Fall 2020 JOU 3304 August 24, 2020 Class Presentation

1. JOU 3304
Sports Writing
Professor Michael Rizzo
Director, Journalism Program
Division of Mass Communication
College of Professional Studies
August 24, 2020

2. JOU 3304
Sports Writing
Today
Introduction
Review of Course Outline
Survey
What is sports writing?

3. Course Outline
Go to BlackBoard

4. Textbook

5. Our JOU 3304 fall 2020 course
is completely online.
We will meet in many class sessions
Webex but we will occasionally go
asynchronous meaning you review
content and complete assignments
when you want to as long as you
meet the deadlines and instructions
set for Each action.

6. Student survey
Go to assignments in Blackboard
for our course and complete the
survey.
Save it to your own files and
then upload it as a PDF
document only.

8. What’s your go-to sports
news website?
Find one!
Read it daily to be informed!
Analyze stories as to how
they reflect or fail at good
sports writing!
Be prepared each class to
discuss the stories you’ve read.

9. What is the goal of
sports writing?
Sports writers are journalists who
report on sports. They bring the
reader, user, viewer and listener to
the game and the people in the game
because those people CANNOT be
there themselves.

10. What makes sports writing
different from other journalism?
What makes it the same?

11. Sports journalists are expected to…
"know the rules of the game and
the rules of journalism and be able
to meld the two into colorful,
action-packed game stories,
picturesque profiles, informative
features and thoughtful analysis [in
multiple media]."
Sports Journalism, An Introduction to Reporting and Writing, Rowman & Littlefield Publishing

12. What elements should be
included in every sports story?
The 5Ws
Facts
Observations
Comments from persons
connected to the story
(quotes/soundbites/actualities)

13. Sportswriters are not just fans
who get paid to report on a
sporting event.
Look for the story beyond the
obvious.
Provide insight that goes beneath
the surface of the event or the
game performance.

14. AP style writing provides
guidelines for grammar,
spelling, punctuation, language
usage and consistency.
AP style aims to avoid
stereotypes and unintentionally
offensive language.

19. Think creatively of how to tell the
story of a game that many people are
covering instead of just telling the
result.
Ideas:
• find the underdog that wins a game
• find the unexpected hero
• find the unusual play
Frame your story, or at least your LEDE
on those aspects and not just the result.

20. Good observation is the key to open
up to story ideas and angles

23. Sportswriters are expected to
provide interpretation, analysis,
the WHY and the HOW, and not
just the WHAT happened.
If it makes sense, give the WIDER
CONTEXT of the game you
covered, players’ performances or
players’ actions/comments.

24. "The game story should tell
you…the thoughts and emotions
of the coaches and key players…
anecdotes and good quotes are
better than [just writing out a] play
by play.“
Art Kabelowsky, prep editor for the
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

25. Assignment for Thursday
August 27, 2020
Read Pages 18-31 of Chapter 2
in the textbook and the handout
on BlackBoard titled Covering The
Sports News Conference.
Be prepared to apply the key
concepts from those pages.

26. Stay well
and
stay safe