1. SPORTS WRITING FOR THE CAMPUS
JOURNALIST

2. 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, there are
only few who can write a sports story
• It takes more than just answering the 5 W’s
and 1 H to be able to come up with a
comprehensive sports news story

3. Tarlac City— Tarlac National High School, behind the remarkable performances of Frank Bonus and Empoy
Emperador, engaged in a shoot-out of sorts with Mindoro National High School before squeaking out with
a close 60-58 win in the National Highschools Basketball Cup Finals at the Tarlac State University gym here,
Tuesday.
Bonus scored 21 points to lead TNHS and Emperador 13 points – including the decisive baskets in the closing
seconds of the 4th quarter.
The game started in a roller-coaster encounter that saw the first half end 28-27 with Tarlac hanging on a slim
lead.
The 2nd half was still close as Mindoro HS took the lead with two minutes to go, but Bonus displayed
composure as he connected with a three-pointer as time expired to give TNHS the lead, 54-53.
The big plays seemed to come in the last quarter of action as Mindoro shooting guard Paul Corpuz ties the
game at 58-all with 15 seconds to go. TNHS coach Michael Harrow then calls for a time-out to draw out
the probable game-winner.
In the ensuing inbound, Emperador fished-out a foul with 10 seconds left and split his charities for the lead,
100-98.
Mindoro’s top scorer Cesar Diaz refused to give up on the final possession but his desperation jump-shot
clanked out helplessly away from the rim. He finished with 22 points on top of 6 assists.
“Faith carried us through this game, our players all showed heart and they never gave up,” said coach Harrow
after the game.
Box scores:
TNHS (60)—Bonus 21, Emperador, 13, Magusib, 12, Mercado 6, Aguinaldo 4, Martinez 2, Cabanlong 2, Ong 0,
Lim 0, Gumaru 0.
Mindoro (58)— Diaz 22, Corpuz 18, Malaca 12, Soriano 7, Allavigan 0, Gonzaga 0, Advincula 0, Limbauan 0

4. Sports Writing Structure
A sports story has a lead and
a body.
LEAD - the attention-getter
BODY - the news in a nut-shell.

5. Lead Components in Sports Writing
1. Who won?
2. How did they win?
3. Against whom?
4. By what score?
5. Where?
6. When?
e.g.
The Torres High School Quintet (1) poured 10 baskets
in the last three minutes (2) to edge out the
Osmenians (3) 65-63 (4) at the opponents’
homeground (5) on Wednesday (6).

6. Other Elements for the Sports Lead
1. THE KEY PLAY
e.g.
San Manuel, Tarlac—The defending champion
PWU sluggers bombed the USST batters with
six runs in the third inning to subdue a nerve-
racking USST rally, 14-12, as they clinched the
invitational game here, in connection with the
celebration of the school’s 14th Foundation
Day.

7. Other Elements for the Sports Lead
2. THE OUTSTANDING PLAYER
e.g.
Marietta Ancheta of Ateneo de Maliwalo, after
almost four hours of battle over the
chessboard, copped the most coveted YMCA
trophy after outwitting Philippine Science High
School chesser William Santos in 27 moves of
a Sicilian defense.

8. Other Elements for the Sports Lead
3. ANALYTICAL APPROACH
e.g.
Riding high on sizzling spikes and tricky
placing, the spitfire Ednor Colleges blasted the
Ateneo Blue Eagles in the crucial third set to
win 15-10, 11-15, 15-7 in the All-Prestigious
Athletics Meet (APAM) at the Sacred Heart
School in Cebu, Monday evening.

9. The Body
After the lead, the other elements follow in
descending order:
1. Team and/or individual standing
2. Decisive plays
3. Best scores for the day
4. Play-by-play
5. Quotations

10. Elements that make up a good Sports
Article:
1. Personalities
2. Play-by-play description
3. Statistics and comparisons
4. Quotes by players
5. Quotes by trainers and coaches
6. Background stuff on players
7. The importance or significance of the event
8. Background of the game
9. Weather conditions
10. Crowd and celebration

11. Tips in Writing Sports
Have a good working knowledge of the
sports you want to write about.
Know the rules of the game and be able to
follow the action.
Read, read, read.

12. Tips in Writing Sports
Attend a live sporting event and experience
the excitement of the game.
It can be so much easier to write an article
about a player or a game that you witness
firsthand.

13. Tips in Writing Sports
Make notes of the points you want to cover
in your article before you begin to write.
Creating an outline can help organize your
thoughts and provide a structure for your
writing.

14. Tips in Writing Sports
Check your facts on the players and teams
that you profile in your articles.
Double check the spelling of any unusual or
difficult last names.
Be sure that the statistics about the teams'
playing records are accurate.

15. Tips in Writing Sports
Remain courteous and unbiased when
writing about sports.
It is acceptable to say that a particular athlete
did not have a good game because of errors
she made.
Saying that she is a terrible player and the
other team or opponent is the best is poor
sportsmanship.

16. Tips in Writing Sports
Proofread your sports article when you are
finished writing.
Rework any awkward passages and make
corrections to typing errors.

17. Effective Sports Writing
• Have a strong lead.

18. Effective Sports Writing
• Have a strong lead.
• Write clearly and concisely.

19. Effective Sports Writing
• Have a strong lead.
• Write clearly and concisely.
• Know the context.

20. Effective Sports Writing
• Have a strong lead.
• Write clearly and concisely.
• Know the context.
• Give the major play-by-play.

21. Effective Sports Writing
• Have a strong lead.
• Write clearly and concisely.
• Know the context.
• Give the major play-by-play.
• Use quotes as often as possible.

22. Effective Sports Writing
• Have a strong lead.
• Write clearly and concisely.
• Know the context.
• Give the major play-by-play.
• Use quotes as often as possible.
• Check your facts.

23. END