Uncover

Review Time!
What did we discuss last time and
what did you learn?
Brainstorm
A sports enthusiast’s love for the game can include everything
from the preparation and anticipation, to watching the actual
game, enjoying replays and highlights, and discussing
everything about the game afterward—including the teams,
the coaches, and their favorite (and not-so-favorite) players.

Sports writing plays a huge role in stirring up expectations

and giving fans the information they crave about the people
behind their favorite sport.
Brainstorm
What Are the Elements of Sports Writing?
Sports writing typically covers basic information, such as:
highlights of the game
the names of the teams involved
the type of sport
score or final outcome
when and where the game was played
But in order to write a good sports article, remember to focus on what an
athlete does because sports revolve around the drama of competition,
spotlighting a single person gives your story a human side that your
readers can relate to.
Brainstorm
5 Types of Sports Stories
The following are the five most common types of sports stories:

1. Straight-Lead Game Story

The most basic form of all sports writing, the straight-lead (also
spelled straight-lede) game story, is an article using a straight-
news format. The article summarizes the main points of a game:
which team won or lost, the final score, and what a star player
did.
Brainstorm
5 Types of Sports Stories

1. Straight-Lead Game Story

After that, the story follows by giving an account of big plays,
players who contributed tremendously to the final outcome, and
after-game insights, quoting both players and coaches. Many high
school and college sports use the straight-lead game story, but
sports writers for professional sports events have veered away from
this format. The reason is that TV already shows the entire game
and fans usually know the scores and highlights before the article
makes it to publication.
Brainstorm
5 Types of Sports Stories

2. Feature Game Story

The feature game story is a favorite tool for
professional sports writers because it gives
fans and readers a different angle from the
highlights they have seen on TV.
Brainstorm
5 Types of Sports Stories

2. Feature Game Story

After opening with a unique angle, the writer proceeds to describe a
player’s or coach’s background, as well as what was going on at the
time the writer had this unusual experience. And, as is common trait
of feature game stories, the writer only gets to the scores near the
end of the article—which is fine because readers are not looking to
read about the score, which they already know. Instead, the story
gives them a different perspective of the game and the people
involved.
Brainstorm
5 Types of Sports Stories

3. Profiles
Whereas a feature game story spotlights a game,
a profile features an individual character. This
person might be a rookie athlete rising in the
ranks, or perhaps an influential coach.
Brainstorm
5 Types of Sports Stories

4. Season Preview and Wrap-up Stories

Every sportswriter needs season previews and wrap-up stories
in their collection. These stories are published while the
coaches and their teams are preparing for the upcoming
season, or after the season has ended—whether in victory or
in defeat. These stories take a bird’s eye view of the season:
they normally share the expectations that coaches and players
have, or how they feel at the end of a season.
Brainstorm
5 Types of Sports Stories

5. Columns
A sports writing column is the place where a sportswriter shares
their opinion. Sometimes these columns may include venting
when a team, player, or coach doesn’t meet expectations. Other
times, they may write about what they admire in a team, player or
coach. A favorite subject is a coach who is able to direct a weak
team to an unexpected championship, or perhaps an underdog
player who demonstrates unusual determination and teamwork.
Brainstorm
The best sports writers are able to convey the
sense of awe readers feel when watching a
game.

However, sports writing is not limited to simply

describing a game: it may also profile an athlete
or unveil important news surrounding a key
character in a sport, such as reports of abuse.
Brainstorm
How Do You Write a Good Sports Lead?
A lead is the introductory section of a news story,
intended to hook the reader into reading the full story.

To write a good sports lead, first pick which of the 5

types of sports stories you would like to write. The
type of story you choose will determine the lead you
write.
Brainstorm
How Do You Write a Good Sports Lead?
If you opt for a straight-news story, pick a highlight from the
game you are writing about and focus on that in your first
paragraph.

If you choose a feature or profile, pick something that stands

out about the team or person. Think of a scene that best
describes the characteristic you want to highlight. Do you
describe a practice session? A game huddle? Or an after-
game interview?
Brainstorm
How Do You Write a Good Sports Lead?
For a season preview or wrap-up story, pick a sport you
love and describe a broad perspective of an upcoming
season or the season that just wrapped up, beginning
with the best teams.

For or an opinion column, find one angle that you would

like to express your opinion on and that you feel
passionate about.
Brainstorm
For different examples of the 5 Types of Sports Stories, please proceed to this website/link:
https://www.tckpublishing.com/sports-writing/#:~:text=What%20Is%20Sports%20Writing
%20in,sports%20is%20called%20a%20sportswriter.
Brainstorm
Sports Terminologies
These sports jargons are terms which
are used in specific sports event/match.
Take a look at some. Since these are
jargons, they might only be used in some
sports and may not be applicable in
others.
Brainstorm
How to write scores?
The Associated Press Stylebook has an entire section
devoted to sports coverage. It helps journalists
standardize how they write.
Scores of two teams
For instance, scores are always written as numerals
(high score – hyphen – low score). So, let us say the
Ravens played the Comets and beat them, 62 to 57. The
score would read 62-57.
Brainstorm
How to write scores?

Team Records
Team records don’t always go high to low. Instead,
it is wins – hyphen – losses. So, let us say our
Ravens are not so good, and have only won five of
their 13 games this season (meaning, they lost 8
times), the score would read 5-8.
Nutshell
Writing About Sports
Writing about sports is not only exciting, but it also gives
us a chance to get to know the people in our favorite
sport and share those findings with our readers.

Excellently written sports stories make these characters

come alive, letting fans connect to their favorite teams
in a more meaningful way.
Nutshell
It can be very overwhelming – the first time you step
foot in a press box. But remember, you are there to
work, you are not a fan – not in this moment, at least.
There’s an old saying “there is no cheering in the
press box”; so, do not. Maintain your objectivity.
And, like every other reporter around you, look for
the game’s decisive moments and begin your real-
time reporting and sports writing.