Sports Writing

IRLO L. DUMO
Ang sports writing parang boyfriend o girlfriend yan,
dapat palagi
mong
binibigyan ng
time.
Ang sports para yang love story,
napaka-unpredictable ng
ending, minsan victory
which calls for a
celebration, minsan naman
defeat and disappointment
which lead to tears.
Ang sports parang teleserye yan,
dapat lagi mong
nasusubaybayan,
kung hindi OP ka
sa kwentuhan.
Ang sports article parang love letter
yan,
kapag malaman, may drama at
kiliti, siguradong wagi yan,
pero kung walang kakwenta-
kwenta dahil wala na sa
huwisyo ay wala pang dating,
siguradong panapon yan......sa
basurahan....
Where are you
now, as far as
sports writing
is concern?
1. I know where the FIBA
Basketball World Cup 2023 is to
be held.
2. I know the four teams that
dominated the Football World Cup
hosted by Qatar.
What is Sports Journalism?
It is one of the fastest growing
sections in the mainstream
media. It is also considered one
of the most interesting forms
of Journalism.
(Joel Orellana-Business Mirror)
DUES of Sports
Writing
D - Drama
U - Unpredictability
E - Excitement
S - Sensation
Sports writing is considered
as a specialized form of
writing

Sports lingo for writing. Sports

enthusiast - mastery of the language
What are the
common errors
in Sports
Writing?
1. Inappropriate headline
Ex.
• De la Cruz nagpasikat
sa Division Meet!
• De Guzman bumandera
sa table tennis
• De la Cruz sinikwat ang
ginto sa Badminton
Singles ng Division Meet,
aariba sa STCAA
• De Guzman nagreyna sa
Table Tennis Singles,
pasok na sa Regional Meet
2. Some are used to have
featurized headline
Ex.
• Bolbok NHS moments of
victory in the Division
Athletic Meet
• Lipa City Colleges’ sorry
loss in the 2016 Palaro
• Bolbok NHS brings home the
2016 Division Athletic Meet
Volleyball Girls title for a rare
5-peat
• LCC High School Dept. falls
short of 2016 Palaro
Volleyball Boys title,
succumbs to CoC in the
finals
ALWAYS REMEMBER:
The headline consists of the
competing players/team. It
must include the event being
competed with. It must clearly
tell who wins the match and
includes the importance of the
game/match.
EXAMPLES:
•Gilas takes down Japan,
advances to FIBA Asia final
•Gilas falls to China, settles for
FIBA Asia silver
•NCR trounces Calabarzon for
back-to-back secondary girls
volleyball title (www.rappler.com)
• Gritty FEU rallies late to upset La
Salle, extends Final Four series
• La Salle drops Ateneo in 3 sets to
win UAAP Finals Game 1
• Aces capitalize on third
quarter run, extend PBA
Final Series against the
Painters
2. Inappropriate use of verb in the headline
Ex.
• Ateneo narrowly escapes UP
in three straight sets, barges in
the UAAP Season 78 Finals
• Warriors ambush Blazers in
Game 5 OT, reaches Western
Conference Finals
• Ateneo dominates UP in
three straight sets, barges
in the UAAP Season 78
Finals
• Warriors eliminate Blazers
in OT, reach Western
Conference Finals
REMEMBER:
The use of verb(sports
lingo) can make or break
your chances of winning
in the higher level
competition.
Always make sure that sports
lingo we are to use is suited
with the sports being
covered, suited with the
development of the game
and suited with our chosen
angle of the story.
Come up with sensational and catchy
headlines to encourage readers to read the
article.

• Ex: Playingin Champions

League final like losing
virginity, says Madrid's
Ramos
 MADRID, Spain - Hero of Real Madrid's
Champions League triumph two years ago, defender
Sergio Ramos compared his first final experience to
losing his virginity ahead of Saturday's clash with
Atletico Madrid in a rematch of the 2014 final.
Ramos broke Atletico's hearts with his
stoppage time equalizer to deny Diego Simeone's
men a first ever European Cup before a rampant
Real ran out 4-1 winners after extra-time.
"The first time is like when you make love, you
always remember it, but after it is true you can
improve," said the Spanish international on Tuesday,
May 24.
3. We have limited knowledge in
choosing the right angle of the
story to make a sensational and
appealing sports article. One’s
chosen angle begins with the
development of the lead and
must be properly supported by
facts (numbers, statistics
and statistical comparison).
Ferrer nanalasa sa Game 2,
Winner take-all Game 3 ng UAAP Season
78 Finals kasado na

Sumandig ang University of Santo Tomas

(UST) Growling Tigers sa maiinit na shooting ni
Kevin Ferrer upang itakas ang 62-56 na panalo
kontra sa Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws
sa Game 2 ng kanilang best-of-three Finals ng
UAAP Season 78 kanina sa Araneta Coliseum.
Humablot ng 26 puntos si Ferrer sa ikatlong
kanto tampok ang kanyang anim na tres upang
lamunin ang hangarin ng Tamaraws na
pabagsakin na ang lobo sa kisame ng di
mahulugang -karayom na arena.
 “Basta naramdaman ko na lang na parang
magaganda yung mga bitaw ko sa labas kaya
tinuloy tuloy ko na, nagpapasalamat ako sa
trust ng mga teammates ko at ng coaching staff
ng UST”, pahayag ni Ferer matapos ang laro.
Kayod-marino ang kamador ng Tigers na
kasama rin sa mythical five team ng UAAP.
Sinamantala niya ang kanyang nag-iinit na
kamay at hindi halos nag-mintis sa kanyang
unang anim na pukol mula sa labas.
Samantala, nagtangka pang humabol ang
Tamaraws at naitabla pa ang iskor sa 50 mula
sa three pointer ni Achie Inigo at lay-up ni Mac
Belo 5:58 na lamang ang nalalabi sa orasan.
Subalit isang left corner three-pointer ang
isinagot ni Francis Bonleon sa tangkang
paghabol ng Tamaraws na naging dahilan ng
paglabo ng tsansa para sa FEU.
Malamya ang naging laro ng ace player
ng Tamaraws na si Mike Tolomia na hindi
nagawang maka-field goal sa loob ng 14 na
tangkang tira, walo dito ay mula sa tres.
Nagtala ng 30 puntos si Ferrer, habang
nagdagdag naman sina Karim Abdul at Ed
Daquioag ng 11 at 10 puntos ayon sa
pagkakasunud-sunod.
 Nanguna naman si Belo para sa FEU na may 14
na puntos at 20 rebounds, samantalang may 12
puntos naman si Roger Pogoy, subalit ang matinding
depensa ng mga gwardiya ng UST kay Tolomia ang
labis na nagpahirap sa kanya at nakagawa lamang
siya ng anim na puntos na lahat ay nagmula mula sa
free throw line.
Dahil sa panalo ng Tigers, kasado na ang
winner-take-all game three sa Miyerkules.
Muling aasahan ng Tigers si Ferrer
samantalang susubukan naman ng Tamaraws na
balasahin ang koponan at maibalik sa dating
kundisyon ang top gunner nito na si Tolomia. (Jhon
Danielle Joseph V. Abel)
EXAMPLE:
Gilas upsets defending champion Iran
behind Castro's 26

Gilas Pilipinas used a strong third quarter run to

upset rivals and defending champions Iran, 87-73, in
the second round of the 2015 FIBA Asia
Championship on Monday, September 28 in Changsha,
Hunan, China.
Jayson Castro, known internationally as Jayson
William, shot 11-of-18 from the field to post a game-
high 26 points. Naturalized big man Andray Blatche,
who sprained his ankle a day before the game still
played and finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds.
 Gunner Terrence Romeo added 15 points on 3-
of-5 shooting from downtown as he helped buoy
Gilas' third quarter burst.
Calvin Abueva contributed 13 points, 6
rebounds and a steal but his true value goes beyond
the stat sheet with his effort and hustle. His relentless
aggressiveness and mind games resulted in Iran's 7-
foot-2 behemoth Haddadi fouling out with under 4
minutes to go with a regular foul and a technical for
complaining.
 With the win, the Philippines secured a
quarterfinals slot and may end up as the top seed
entering the playoffs should they defeat India on
Tuesday. Gilas currently sits at the top spot of
Group E with a 3-1 record.
Gilas took down 17th ranked Iran for the first
time since the 2012 William Jones Cup, but
without Hamed Haddadi. The last time they beat
Iran with Haddadi was in the 2011 Jones Cup.
This is the first loss of Iran at this year's FIBA
Asia tournament.
(www.rappler.com/sports)
Lowry stars as Raptors down Heat to make
history
LOS ANGELES, USA – Kyle Lowry is relishing the
prospect of taking on LeBron James and the
Cleveland Cavaliers after leading the Toronto
Raptors into the Eastern Conference finals for the
first time in franchise history on Sunday, May 15
(Monday, May 16 in Manila).
Lowry scored 35 points as Toronto completed a
116-89 win over the Miami Heat to seal a 4-3 series
victory – and set up a showdown with James and the
Cavs on Tuesday.
(www.rappler.com/sports)
Reviewing the lead...
The sports story lead is
critical to the story.
•Use the most dramatic, yet
most specific verb that best
describes the quality of
action
• Impact of the game result to
the persons- player(s),
team(s), and community
involved
• Never hesitate to experiment
with your lead as long as it
would still appeal and make
impact to the reader.
The sports lead
The Lead is the KEY to
any story.
The classic 5 W's and 1 H
appear in the sports' lead
as:
1. WHO won 2. HOW
did they win? 3.
Against WHOM? 4. By
WHAT score? 5.
WHERE? and 6. WHEN?
Example:
(1)Bolbok National High
School (2)poured 10 points
in the final two minutes to
tame (3)Bulacnin National
High Scool, (4)81-70 (5)at
the latters homecourt
(6)yesterdy morning.
Best Player Lead
The focus of the lead is
with the player who played
the key role for the team’s
victory. It is always
applicable with team
events but not with
individual event.
Example:
(2)Terrence Bill Romeo awed
the world as he led the crowd
favorite, (1)Manila West against the
(3)heavily favored Kobe of Japan,
(4)21-18 en route to a thrilling
conquest and barged at the semi-
finals of the FIBA World 3x3
Championship-Manila Masters
(6)last night at (5)Robinson’s
Galleria.
Best Play/Execution Lead
The focus is how the
player executed or carried
out a spectacular move or
play to win the game or
match. It is both applicable in
individual and team event.
Example:
(1)Albert “The Prince” Pagara
(2)landed a crisp uppercut to the chin
(3)of the previously undefeated
Mexican slugger, Jesus Rios (2)that
sent the latter to the canvass for a
(4)technical knock-out and retained his
World Boxing Council Super
Featherweight Championship belt in
Pinoy Pride 32 (6)last night (5)at
Casino Royale, Dubai, UAE.
(2)Calvin “The Beast” Abueva defied
the gravity as he scored an alley hoop
dunk with just .5 of a second left in
regulation over the outstretched arms
of (3)Ginebra’s behemoth Greg
Slaughter pulling out an (4)89-88
come-from-behind victory completing
its Cinderella run in the semi-finals
and secured the (1)Aces’ another trip
to the Finals of the PBA Governors’
Cup (6)last night (5)at SM MOA
Arena.
Sometimes we have to think
outside the box, there’s
nothing wrong if we go out
of our comfort zones. Always
remember, sports is very
unpredictable.
Punch lead
A catchy statement
that would summarize
the game itself,
including its drama and
significance.
Ateneo completes epic comeback to force
Game 3
Call it the heart of a champion.
The Ateneo De Manila Lady Eagles
rallied from a 0-2 deficit in Game 2 of
the UAAP Season 78 women’s volleyball
finals to defeat the DLSU Lady Spikers,
18-25, 26-28, 17-25, 25-16, 15-11 and
force a Game 3 for the championship on
Wednesday, April 27, at the Mall of Asia
Arena. (www.rappler.com)
Contrast Lead
It views that the game
result is opposite of every
body else’s expectation. It
also connects the
significance of the game
result with the previous
match between the
EXAMPLE
Two years ago, coach Chot Reyes
languished in a disappointing loss, but
yesterday he cried in jubilation as Smart
Gilas Pilipinas has finally ended the
Korean curse, defeating the latter in the
semis in its own territory to book a
finals showdown with Iran in the 2013
FIBA Asia at SM MOA Arena.
So, what’s
new?
Composite Sports
News
A sports article
where the focus of the
story is not only with
the two competing
players/teams but four
 In writing the composite
sports news, we decide
based on our chosen angle
who will be mentioned first. If
its team sports, we mention
first the more important
match, the same with the
individual match.
Iran blows out India as Gilas clobers
Lebanon advances at Asiad
Iran once again showed itself to be one of
the most dominant basketball teams in Asia,
blowing out India, 76-41, in Group E as the
Philippines pummeled Lebanon, 95-83 in Group
D of the Asian Games men’s basketball
tournament in Incheon, South Korea.
Former Phoenix Suns center Hamed
Haddadi led Iran with 18 while team captain
Samad Nikkhah Bahrami scored 16 and
Mohammad Jamshidi contributed 14 points in
just 17 minutes.
 Center Amritpal Singh led India with 10 points
and 4 rebounds in a game that was never close.
Meanwhile, Jason Castro has another monster
game as he ditched 27 points and 9 assists in
anchoring the second half outburst of the Chot
Reyes mentored squad.
Naturalized Andray Blatche has a double
double performance of 24 points and 16 caroms,
towering over the less-El-Khatib Lebanese squad in a
complete domination.
Mohammed Sikh Saad led his team with a
tournament high 35 points on top of seven triples
but got a limited support from his teammates.
Kobe bids NBA farewell as
Golden State chases history
Kobe Bryant will play his 1,566th and
final game in LA as the Warriors look to
win their 73rd game of the season in
Oakland
The eyes of the basketball world will
turn to California on Thursday, April 14 as
the NBA regular season draws to a close
with Kobe Bryant preparing to bid
farewell to the sport as the Golden State
Warriors chase a place in history.
 A perfectly scripted finale will
see Bryant play his 1,566th and final
game as the Lakers host the Utah
Jazz at the Staples Center for what is
certain to be an emotionally charged
occasion.
A sell-out 18,000-capacity crowd
packed with celebrities will be on
hand to salute the last game of the
37-year-old Bryant's two-decade
career.
 Meanwhile, Golden State will set out to
clinch a record-breaking 73rd regular
season victory, making them past the mark
of 72 set by the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls in
the 1995-1996 campaign.
After stumbling last week with a home
defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the
Warriors have gone on a formidable charge
to the finish line, beating their closest
Western Conference rivals the San Antonio
Spurs home and away to equal the Bulls'
72-win season and give themselves a
chance at basketball immortality.
 Golden State star Stephen Curry said
the Warriors are now determined to finish
the job in Oakland against the Memphis
Grizzlies by claiming win number 73 -
even if the priority remains a successful
defense of their NBA crown.
"We are in the moment and enjoying
the ride, but the goal is to win a
championship," Curry said.
"We've put ourselves in a great
position to do something no other team
has ever done.
(www.rappler.com)
Raptors dinungisan and malinis na kartada
ng Cavs sa Play-offs, Thunders pinulbos
ang Warriors, lamang na sa serye

Winakasan ng Toronto Raptors ang

sampung sunod na panalo ng Cleveland
Cavaliers sa playoffs, matapos muling
magbida sina Demar DeRozan at Kyle Lowry,
99-84 sa Eastern Conference Finals habang
giniba naman ng Oklahoma City Thunders
ang Golden State Warriors, 133-105 upang
kunin ang 2-1 kalamangan sa Westernn
Conference Finals kahapon.
 Muling sinandigan ng Canadian-based
franchise sina DeRozan na gumawa ng 32 at 20
puntos upang hiyain ang perpektong kartada ng
Cavs sa play offs, at itakas ang panalo sa sarili
nitong teritoryo sa Air Canada Center.
Kumamada naman ng husto si Raptors
center, Bismack Biyombo na humablot ng play
off career high 26 rebounds dagdag pa ang apat
na blocks.
Pinangunahan naman ni Lebron James ang
Cavaliers sa kanyang 28 puntos at walong
rebounds subalit maalat ang shooting ni Kyrie
Irving na mayroon lamang 16 puntos sa kanyang
4-of-28 shooting.
 Samantala, muling nangibabaw ang tikas ng Thunders
matapos nitong paluhurin ang Warriors sa likod ng ganadong
laro nina Kevin Durant na nagtala ng 33 puntos at walong
rebounds, habang nag-ambag naman si Russell Westbrook ng
30 puntos, 10 assist at walong rebounds.
Ito na ang ikalawang panalo ng Thunders at
kasalukuyang hawak ang kalamangan sa serye, 2-1.
Samantala, gumawa si back-to-back MVP Stephen
Curry ng 24 puntos ngunit mayroon lamang siyang 3-of-11
shooting mula sa tres. Nagdagdag din si Klay Thompson ng 18
puntos.
Nagbabadya ang Thunders na kunin ang ikatlong
panalo sa Game 4 na gaganapin pa rin sa kanilang home court
habang pakay naman ng Raptors na itabla ang serye sa sarili
ring home court nito.
Gilligan’s Sisig Queen at Foton Tornadoes,
pinataob ang mga kalaban sa semis, itinakda
ang paghaharap sa PSL Beach Volleyball Finals
Kapwa umugit ng krusyal na
panalo ang Gilligan’s Sisig Queen
kontra sa Foton Hurricanes at ang
Foton Tornadoes kontra naman sa
Cignal HD sa semis upang ilatag ang
kanilang paghaharap sa kampeonato
ng Philippine Superliga Beach
Volleyball kahapon sa SM Sands by the
Bay.
 Hindi na pinahirit pa ng tambalang
Norie Diaz at Danika Gendrauli ng
Gilligan’s ang tandem nina Bea Tan at
Pau Soriano ng Hurricanes sa loob
lamang ng dalawang set, 21-15, 21-18.
Nagsimulang mamaga ang
kalamangan ng Gilligans sa kalagitnaan
ng unang set, 11-4 at hindi binigyan ng
pagkakataong makalamang ang
Hurricanes sa kabuuan ng laro.
 Sa kabilang semis match, sinamantala
ng tambalang Fiola Ceballos at Patty
Orendain ng Foton Tornadoes ang
maraming error ng tandem nina Wensh Tiu
at April Hingpit ng Cignal HD, upang itakas
ang dikit na laban, 18-21, 21-19 at 21-17.
Nagtala nagtala ang Cignal HD ng 13
unforce errors sa kabuuan ng laro kumpara
sa apat lamang ng Tornadoes.
Dahil sa hiwalay na panalo, nakatakda
na ang paghaharap ng Gilligan’s at
Tornadoes sa kampeonato ng liga na
gaganapin bukas sa kapareho ring lugar.
Thank
You.