How To Write A Sports

Report In 4 Steps
by Freelance Writing
News writing style is just as important for sports reporting as it is for general
news, business stories or any other journalistic work.

The advantage of sports writing is that you are allowed a little it more leeway
in your choice of words. In crime or business writing, you are restricted in
your use of adjectives and adverbs and are encouraged to focus more on
nouns and verbs. Sports writing, however, allows you to go to town in
describing plays, the atmosphere, fans and other colorful aspects of a sporting
event.

Using quotes in Sports Reports

Ideally, any sports story would have quotes from the winners and losers.
Indeed, many sports articles are written around what athletes say rather than
what they have achieved on the field of play.

However, you also have sports articles written without quotes. When rookies
learn how to write like a journalist, especially in sport, they are likely to come
across the structure that we will show you here.

We will adapt the NBA game between Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers
on April 1 as our example article.

1. Intro
The most important news aspect of a sports game is the score. Who won?
How did they win and what effect did the victory have? Also important is
whether we are writing from a Boston perspective or Cleveland. In this case,
we will go with Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavaliers lost 98-96 to the Boston Celtics after Delonte Wests
sank two free throws in the final seconds, dropping three and a half games
behind the Pistons for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

2. More info
The above is enough for those who have a passing interest in the sport.
However, NBA fans would want more information and you could give it to
them in one or two paragraphs.

The Cavaliers were without star player LeBron James, suffering from a knee
injury, while the Celtics were minus Paul Pierce. Gerald Green led the way for
Celtics with 25 points while Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and nine
rebounds.

The Cavaliers, for whom Larry Hughes scored 24 with Sasha Pavlovic scoring
17, have already qualified for the play-offs while Boston are out of the
running.

3. Quote
This is where you can provide a quote from the coach or a key player from
both teams. You can precede each saying with a lead-in paragraph or go
straight into the quote.

Celtic forward Al Jefferson, said: They were missing their best player and
we were missing our best play. We just stuck in there.

Cavs coach Mike Brown said James absence was a key factor in their loss.

We miss LeBron. We miss LeBron every time he doesnt play. Hes our guy,
said Brown.

4. The rest
Once you got the main information and key quotes out of the way, you can go
on to describe the game. Even better would be to describe just one or two
plays and include more quotes.

The thinking behind sports articles is that people would have watched the
game on TV anyway and would not want boring game description. Therefore,
quotes from the people who matter, such as athletes and coaches, would offer
better reading value.

There are many types of sports news writing that is offered around the world
everyday. We have merely showed you its simplest form. Certainly, it is a
rewarding form of news writing for journalists who love their sport. And the
structure they use allow them to adapt their skills to any type of journalism
writing.

sports Writing
Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on sporting topics and games. While the
sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department,
because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by
the news desk, sports coverage has grown in importance as sport has grown
in wealth, power and influence.
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_journalism

There are lots of different kinds of stories you can write on the sports beat, but probably the
most basic is the short game story. A short game story, usually 500 words or less, follows a
straightforward format that can be applied to any game you cover. Heres the format:

The Lede

The lede of your story should include the final score and some details about what made the
game interesting. Generally this means focusing on the efforts of an individual player.

Lets say a teams star athlete is injured and a previously unheralded player comes into the
game as a substitute. Not much is expected of this rookie but he defies expectations and
plays a great game, leading the team to victory.

Example:

Second-string quarterback Jay Lindman, who had never played a down for Jefferson High
School, came off the bench after star QB Fred Torville was injured Friday night and threw
three touchdown passes to lead the Gladiators to a 21-14 victory over the McKinley High
School Centurions.
Or maybe the game is a close, seesaw battle between two evenly matched opponents, and
is won in the final seconds by an especially dramatic play.

Example:

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.

Notice that in both examples we focus on the efforts of an individual athlete. Sports is all
about the human drama of competition, and focusing on a single person gives the game
story a human interest angle that readers will enjoy.

The Body of the Story

The body of your story should basically elaborate on the lede. If your lede was about the
benchwarmer becoming the games star, then the body should go into more detail about
that. Often a simple chronological account works best.

Example:

Torvilles 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.

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.

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 clichs but a
snappy quote can really be the icing on the cake of your game story.

Example:

I knew Lindman could play but I didnt 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.

He just said, Lets do this to win, Washington said. And he went out there and did it. That
boy can throw the ball.

Different Kinds of Sports Stories

The Straight-Lede Game Story The straight-lede game story is the most basic story in all of
sportswriting. It's just what it sounds like: an article about a game that uses a straight-news
type of lede. The lede summarizes the main points - who won, who lost, the score, and what
the star player did.

Here's an example of this kind of lede:

Quarterback Pete Faust threw thre touchdown passes to lead the Jefferson High School
Eagles to a 21-7 victory over crosstown rival McKinley High.

The rest of the story follows from there, with an account of the big plays and playmakers,
and after-game quotes from coaches and players. Because they often focus on high school
and small-college teams, straight-lede game stories tend to be fairly tightly written.

Straight-lede game stories are still used for coverage of high school and some college
sports. But they're used less nowadays for pro sports. Why? Because pro sports are seen
on TV and most fans of a particular team know the score of a game long before they read
about it.

The Feature-Lede Game Story Feature-lede game stories are common for pro sports.
Readers usually already know the score of pro games as soon as they're done, so when
they pick up a sports section they want stories they offer a different angle on what
happened and why.

Here's an example of a game story feature lede:

It had rained all that day in the city of brotherly love, so when the Philadelphia Eagles took
the field the ground was already a soggy mess - much like the game that would follow.

So it was somehow fitting that the Eagles would lose 31-7 to the Dallas Cowboys in a
contest that was one of the worst of quarterback Donovan McNabb's career. McNabb threw
two interceptions and fumbled the ball three times.

The story starts out with some description, and doesn't get to the final score until the second
paragraph. Again, that's fine: readers will already know the score. It's the writer's job to give
them something more.

Delayed-lede game stories tend to be a bit more in-depth that straight-lede stories, and as a
result are often longer.

Profiles The sports world is full of colorful characters, so it's no surprise that personality
profiles are a staple of sportswriting. Whether it's a charismatic coach or a young athlete on
the rise, some of the best profiles anywhere are found in sports sections.

Here's an example of a profile lede:

Norman Dale surveys the court as his players practice layups. A pained look crosses the
face of the coach of the McKinley High School basketball team as one player after another
misses the basket.

"Again!" he shouts. "Again! You don't stop! You don't quit! York work 'till you get it right!" And
so they continue, until they start to get it right. Coach Dale wouldn't have it any other way.

Season Preview and Wrap-up Stories Season previews and wrap-ups are fixtures of the
sportswriter's repertoire. These are done any time a team and a coach are preparing for the
coming season, or when the season has just ended, either in glory or infamy.

Obviously the focus here isn't a specific game or even individual, but a broad look at the
season - how the coach and players expect things to go, or how they feel once that season
is done.

Here's an example of a lede for this kind of story:

Coach Jenna Johnson has high hopes for the Pennwood High School women's basketball
team this year. After all, the Lions were city champions last year, led by the play of Juanita
Ramirez, who returns to the team this year as a senior. "We expect great things from her,"
Coach Johnson says.

Columns A column is where the sportswriter gets to vent his or her opinions, and the best
sports columnists do just that, fearlessly. Often that means being very tough on coaches,
players or teams who don't meet expectations, particularly at the pro level, where all
concerned are being paid huge salaries to do just one thing - win.

But sports columnists also focus on those they admire, whether it's an inspirational coach
who leads a team of underdogs to a great season, or a mostly unheralded player who may
be short on natural talent but makes up for it with hard work and unselfish play.

Here's an example of how a sports column might begin:

Lamont Wilson certainly isn't the tallest player on the McKinley High School basketball
team. At 5-foot-9, he's hard to spot in the sea of mid 6-footers on the court. But Wilson is
the model of an unselfish team player, the kind of athlete who makes those around him
shine. "I just do whatever I can to help the team," the ever-modest Wilson says.

"AM I TO BE BLAMED?"

They're chasing me, they're chasing, no they must not catch me, I have enough
moneynow, yes enough for my starving mother and brothers.Please let me go, let
me go home before you imprisoned me. Very well, officers? take meto your
headquarters. Good morning captain! no captain, you are mistaken, I was once
agood girl, just like the rest of you here. Just like any of your daughters. But time
was,when I was reared in slums. But we lived honestly, we lived honestly in life. My,
father,mother, brothers, sisters and I. But then, poverty enters the portals of our
home. Myfather became jobless, my mother got ill. The small savings that my
mother had kept for our expenses were spent. All for our daily needs and her
needed medicine.One night, my father went out, telling us that he would come back
in a few minutes with plenty of foods and money, but that was the last time I saw
him. He went with another woman. If only I could lay my hands on his neck I would
wring it without pain until he breaths no more. If you were in my place, you'll do it,
won't you Captain? What? youwon't still believe in me?. Come and I'll show you a
dilapidated shanty by a railroad.Mother, mother I'm home, mother? mother?!. There
Captain, see my dead mother.Captain? there are tears in your eyes? now pack this
stolen money and return it to theowner. What good would this do to my mother
now? she's already gone! Do you hear me? she's already gone. Am I to be blamed
for the things I have done?

"JUVENILE DELINQUENT"

Am I a juvenile delinquent? I'm a teenager, I'm young, young at heart in mind. In

this position, I'm carefree, I enjoy doing nothing but to drink the wine of pleasure. I
seldomgo to school, nobody cares!. But instead you can see me roaming around.
Standing at thenearby canto (street). Or else standing beside a jukebox stand
playing the nerve tickling bugaloo.Those are the reasons, why people, you branded
me delinquent, a juveniledelinquent.My parents ignored me, my teachers sneered
at me and my friends, they neglected me.One night I asked my mother to teach me
how to appreciate the values in life. Would youcare what she told me? "Stop
bothering me! Can't you see? I had to dress up for mymahjong session, some other
time my child". I turned to my father to console me, but,what a wonderful thing he
told me. "Child, here's 500 bucks, get it and enjou yourself, goand ask your teachers
that question".And in school, I heard nothing but the echoes of the voices of my
teachers torturing mewith these words. "Why waste your time in studying, you can't
even divide 100 by 5! Gohome and plant sweet potatoes".

I may have the looks of Audrey Hepburn, the calmly voice of Nathalie Cole. But
that'snot what you can see in me. Here's a young girl who needs counsel to
enlighten her wayand guidance to strenghten her life into contentment.Honorable
judge, friends and teachers...is this the girl whom you commented a
juveniledelinquent?.

I Demand Death!

My hands are wet with blood. They are crimsoned with the blood of a man I have
justkilled.I have come here today to confess. I have committed murder, deliberate,
premeditatedmurder. I have killed a man in cold blood. That man is my master.I am
here not to ask for pity but for justice. Simple, elementary justice. I am a tenant
My father was a tenant before me and so was his father before him. This misery is
myinheritance and perhaps this will be my legacy to my children.I have labored on a
patch of land not mine. But I have learned to love that land, for it isthe only thing
that lies between me and complete destitution.It is the only world that I have
learned to cherish. And somewhere on that land I havemanaged to build what is
now the dilapidated nipa shack that has been home to me.I have but a few world
possessions, mostly rags. My debts are heavy. They are sum totalof my ignorance
and the inspired arithmetic of my master, which I do not understand.I labor like a
slave and out of the fruits of that labor I get but a mere pittance for a share.And I
have to stretch that mere pittance to keep myself and my family alive.My poverty
has reduced me to the bare necessities of life. And the constant fear of rejection
from the land has made me totally subservient to my master. You tell me thatunder
the constitution, I am a free man-free to do what I believe is just, free to do what
Ithink is right, and free to worship God according to the dictate of my conscience.
But I donot understand the meaning of all these for I have never known freedom. I
have alwaysobeyed the wishes of my master out of fear. I have always regarded
myself as no better than a slave to the man who owns the land on which I live. I do
not ask you to forgiveme nor to mitigate my crime. I have taken the law into my
own hands, and I must pay for it in atonement.But kill this system. Kill this system
and you kill despotism. Kill this system and you killslavery. Kill this despotism and
you set the human soul to liberty and freedom. Kill thisslavery and you release the
human spirit into happiness and contentment. For the causeof human liberty, of
human happiness and contentment, thousands and even millionshave died and will
continue to die.Mine is only one life. Take me if you must but let it be a sacrifice to
the cause whichcountless others have been given before and will be given again
and again, until theoppressive economic system has completely perished, until the
sons of toil have been
 The lists below show the first and last idiom on each page:

Alphabetical idioms - lists A :

list A1 : abbreviated piece of nothing (hold all the) aces

list A2 : achilles heel alarm bells

list A3 : all along all the rage

list A4 : all sizzle and no steak apple of your eye

list A5 : (upset the) applecart at all costs

list A6 : at this stage of the game (have an) axe to grind

Alphabetical idioms - lists B :

list B1 : (leave someone holding the) baby in bad shape

list B2 : badger someone whole new ball game

list B3 : ballpark figure battle lines are drawn

list B4 : battle of wills beat a dead horse

list B5 : beat a hasty retreat before your very eyes

list B6 : beggar can't be choosers beside yourself

list B7 : best bet beyond any reasonable doubt

list B8 : beyond one's wildest dreams bite the bullet

 list B9 : bite the dust blamestorming

list B10 : blank cheque blow away the cobwebs

list B11 : blow a fuse above board

list B12 : in the same boat bored to tears

list B13 : born with silver spoon in your mouth all brawn no brain

list B14 : know which side your bread is buttered a breeze

list B15 : bricks and mortar/bricks and clicks pass the buck

list B16 : kick the bucket burning question

list B17 : bury your head in the sand by degrees

Alphabetical idioms - lists C :

list C1 : (in) cahoots with burn the candle at both ends

list C2 : (paddle one's own) canoe carrot and stick

list C3 : carry the can fat cat

list C4 : cat nap catch as catch can

list C5 : caught in the crossfire change the face of

list C6 : change of heart chicken out

list C7 : chickens come home to roost chips are down

list C8 : (as useful as a) chocolate teapot clip someone's wings

list C9 : clock in/out cold calls

list C10 : cold turkey come to grips

list C11 : come to a head common ground

list C12 : common knowledge couch potato

 list C13 : cough up cream of the crop

list C14 : cream rises to the top at cross purposes

list C15 : cross the Rubicon a cut above

list C16 : cut both ways cut it fine

list C17 : cut it out cutting edge

Alphabetical idioms - lists D :

list D1 : dab hand at something dead in the water

list D2 : dead loss (like a) deer caught in the headlights

list D3 : (by) degrees dice are loaded

list D4 : dice with death disappear into thin air

list D5 : disaster written all over dog-eat-dog

list D6 : dog and pony show (in the) doghouse

list D7 : (in the) doldrums down in the mouth

list D8 : down payment dressed to kill

list D9 : dressed up to the nines dry (or dummy) run

list D10 :sitting duck dying for

Alphabetical idioms - lists E :

list E1 : eager beaver eat crow

list E2 : eat dirt (walk on) eggshells

list E3 : ego trip even keel

list E4 : even the score eagle eyes

list E5 : eyes in the back of your head eyes on stalks

 Alphabetical idioms - lists F :

list F1 : face like a bulldog facts speak for themselves

list F2 : fair and square fall on deaf ears

list F3 : fall on sword fat cat

list F4 : fat chance feet of clay

list F5 : (back on your) feet (play second) fiddle

list F6 : fiddling while Rome burns finger in every pie

list F7 : put a finger on in the first place

list F8 : (of the) first water fit for purpose

list F9 : fit to be tied fly-by-night

list F10 : fly by seat of one's pants (on a) fool's errand

list F11 : fool's paradise forewarned is forearmed

list F12 : forty winks freudian slip)

list F13 : friends in high places fur coat

Alphabetical idioms - lists G :

list G1 : gab of the gab get cracking

list G2 : get down to brass tacks get off the hook

list G3 : get on your high horse get your skates on

list G4 : get to bottom give run-around

list G5 : give the shirt off one's back go against the tide

list G6 : go all out go hand in hand

list G7 : go haywire go postal

 list G8 : go to hell in a handcart gone with the wind

list G9 : good as gold green fingers

list G10 : green light gutter press

Alphabetical idioms - lists H :

list H1 : (old) habits die hard half a mind

list H2 : hammer home hands tied

list H3 : (wash your) hands of happy as Larry

list H4 : happy-go-lucky have you gone out of your mind?

list H5 : have kittens hear through grapevine

list H6 : heart's content heebie jeebies

list H7 : hell broke loose hidden agenda

list H8 : high and dry hit panic button

list H9 : hit the road (not) hold water

list H10 : holier-than-thou horns of a dilemma

list H11 : horse of a different colour (not give) house room

list H12 : (on the) house hustle and bustle

Alphabetical idioms - lists I :

list I1 : break the ice in essence

list I2 : in the first place in retrospect

list I3 : in safe hands be an item

Alphabetical idioms - lists J :

list J1 : jack of all trades jump the gun

 list J2 : jump for joy just the ticket

Alphabetical idioms - lists K :

list K1 : kangaroo court keep your nose to the grindstone

list K2 : keep your options open kick yourself

list K3 : a kickback kowtow to someone

Alphabetical idioms - lists L :

list L1 : labour of love laugh all the way

list L2 : laugh off leave high and dry

list L3 : leave no stone unturned let bygones be bygones

list L4 : let me bounce this off you keep a lid on

list L5 : lie in see in new light

list L6 : (shed) light lipstick on a pig

list L7 : live beyond your means (a) load off your mind

list L8 : loan shark look the picture of health)

list L9 : look a sight at a loss

Alphabetical idioms - lists M :

list M1 : mad as a hatter make an exhibition of

list M2 : make flesh crawl make nothing of

list M3 : (can't) make an omelette (find your) match

list M4 : matter of time middle of nowhere

list M5 : (smack dab in the) middle mind your Ps and Qs

list M6 : (in one's) mind's eye money for old rope

 list M7 : money doesn't grow (once in blue) moon

list M8 : reach for the moon move heaven and earth

list M9 : move in the same circles my way or the highway

Alphabetical idioms - lists N :

list N1 : nailing jelly to the wall nest egg

list N2 : never a dull moment night owl

list N3 : nine-day wonder no hard feelings

list N4 : no holds barred not give the time of day

list N5 : not in the same league nuts and bolts

Alphabetical idioms - lists O :

list O1 : odds and ends can't make an omelette

list O2 : on the cards one good turn

list O3 : one hand washes the other open secret

list O4 : open-and-shut case out on a limb

list O5 : out to lunch over and done with

list O6 : over the hill world is your oyster

Alphabetical idioms - lists P :

list P1 : put through paces paper tiger

list P2 : paper trail not a patch on

list P3 : pay dearly for penny drops

list P4 : in for a penny no picnic)

list P5 : picture of health pillar to post

 list P6 : (at a) pinch play with fire

list P7 : play footsie pleased as punch

list P8 : pluck out of the air politically correct

list P9 : pop one's clogs pour one's heart out

list P10 : power behind the throne (a) proper do

list P11 : proud as a peacock push one's luck

list P12 : if push comes to shove put one's house in order

list P13 : put in one's place Pyrrhic victory

Alphabetical idioms - lists Q :

list Q : quaking in one's boots quiet as a mouse

Alphabetical idioms - lists R :

list R1 : race against time rake in the money

list R2 : ram down someone's throat rear its ugly head

list R3 : recharge one's batteries refresh someone's memory

list R4 : regain one's composure (a) rip-off

list R5 : ripple effect (when in) Rome do as the Romans

list R6 : (go through the) roof (bend the) rules

list R7 : run down (in a) rut

Alphabetical idioms - lists S :

list S1 : (get the) sack (in the) same boat

list S2 : (by the) same token scales fall from your eyes

list S3 : scarce as hen's teeth sea legs

 list S4 : seal of approval seen better days

list S5 : sell down the river settle a score

list S6 : shake like a leaf ship has sailed

list S7 : ships that pass in the night short end of the stick

list S8 : short fuse shrug something off

list S9 : shut the stable door when horse ... simplicity itself

list S10 : since time immemorial skeleton staff

list S11 : skin a cat slice of the cake

list S12 : sling mud (a) smash hit

list S13 : smoke like a chimney sneak preview

list S14 : (not to be) sneezed at spanner in the works

list S15 : (go) spare spin a yarn

list S16 : spinach cinema (no) spring chicken

list S17 : (on the) spur of the moment starter marriage

list S18 : state of the art step on someone's toes

list S19 : step out of line sticky fingers

list S20 : (on a) sticky wicket (a) storm is brewing

list S21 : (a) storm in a teacup stretch the truth

list S22 : (in) strict confidence stubborn as a mule

list S23 : stuck in time warp sweet nothings

list S24 : sweet tooth (all) systems go

Alphabetical idioms - lists T :

 list T1 : tail wagging the dog take with a grain of salt

list T2 : take the law into your own hands take the rough with the
smooth

list T3 : take shape take stock

list T4 : take to the cleaners (run a) taut ship

list T5 : (not for all the) tea in China text-walking

list T6 : thank one's lucky stars - thick as thieves

list T7 : through thick and thin thrilled to bits

list T8 : (at each other's) throats (rule of) thumb

list T9 : (all) thumbs time after time

list T10 : (for the) time being toing and froing

list T11 : token gesture toot your own horn

list T12 : (fight) tooth and nail toy with an idea

list T13 : trade secret tunnel vision

list T14 : turkeys voting for Christmas (in the) twinkling of an eye

list T15 : twist someone's arm put two and two together

Alphabetical idioms - lists U :

list U1 : ugly as sin up in arms

list U2 : up in the air useful as chocolate teapot

Alphabetical idioms - lists V :

list V1 : vanish into thin air vote with one's feet

Alphabetical idioms - lists W :

list W1 : on the wagon walk a tightrope

 list W2 : walking on air wax lyrical

list W3 : ways and means wet blanket

list W4 : whale of a time white lie

list W5 : whiz kid get wind of)

list W6 : (know) which way wind blows wise after the event

list W7 : wise up to can't see the wood for the trees

list W8 : touch wood work like a charm

list W9 : work to rule best of both worlds

list W10 :worlds apart written all over your face

Alphabetical idioms - lists X-Y-Z :

list X-Y-Z : xerox subsidy zero tolerance