The Path to a Well Founded Sports Article

1) Know the Context- know players and coaches names, know the standings, know some stats about the teams and individual players. Also be up to date with some of the rules about the sport your writing about, some history about the teams and if so their rivalry, the league standings, and some calls or mistakes that were made during the game.

2) Give the major play by play- even though there are hundreds of plays and moments that happen during any sports games, you wont be able to report about all of them. So as a reporter your job is to report about the beginning, middle, and end. However you shouldn't forget about the major events that happened in the game. Like turning points, big plays, big mistakes,and momentum-builders. Keep the readers interested and get them to believe that they were there.

3)  Use quotes in your article from either coaches or some of the players that you think will be able to give you good, valuable information. Make sure to ask good questions and collect the good info they give you.

4) Dont forget to check your facts either. Make sure to have many of the players that were involved in the game so that the article isnt focued just on one person. Always double check your stuff and have someone read it over for you.

5) Have a strong lead (opening statement)- You want to start your sports article out with a strong lead, one that encapsulates the available information on "who, what, where, when, why and how." Get the readers attention. Make them want to read your article so they dont just skim through it.

6) Write clearly and concisely- You know that some sports articles can be what you might call "literary non-fiction:"  lengthy, poetic, filled with metaphor and digressions into back story. If your particular assignment requires that kind of writing, go for it. But if you read the daily sports section of your city paper, you will also notice that most of the articles reporting on the sporting events of the past day are concisely written. Use language that people will understand and not be confused about. Make it easy to understand and easy to read.

In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept destructive criticism. Without 100% dedication, you won't be able to do this. - Wilson Minzer




This article was based on the information from this source.
http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a4594-how-to-write-a-sports-article.html