Fall 2020 JOU 3304 22nd Class November 5, 2020

1. JOU 3304
Sports Writing
Professor Michael Rizzo
Director, Journalism Program
Division of Mass Communication
Collins College of Professional Studies
Presentation for November 5, 2020

2. JOU 3304
Sports Writing
Last Presentation – November 2
Covering the “other” sports

3. JOU 3304
Sports Writing
Today
More on covering the “other” sports

4. Recap
The “wider” picture of sports and
covering “other” sports typically
means not taking your readers’
knowledge for granted
Provide more context
Seek out the human stories
Look to those “other” sports for story
ideas

6. Why Are Sports Important?

7. Why Are Sports Important?
The argument I’ve always heard for the
importance of sports journalism, however, is
that it serves as a “catharsis,” or a temporary
escape from the struggles of reality. People
read game stories and other sports stories to
get away from whatever hurdles they face in
their lives, if only momentarily.

8. Watching “First Take” is sort of like reading
an instruction manual. It’s distracting, but
when you’re done reading, you’ve really
learned nothing except a very specific
skill.

9. Good sports journalism, meanwhile, is
more like a compelling novel. The story is
distracting, sure, but the point it makes
and the impact that results will last.
www.alligator.org/sports/columns/column-why-sports-journalism-matters

10. My opinion: Shows like First Take are
a lot of sound and “flash” but not
substance.
You are attracted by the talk but walk
away remembering the “noise” more
than the facts.

11. Why we need sports journalism
and not just about the big four
I’m not a sports junkie, but I do like a well-told story. I miss that. If you’re
gonna pitch me on another profile of who the Cowboys should draft next
year, I’m not that interested. So we have different audiences we need to tend
to. I kind of want to say, “Don’t forget about me.”
The daily sports page is for a different audience. I care about them all, but I
care more about the well-told story. I think that places like The Athletic and its
satellite sites in cities fancy doing that, I think that SI still does it, but with less
frequency.
ESPN The Magazine still does it—people like Wright Thompson still do it.
That’s all he does. It’s hard to say if we’re doing it enough. Enough for me
might not be enough for someone else. It’s not enough for me, but I also
understand why I don’t see it as often.
Kevin Robbins, former sports reporter Austin American-Statesman

12. Ideas for interesting stories on
those other sports

13. • Great interviews
• Fun Facts
• Personal Experience
• Great stories you’ve heard about
that “other” sport
• Controversy or drama about that
other sport or it’s participants

14. Reporting on that “other” sport
Write a 100 word story on what we see
in the next few minutes of coverage

15. STAY WELL
AND
STAY SAFE