SPORTS

WRITING
JEVAN HOPE S. BALTAZAR
Titay National High School
Session Outline
01 What is Sports Writing?

02 Quality of Sports News

03 Kinds of Sports News

04 Suggested Ways to
Gather Data on Sports
News
Session Outline
05 Structures of
News Coverage
Sports

06 Elements that make up a

good Sports Article

07 Tips on Writing the Sports

News

08 Others
 Sports Writing

What is Sports Writing

 Telling a sports story through the use of

a journalistic writing method
• One of the most popular forms of
modern journalistic writing

 While many can talk about sports, few

can write a sports story

• More than just answering 5 W’s and 1 H

to come up with a sports news story
 Qualities of Sports News
 primarily describes most thrilling and eventful part of the game

 uses more colorful words, adjectives, figures of speech, local color

and longer sentences, which are not commonly use in straight
news

 uses special vocabulary called sports lingo

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Sports News
Kinds of Sports News
 Kinds of Sports News

1. Advance News
 gives an advance information in the coming event
 Significance of the game
 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
 venue of the event
 noteworthy event that could be included in the news
 Kinds of Sports News

1. Advance News
 gives an advance information in the coming event
 weather that could affect the game
 expected viewers
 statement of the coaches and athletes
 Kinds of Sports News

2. Coverage Story
 on-the-spot news of an actual game or event
 outcome – winner, score of both teams, draw, suspension
 significance of the outcome
 spectacular parts of the game
 comparison of the strength and weakness of the athletes
 star player
 weather
 audience / viewers
 Kinds of Sports News

3. Follow – up sports story

 summarizes the activities of the team
 analyzes the recently concluded game like player,
who as injured and psychological aspects of the
players, chaos in the technicality, statistics and its
significance
 Kinds of Sports News

4. News based on the records

 based on the data gathered from authorities or
officials of the game
 summary of different events and almost
simultaneously played in an athletic meet
 Sports Writing

Suggested Ways to Gather Data on Sports News

BEFORE THE GAME
1. Know the rules of the game

2. Know the key people – coaches, trainers,

players, height, position in team experience

3. List down their names in full and check the

spelling

4. If possible, attend practice sessions

 Sports Writing

Suggested Ways to Gather Data on Sports News

BEFORE THE GAME
5. Jot down quote, anecdote and other event

6. Interview key persons who are involved in the

game
 Sports Writing

Suggested Ways to Gather Data on Sports News

DURING THE ACTUAL GAME
1. Be at the venue ahead of time

2. Look for a good working place to witness the

game closely

3. Note interesting events before the game

4. Observe closely and list down the following:

a. Most thrilling part of the game, b. unexpected events, humorous event,
audience reactions, celebrities or prominent people who witness the game,
statement of the players, coaches, and audience
 Sports Writing

Suggested Ways to Gather Data on Sports News

AFTER THE GAME
1. Check the accuracy of the score from the
officials
2. Interview star player or coach of the winning
team. Coach and athlete of the losing team can be

3. Note audience or viewers’ reactions

Structure of Sports
News Coverage
 Structure of Sports News Coverage

1. The Lead Attention getter

 Summarizes or analyzes the event by giving the
significance, the winner, the hero, the score, the
place and time or date when the event happened
 Immediately answers the five W’s and one H
1. Who won
2. How did they win? The Diamond National High School (1)
3. Against whom? poured 10 baskets in the last three
4. By what score? minutes (2) to edge out the Quezonians
5. Where? (3) 47 – 45 (4) at the opponent's home
6. When? ground (5) on Friday (6).
 Structure of Sports News Coverage

1. The Lead
Three Ways of Writing the Sports News Lead
a. Key Play
best angle of the sports event is through the collective
effort of all the members of the winning team
Example Titay Volleyball Team (TVT) spikers blasted the
defenseless Sominot Netters in the volleyball
championship game, 2 – 0 (25 – 13 and 25 – 17) during
the District Meet at Titay National High School, Poblacion,
Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay on March 5, 2023.
 Structure of Sports News Coverage

1. The Lead
Three Ways of Writing the Sports News Lead
b. Key Player/s
one or two members of the team seem to stand out of the
rest of the players that caused the team to win the game

Example John Mark Palisoc grabbed the limelight when his do –

or – die three pointer shot dove ringless with less than five seconds
remaining to lead Titay National High School to thrilling victory, 57-
56, against Palomoc National High School in a basketball
tournament yesterday at Isolation Gym, Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay.
 Structure of Sports News Coverage

1. The Lead
Three Ways of Writing the Sports News Lead
c. Analytical Way
used when the team employs a very spectacular strategy
or action that brings victory

Example Banking on nerve-breaking wallops, deadly spikes and

tricky placing, Creamline Cool Smashers dethroned Petro Gazz
Angels in the game two, 3-2(18-25, 25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 15-6) to
force a rubber match in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All
Filipino Conference Finals on Tuesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
 Structure of Sports News Coverage

2. The Body The news in a nut-shell

 contains the play – by – play account of the game
a. the most crucial part of the game
b. star player
c. writer’s record of the background of athletes and
coaches
d. observation of the number and reactions of the
audience or viewers and condition
e. celebrities who witness the game
f. Play-by-play
g. quotations
 Structure of Sports News Coverage

3. Conclusion
 usually contains quotes from players and coaches,
statistics and team standing
“They are excellent players, too. Perhaps, we are just
lucky to win this game,” said Bahian, the MVP of the
game.
The Scores: Titay NHS (65): Bahian 25, Palisoc 16,
Luna 14, Noval 6, Dinoy 4, Mesiona 0, Molas 0.
SNHS (64) Smith 22, Foxit 15, Bond 13, Iglesias 6,
Barretto 0, Yan 0, Domingo 0.
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 Sports Writing

Tips on Writing the Sports News

 Write the story after the event

 Be accurate not only with the score but also in

all other highlight of the game

 Include human interest like the personal

background of the player

• Inject humorous event when needed

 Sports Writing

Tips on Writing the Sports News

 Follow the inverted pyramid structure in

presenting data.

 Support data with opinion.

 Be original.

• Use sports lingo but do not overdo it.

 Sports Writing

Tips on Writing the Sports News

 Be selective and pick out only from the

multitude of details
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 SPORTS JARGON
 Knocked it out of the park  Cross the goal line
 Game of inches  Take one for the team
 Lost a step  GOAT
 The ball is in their court  Superstar
 Slum dunk  Sudden death
 Next man up  Down to the wire
 Ice water in their veins
 Hair Mary
 A win is a win
 Pass the baton

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 ACTIVITY
 Directions: Write a sports story based
on the following data given below. You
may add
 or change the words if you find
them less effective but stick to given
facts.

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THANK YOU!