The Essentials of Sports Reporting and Writing

421 Pages·2015·3.322 MB·English

by  Scott Reinardy, Wayne Wanta

The Essentials of Sports Reporting
and Writing
In The Essentials of Sports Reporting and Writing, authors Scott Reinardy
and Wayne Wanta employ their own professional experience as sports
writers and editors to give students a useful and practical view of the sports-
writing profession. The text is divided into readily digestible sections, cover-
ing essential topics such as types of stories; background and preparation;
interviewing; the beginning stages of writing; and conclusion writing.
Through real-life examples, readers learn the ins and outs of writing
columns, advances and follows, sidebars, profiles, and features, as well as
the stylistic and ethical considerations that go into writing sports content.
New to the second edition are:
(cid:120) “professional perspectives,” where working sports journalists give
their insiders’ look at the work they do;
(cid:120) a chapter on the intricacies of international event reporting;
(cid:120) a chapter providing an honest view of what life as a sports journalist
entails.
A companion website also accompanies the text. It includes supplemental
materials for students and pedagogical support for instructors, including
slide presentations, quizzes, and sample assignments.
Intended for journalism students planning a career in sports reporting,
this text offers key insights on the practical and personal aspects of the work.
Scott Reinardy is a professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at
the University of Kansas. Since 2005, he has received eight top research
paper awards from national and international journalism and mass com-
munications organizations.
Wayne Wanta is a professor at the Department of Journalism at the
University of Florida. He is internationally known for his research in
political communication and media effects, with more than 150 refereed
publications and convention papers.
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The Essentials of Sports
Reporting and Writing
Second Edition
Scott Reinardy and
Wayne Wanta
Second edition published by Routledge 2015
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Taylor & Francis
The right of Scott Reinardy and Wayne Wanta to be identified as authors
of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and
78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Routledge, 2008
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Reinardy, Scott.
The essentials of sports reporting and writing/Scott Reinardy and Wayne Wanta. — Second
edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Sports journalism. 2. Sports journalism—Authorship. I. Wanta, Wayne. II. Title.
PN4784.S6R45 2015
070.4(cid:99)49796—dc23
2014036225
ISBN: [978-0-415-73781-4] (hbk)
ISBN: [978-0-415-73780-7] (pbk)
ISBN: [978-1-315-76939-4] (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK
Contents
Preface vii
1 Introduction: The Field of Sports Journalism 1
2 Preparation: Tools for Successful Sports Reporting
and Writing 10
3 Sports Writing: The Basics 25
4 Beginnings I: Leads 49
5 Beginnings II: Advanced Lead Writing 68
6 Beginnings III: Overused Leads 81
7 Middles I: Story Structures 92
8 Middles II: Effective Interviewing 113
9 Middles III: Use of Quotes 127
10 Middles IV: Play-By-Play 136
11 Story Endings 155
12 Other Types of Stories I: Sidebars 171
13 Other Types of Stories II: Previews and Follows 182
14 Other Types of Stories III: Sports Columns 191
vi Contents
15 Other Types of Stories IV: Features and Profiles 210
16 Other Types of Stories V: Sports News and Enterprise 222
17 Final Points I: Stylistic Errors to Avoid 239
18 Final Points II: Sports Journalism Ethics 261
19 International Sports Reporting 279
20 The Life 285
Glossary 299
Bibliography 404
Index 407
Preface
Sports are a microcosm of life, and the sports section is the official histori-
cal record of the daily occurrences. The other sections of the paper are
parsed out to specifically identify hero from villain, wealthy from poor,
living from dead. The sports section includes all that and more. It offers
an escape from the mundane 40-plus-hour workweek. It allows us to live
vicariously through our favorite teams or players. Sports scratch at our
ancestral being of association and achievement. When our teams win, we
win. There is no greater reward for the investment.
But escapism is not the only allure of sports. Athletic contests provide
a level playing field for all. Retribution for a foul act is swift and (usually)
fair. Where else can you receive just a two-minute penalty for assaulting
another person with a hockey stick? The playing surface has well-defined
boundaries, and the rules are clear and concise. On the field, court, pitch,
or rink, social status is measured in ability, not money, property owner-
ship, or lineage.
And the sports journalist has a front-row seat.
Sports journalism is rapidly changing. Traditional newspaper sports
writers face a new host of issues: producing more content for online;
reduced access to players and coaches; athletes breaking their own news
on social media; competition not only from TV and radio but sports teams,
local bloggers and other online media; and continuous online engagement
with fans. Sports journalists need to recognize different audiences (news-
paper, online, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and how to capture and maintain
the attention of each audience. Decisions about whether to partake in
local radio and television sports shows, and dealing with reduced staffing
and budgets, also need to be considered. Additionally, the readers have
changed. They have become more proactive. Readers are participants:
writing blogs, posting videos, and pontificating on sports talk shows.
Athletes have changed as well. They are surrounded by “posses” or
“people” who protect their interests. Coaches, athletes, and teams are
insulated by layers of public relations personnel and handlers, many of
whom believe sports writers should be cheerleaders for the athletes and
viii Preface
teams. And then there are the relentless fans whose insatiable appetite for
information is never fulfilled.
The best way to learn sports writing is to do sports writing. But before
you jump into your new career, we would like to offer a few tips.
The second edition of The Essentials of Sports Reporting and Writing is
a nuts-and-bolts handbook for those starting out in sports journalism. As
with all journalism books, what is presented here is not gospel, but merely
our perspectives drawn from years of experience as sports journalists and
as journalism professors. We believe Essentials offers a different perspec-
tive than other sports-writing books, one that is current and entertaining.
In the second edition, chapters have been updated with fresh exam-
ples and additional “professional perspectives,” where working sports
journalists give their insiders’ guide to the work they do. Perspectives
in this edition were provided by ESPN.com’s Wright Thompson, New
York Yankees beat writer Chad Jennings, Denver Post columnist
Benjamin Hochman, Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel,
FOXSportsWisconsin.com’s Jesse Temple, Las Vegas Sun’s Taylor Bern,
and Seattle Times Jayson Jenks, among others.
Essentials is divided into several easily digestible bites. Chapters
1 and 2 provide background and preparation advice in writing good
sports stories. Chapter 3 discusses stories types complete with exam-
ples; Chapters 4–6 discuss the beginnings of writing the story, including
different types of lead writing. Chapters 7–10 examine the middle of
stories, which focus on story structure, interviewing, using quotes, and
handling play-by-play in game stories. Chapter 11 explains the art of
writing effective story conclusions.
Chapters 12 through 16 provide guidelines in writing specific types of
stories: sidebars, advances and follows, columns, features and profiles,
and sports news. Chapters 17 and 18 address some final points, including
stylistic issues and sports journalism ethics.
In this edition, two chapters have been added. Chapter 19 explains the
intricacies of covering international events. Chapter 20, titled “The Life,”
provides an honest view of what life as a sports journalist will entail. It
includes tips ranging from negotiating your first job offer to managing the
workload and family life.
We cannot guarantee you’ll become a great sports writer by reading
The Essentials of Sports Reporting and Writing, but we can guarantee you
won’t get any worse.
Chapter 1
Introduction
The Field of Sports Journalism
Sports journalism is more pervasive today than ever. We now have sev-
eral sports cable networks, 24-hour sports talk radio stations and, of
course, the Internet, where Googling Green Bay Packers will produce
71 million hits in 0.33 seconds.
Not only is sports reporting permeating society, sports figures are the sub-
ject of news stories in an unprecedented manner. Ray Rice’s suspension for
domestic violence, for instance, warrants front-page coverage in newspapers.
The Super Bowl used to be that once-a-year sporting event everyone
watched but now several events have become societal spectacles to specific
audiences. Monday Night Football was quaint, but now it’s “All my rowdy
friends are coming over tonight.” It’s entertainment as much as sports.
Sports is news. News is sports.
Differences Between Sports and News
While sports stories have many similarities to news stories, there are many
differences as well. Some differences include:
(cid:120) Leads. News stories tend to be straightforward and factual. Sports
stories tend to be more creative and unusual.
(cid:120) The five Ws: News stories try to answer the basic questions of who,
what, when, where, why, and how. Sports stories concentrate on why
and how.