective and pick out only from the multitude of
details, the ones that count and can tickle the interest
if the readers.
it summarizes or analyzes the event by
giving the significance, the winner, the
hero, the scores, the place and time or
date when the event happens. It
immediately answers five W’s and one
H. Novelty Lead can also be used in
writing sports news, but the second
paragraph should also answer the five
W’s and one H.
*it contains the play-by-play account of the
game like the following: The most crucial part
of the game. Star player. Writer’s record of
the background of athletes and coaches.
Observation of the number and reactions of
the audience or viewers and the weather
condition. Celebrities who witness the game.
*it usually contains quotes from players and
coaches, statistics and team standing.
*this is usually used when the best angle of the
sports event is through the collective effort of
all the members of the winning team.
when one or two of the members of the
team seem to standout of the rest of the
players that caused the team to win the
game, their heroic deed is the best angle
to start a sports news.
THE LEAD ITSELF•
When utilizing the summary lead (Five
Ws and One H), the writer must not fail
to state specifically who won the game
and against whom.• It is imperative to
state the score or outcome. Where was
the contest held? When?• If the game
was not completed due to weather
conditions or other incidents, say so;
but tell the existing score when it was
stopped.
THE BODYOF THE STORY•

If the lead is written in a thrilling

vein, the body should be given
the same treatment.• Give the
play-by-play account of the
contest, taking note of decisive
or interesting plays or any
highlights that occurred
therein.
Give the best scores of the day as well as
the team or individual standings after
the game, plus the game’s significance,
if any. Statements that are quite
controversial or significant may
likewise be included in the body of the
story. The weather condition may be
mentioned, too, together with the
crowd’s reactions and subsequent post-
game celebration scenes.
USE OF SLANG LANGUAGE•

DISCARD: … a severe blow administered to the

face and another, with the left hand, to the
region of the stomach.•
PREFERRED : … a hard uppercut to the jaw
and a left jab to the belt line.•
DISCARD: The left-handed pitcher threw the
ball so well that his opponents were unable to
strike it.•
PREFERRED: The southpaw pitched airtight
ball.
SPORTS NO VEL TY LEADS

SAN DIEGO – The St. Louis Cardinals

20. •

surrounded Reggie Sanders in the clubhouse

and chanted “MVP! MVP! MVP!”
• A double black-eye. With that, it’s
understandable why Ateneo coach Norman
Black is feeling blue these days.
• FARMINGTON, Pennsylvania – Phil Mickelson.
Vijay Singh. David Thomas, Jim Furyk. With
four of the top five money winners on the US
PGA Tour, the 84 Luimber Classic has na better
field than most of the post-major tournaments
The best is yet to come from the “Beast”. “Coach told me
that we have a very long tournament so I have to pace
myself,” Purefoods Chunkee import Marquin Chandler
said Sunday night. ==========• Marquin Chandler was
not merely a Giant for Purefoods Chunkee last night. He
was a monster. ==========
22. • For a while, as confetti rained down on the triumphant
Far Eastern U Tamaraws, it looked like coach Bert Flores
will be going through the whole euphoria without
experiencing the biggest thrill of it all – a victory ride
from his players. ==========• The newest faces of
Philippine tennis continued to emerge from the horizon.
==========• LAS VEGAS – Shane Mosley was anything
but sweet. He was a winner, though, with his sights set on
bigger things. ==========
SPORTS HEADLINES•

. HEADLINES are an equally important part of

a sports news story. While the lead
summarizes the entire news development, the
headline summarizes the lead itself.

ONE DECK
Pacquiao wins!
P’sinan is champ!
Espino is victor! Patriots, Beermen
TWO DECKS Mindanao beach volley champs
GM Barbosa off to Vietnam La Salle gals eye
second crown in UAAP volleyball Donaire in
12th Elorde awards
THREE DECKS Broken nose steals milestone
glory from Kobe Powerade vows to win
crown Undermanned Azkals battle Icheon FC
FOUR DECKS M’weather: Maganto, Pacquiao
‘cheaters’ POC to raise own funds for
Olympic participation
TRANSFORMING THE HEADLINE

Dagupan City hosts national

seniors basketball tournament
Dagupan hosts national seniors
basketball tourney
Dagupan hosts nat’l seniors cage
tourney
Dagupan hosts national cagefest