SPORTS WRITING
ROSALIE JOANNE A. PEÑAS
Teacher III FARNHS
Sports writing is a form of news
writing – an action story. However,
a sport writer does something more
than a news writer. He has the
priveledge to use colorful words
with quick tempo. Lively and
informal style that is usually
centered around the conflict.
Here are some differences between
Straight News and Sport Writing
In news writing, the journalist
uses short words, short
sentences, shorts paragraphs
The sports writer has more
freedom in his writing style
than the sports reporter.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SPORTS WRITER
• Must have nose for news and has interest in
• all sports events.
• Must know the rules and regulations
• Must have a working knowledge of the language
and jargons of sports writing usually referred to as
sports lingo.
GUIDELINES FOR SPORTS
WRITING
• Take down notes, don’t trust your memory.
• Report the reaction of the spectators at some point
of the game. But this is secondary
• Read a lot, know how other sports writers practice
their craft.
Various Types of Sports
Horse Racing Car Racing Chess
Basketball Boxing Track and Field
Events
Table Tennis Cycling Fencing
Volleyball Football Golf
Archery Swimming Wrestling
Lawn Tennis Baseball Badminton
Types of Sports Reporting
• Play-By-Play Account
- Demands close observation and
ability to work at top speed.
Knowledge of the game is
necessary.
Types of Sports Reporting
• Lead Stories
- Centers on the highlights and
more important plays only such
as scoring, plays, the crucial
games and the star performer of
both teams.
Types of Sports Reporting
• Brief Sports Stories
- Center on straight news reporting, but
with sports flavor. Stressed the score,
winner, outstanding incidents and how the
outcome of the game affects the season’s
standing of the teams or individual players.
Types of Sports Reporting
• Sports Feature
- Help brighten up the sports
page. Have broader range
subject matter. Greater
freedom of presentation.
Types of Sports Reporting
• Advance Sports Stories
- Give backgrounders some
unusual and exiting games the
teams have played before.
Types of Sports Reporting
• Follow-up Stories
- Furnish post-mortem
analysis.
Examples of Sports Verbs (strong verbs)
Win Defeat
• bag beat
• grab rip
• harvest nip
• sweep batter
• triumph over power
• clinch crush
Sports Lingo or Sports Jargon
• Basketball- five, quintet, shot, lay up,
double team, rainbow territory
15-foot line, technical foul, man to man,
follow up, tip-in press
• Volleyball – Spikes, neat placing, full back,
corner, wallop, block spiker, booming service net
ball, two out of three
Sports Lingo or Sports Jargon
• Badminton- smash, let, netting, forehand,
backhand, service over, backline, change end,
tip in, net, footwork, shuttlecock, fault, love all,
match point, game point.
• Chess- middle game, end game, pawn,
bishop, knight, rook, king’s side, queen side,
castling, Sicilian defense, Queen’s gambit, Ruy
Lopez opening.
Sports lingo or sports jargon
• A head-to-head matches
• Best of three series
• Split decision
• Power hitting
• Tough defense
• Daring drive
• Runaway win
• Slowly but surely pulled away
Sports Lingo or Sports Jargon
• Big defensive play
• A real close game
• Remained undefeated
• Exciting series
• To notch their three straight victory
• An inspiring come-from behind
55-45-win
Practical tips on how to improve students’ sports
writing skills
• experiment on composing compound and complex
sentences.
Example:
Ateneo Blue Eagles outlasted the FEU
Tamaraws 85-83. There were only 8.2 seconds left in
overtime. Chris Tiu sank a tie -breaking lay up. The
game was played last night at the Araneta Coliseum.
Ateneo Blue Eagles outlasted the FEU
Tamaraws 85-83 when Chris Tiu sank a tie -breaking
lay up with 8.2 seconds left in overtime last night at
the Araneta Coliseum.
Practical tips on how to improve
students’ sports writing skills
• Always bear in mind that the sports
story:
C. is a visual report, thus the need for more
description.
D. follows the structure of a straight news-the
inverted pyramid.
Practical tips on how to improve
students’ sports writing skills
• Always bear in mind that the sports
story:
E. has a standard lead format that answers the
5W’s.
Who won? Against whom? By what score?
When? And Where?
Example:
The FEU Tamaraws crushed the
Adamson University Falcons, 84-
75, yesterday during their game
played at the Araneta Coliseum.
Spectacular Performance or Play
Example:
Diana Munz, a 15-year old sophomore, beat
17-year-old US Olympic gold medalist
Brooke Benette in a heart-breaking 800-
meter freestyle with 65 seconds leads in the
US Open championship Saturday.
THANK YOU!
SAMPLE EXERCISE:
Sports Writing
Araneta Coliseum
5th GMA Men’s Volleyball Tournament
2,000 in attendance
October 20, 2009
UST is the defending champion and has 4-0 record
UP has a record of 3-1 before the match
Winning team advances to the semi-final round
Team I II III IV V
UST 14 15 25 25 29
UP 25 25 21 21 27