This is a class presentation I used in our class. Hope it can help.^_^

7. Sports Story
Sports article, writing, reporting, journalism

8. • 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.

9. • The latter, however,
has a
greater freedom
of
STYLE.

10. What’s added in a Sports Story?
• CONFLICTas sports connotes competition,
contest, dispute, struggle or battle for supremacy by
individuals or groups of individuals. Definitely, conflict is
present in sports competitions.
• ACTIONis 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!

12. Sports Story
• a form of writing that reports on
sporting topics and games.
• A form of journalism (or creative
nonfiction) in which a sporting event,
individual athlete, or sports-related
issue serves as the dominant subject.
• Considered as the most popular form
of journalistic writing.

13. What kinds of sports?
• tournaments and games such as
athletics, football, baseball, basketball,
volleyball, handball, softball, tennis
table tennis, boxing, swimming,
gymnastics, archery, fencing, golf,
squash, shooting, rowing, rugby
football, American football, hockey,
billiards and snooker, wrestling,
bowling, canoeing, cycling, equestrian
events, taekwando, judo, sepak takraw,
weightlifting, yachting, and hluay Thai.
… and a lot more.

14. Qualities of a good Sports Writer
• Must know sports: rules, strategies, team, and
player’s record.
• Must attend games or meets as a reporter, not
as a spectator or cheerer.
• Must know coaches and players as intimately as
possible
• Must observe accuracy.

15. • Must be able to take notes clearly
without losing the sequence of the play.
• Must be fair and unbiased in reporting.
• Must not make comments without
supporting them with facts on which
they are based. (although sports writer
have more freedom than news writers)

16. • Must use specialized language of the
particular sports that he is reporting.
• Must avoid sports slang and trite
expressions which hack writers use today.
He should tell the story in plane, factual
terms that describe the action.
• Must bear in mind that he writes for his
readers and not for himself.

17. Structures
of a Sports
Story
• Advance Story- also called as Dope or
Prognostication. (Just to build-up enthusiasm
for coming events.)
• Coverage Story- the on-the-spot coverage of
an actual game or event.
• Advance-Coverage Story- includes the
information of a coming event as the first part
of the story and information of the previous
event as last part of the story.

19. Writing a Sports Story
(parts)
Headline
Lead
Body
The Wrap Up

20. HEADLINE
The title or heading of an article.

21. ONE DECK
Pacquiao wins!
P’sinan is champ!
Espino is victor!
Patriots, Beermen clash tonite

22. 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

23. THREE DECKS
Broken nose
steals milestone
glory from Kobe
Powerade
vows to
win crown
Undermanned
Azkals battle
Icheon FC

24. FOUR DECKS
M’weather:
Maganto,
Pacquiao
‘cheaters’
POC to raise
own funds
for Olympic
participation

25. 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
nat’l cagefest

26. The Lead
Who Won?
against Whom?
by What score?
Where?
When?
5W’S

27. Who Won? against Whom?
by What score? Where? When?
The EMS Quentet poured 10
baskets in the last three
minutes to edge out the
Osmenians 65-63 at the
opponents’ homegrounds
yesterday afternoon.

28. Second-string quarterback Jay
Lindman threw the game-
winning touchdown with just
12 seconds left to lead the
Jefferson High School
Gladiators to a 21-14 victory
over the McKinley High School
Centurions Friday night.

29. May also include:
• They key player
• The outstanding player
• Analytical Approach

31. The Body
The body of your story should
basically elaborate on the lead. If your
lead was about the benchwarmer
becoming the game’s star, then the
body should go into more detail about
that. Often a simple chronological
account works best.

32. Torville’s ankle was sprained when he
was sacked in the first quarter.
Lindman came into the game with low
expectations but threw his first
touchdown pass in the second quarter
with a high, floating ball that receiver
Mike Ganson snagged in the end
zone.

33. In the third quarter, Lindman was
forced to scramble out of the pocket
to avoid the rush but managed to fire
a bullet to receiver Desean
Washington, who made a diving catch
at the goal line.

34. The 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 upper cut to the jaw and left jab to
the belt.
Discard … The left-handed pitcher threw the ball so
well that his opponents were unable to strike it.
Preferred … The southpaw pitched airtight the ball.

35. The Wrap Up
The wrap up or ending of your story usually
centers on quotes from the coach and
players gleaned from post-game interviews
or press conferences. Getting great quotes
for sports stories can sometimes be tough –
coaches and athletes often speak in clichés
– but a snappy quote can really be the icing
on the cake of your game story.

36. “I knew Lindman could play but I
didn’t know he could play like
that,” said Gladiators coach Jeff
Michaelson. “That was one heck
of a game by a young guy who
showed a lot of heart.”
Washington said Lindman exuded
confidence even in the huddle
before his very first snap.

37. “He just said, ‘Let’s do this to
win,’” Washington said. “And he
went out there and did it. That
boy can throw the ball.”

39. SPORTS VOCABULARY
(Some frequently used terms
or sports lingo)

40. • BASKETBALL - quintet, zone defense, five, rebound,
rally, man-to-man, keyhole area, 30-second clock, long tom,
tip-in, press, steals,
15-foot line, twinner, follow-up, lemon time, playoff slot,
haul rebounds, dish out assists, inside baskets, point guard,
homecourt advantage, playmaker.
• 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.

41. –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.

42. • GOLF - hole-in-one, birdie, bogey, par, fired a 7-under-64,
win by
two strokes second putt, behind the green, one-shot lead,
tee-off, four-stroke lead, sprint down the fairway, hit pivotal
shots, hole clutch putts, carded a two-under par 70
• TENNIS - straight sets, singles, smash cut, doubles, half
volleys, passing shots, good serving, grass court, backhand
volley, double fault, lost serve
• TRACK EVENTS - breasted the tape, dashes, runs
(200, 400 & 800), hurdles,burned the cinders, relay, clocked a
new record, photo finish, middle distance runner, anchor
man, pass the baton,bore down on him, break the record

43. –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.

44. –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, rook or tower,
pawn.
–ARCHERY - bowman, drawing back

46. References
Abejuela, M. (2010, September 3). Sports
Writing. Retrieved from SlideShare:
http://www.slideshare.net/malyth/sports-
writing
Bakisan, I. (2012, August 4). Journalism.
Retrieved from irenebakisan:
http://irenebakisan.weebly.com/sports-
writing.html

47. • Descallar, K. (2012, March 7). Sports Writing.
Retrieved from SlideShare:
http://www.slideshare.net/kimpotz/sports-
writing-11905937?next_slideshow=1

48. THAT’S
ALL,
FOLKS!