Writing

Mark Angelo B.
Mañez
Writer, Dugout Philippines
Sports Editor, Assortedge Media
Founder/CEO – Editor-in-Chief, SWEEP
Sports Journalism Defined
A form of Journalism that reports
on sports topics and events. While
it has been mockingly called the
Toy Department, sports journalists
do not concern themselves with
the ‘serious’ topics covered by the
news desk.
- New World Dictionary definition
Sports Writing Defined
Sports writing is a form of journalism
or creative nonfiction in which a
sporting event, individual athlete, or
sports-related issue serves as the
dominant subject.

-ThoughtCo definition
Differences of News Writing
to Sports Writing
Although similar in form and structure, we can
easily differentiate sports writing to the
traditional news writing:
1. Sports writing is more playful when relating
the scenes, whereas news writing, which sticks
to the basics of writing.
2. It basically highlights two important news
values:
CONFLICT and ACTION.
3. Sports Writing has a structure of an
action story but with greater freedom
of style in writing.
4. It is considered a specialized field.
Sports writing uses the SPORTS
LINGO, a specialized group of words
to be used only to sports articles.
5. The role of Quotes from players,
coaches, and personalities involved.
Qualities of a Sports Writer
Must know sports: rules, strategy,
team records and statistics.
Must observe accuracy.
Must be able to take notes
without losing sequence of play.
Must avoid sports slang and trite
expressions which hack writers use
today. He should tell the story in
plain, factual terms, that
describe the action.
Must bear in mind that he writes
for his readers and not for
himself.
Different types of sports articles
 Blow-by-blow account (Coverage Story)
 Backgrounder story (Sidebar Story)
 Advance story (Dope or Prognostication)
 Sports Feature
 Sports Editorial
 Sports Cartoon
 Sports Column
Sources for Sports articles
 Newspapers
 Magazines
 Television
 Interviews
 Radio
 Internet
 Table officials
 Pamphlets/posters
Parts of the
Sports News Story
Headline
The headline of a sports coverage
story should tell right away who or
which team won over whom or whose
team (and whenever appropriate or
applicable, by what score).
Appropriate action words should be
used to indicate who won depending
on how the event unfolded
EXAMPLES FOR ENGLISH
 UFC: Jorge Masvidal knocks Ben Askren
in 5 seconds
 Kawhi Leonard, Paul George officially
join LA Clippers
 Rockets, Pistons, Heat in tug of war for
Westbrook?
 Daniel Quizon blitz king
 Federer, Djokovic, Nadal untroubled
 Floyd Mayweather ‘KO’ed’ in basketball
game
EXAMPLES FOR FILIPINO

Stars sinilaw ang Athletics

Creamline, PetroGazz unahan sa
Game 1
‘Di ako masisindak’ – Pacman
Thurman nangakong wawasakin si
Pacman
Westbrook aalis na sa Thunder
10,000 atleta sa Batang Pinoy
Lead
- the frequent questions a lead should
answer:
 Who won?
 Against whom?
 By what score?
 What event?
 When?
 Where?
Types of Leads
Outstanding player lead
This lead tells the personality or
personalities who lead the team to
victory, whether he is the top scorer
or the player who made the crucial
play to win. It can be applied to
individual or team sport.
MABA Stadium, Kuala Lumpur – Filipino-
American Joshua Munzon saved Westports
Malaysia Dragons from disaster as he sunk
the marginal charity shot and snapped San
Miguel Alab Pilipinas’ eight game victory ride
with a pulsating 90-89 squeaker at the ASEAN
Basketball League, Sunday afternoon.

The win hiked their record to 5-10 and added

flicker to their seemingly dying hopes of
advancing to the Playoffs.
Significant play lead

This tells the crucial play or situation

wherein a team executed to win. It
can be game-winning basket by a
seldom-used player or a crucial block
in the final second.
Needing only a draw to qualify for
the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the
Philippine Azkals faced a tough
Tajikistan in front of a packed home
crown at the Rizal Memorial
Stadium on Tuesday.
Not only did they seal the country’s
maiden Asian Cup appearance, they
also did so in historic fashion.
 Significance of game lead
It narrates or tells the result of the
games for the winning team,
whether it’s a winning or losing
streak. It is also called a
Background Info Lead.
Manila – Gilas Pilipinas averted
double disaster as they slammed
its doors shut on a vengeful
Japanese side with a cliffhanger
89-84 decision to the delight of a
raucous Mall of Asia Arena crowd
at the FIBA 2019 Basketball World
Cup Asia Qualifiers, Sunday night.
Novelty Lead

Like what it suggests, this lead is the

most entertaining and playful type of
lead. It may describe the player, the
play, or others. This can be made
using figures of speech or whatever
the writer chooses.
Bengaluru - Ever Bilena Perlas Pilipinas stays
on one more time.
Coach Patrick Aquino has had enough of their
blowout losses in their first five outings. A
sixth puts them sliding back.
Perlas Pilipinas orchestrated their best
shooting clinic of the 2017 FIBA Asia Women's
Cup, upending a game but sluggish DPR
Korea side, 78-63, at the Sree Kanteerava
Indoor Stadium, Saturday afternoon.
Bridge
A paragraph that connects the lead to the
body.
W- W’s and H not answered in the lead
A- Attributes
I- Identifies other personalities involved.
T- Ties up story back to a previous story
S- Secondary facts are given in the bridge.
Body
Explains and narrates some of the
events in the game to support the lead.
It may contain other significant plays of
the game, statistics, quotes from the
personalities involved, or in the case of
composite news, others played. It
relates the other Ws unanswered in the
lead. Has to be 4-6 paragraph long.
Other Elements in the Body
Team and/or individual
standing
If the event is part of a series of
games, the story must report how the
teams or players stand in relation to
their competitions.
Decisive play

This is the most crucial part of

the game that gives a certain
team the winning margin.
Best Scorers of the day
The scores usually appear in the
headlines and in the lead.
However, the writer must not
neglect the top scorer of the day.
Play-by-play
Due to limited space, play-by-
play has to be condensed. In top
boxing events, a separate round-
by-round account is provided,
describing the progress of the
fight in detail.
Quotation

It is customary for the hero of

the day to have his sentiments
recorded for posterity.
Action words used in Sports
Writing
If team A defeats team B by 3 or more points:
thwart, waylay, stump, outlast, demolish,
down, whip, outplay, humble breeze past,
cruise past, ground, rip, tear, overcome,
overwhelm, smother, scrape past, zap, maul,
cream, power past, topple, tame, gore, race
past, upend, crush, spill, annihilated, subdue,
overpower, trounce, sink, shut down, dump,
hold off, elude, spoil rout stop, rally past,
repulse, massacre.
If team A defeats team B by a slim margin:
edge, eke out, nip, nose out, survive,
struggle past.
If team A defeats team B, a favorable team:
shock, dethrone, stun, upset, pull rug from,
turn the table, oust.
If team A, favorable team, is eliminated
early in the competition:
get door, get early axe, exit, boot out,
eliminate, sent packing.
If team A wins championship:
clinch…, snags…, grabs…, snares…,
cops…, claims…, wrest…, steal…
If team A is still the champion
keep…, retain…,
If team A held team B scoreless to
win:
blank, zero, sweep, whitewash.
Filipino
Nakamit, Dinurog, Napasakamay,
Namayani, Namayagpag, Nanguna,
Nasungkit, Naghari, Nagreyna, Winalis,
Nasulot, Naagaw, Nagkampeon, Nanalo,
Hinagupit, Ginulantang, Nilupig, Hiniya,
Pinaluhod, Pinabagsak, Nagapi, Naungusan,
Nilupig, Dinurog, Pinulbos, Ginapi,
Pinatulog, Pinatumba, Pinataob,
Pinadapa.
Sports terms
BASKETBALL - quintet, zone defense, five, rebound, rally,
man-to-man, keyhole area, 30- second clock, long tom, tip-
in, press, steals, 15-foot line, twinner, follow-up, lemon
time, playoff slot, haul rebounds, dish out assists, inside
baskets, point guard, home court advantage, playmaker,
transition defense, floater, game winner
BASEBALL/SOFTBALL - diamond, pitcher, short stop,
southpaw, shut out, back stop, pegged at third, swatters,
pitcher’s mound, homerun, deep center, fielder, strike out,
innings, double steal off second and third bases, unearned
runs, reaches first base safely, bases loaded, grand slam,
stolen base, walk-off, extra inning, off the wall
VOLLEYBALL – booming service, net ball, spikes, change
court, 1-2 play, wallop, best
Attacker/receiver/server/blocker/digger/setter, block,
three out of five, blocked his kill, spiker, pancake, libero.
SOCCER/FOOTBALL - goalkeeper, fullback, corner kick,
midfielder, penalty kick, offside, corner kick, penalty shoot-
out, extra time, free kick, hat trick
SEPAK TAKRAW- fancy kick, dead ball, single, ball on play,
double, hoop, regu
GYMNASTICS - all-around, cartwheel, dismount, horizontal
bar, pommel horse, uneven bars, rings, clubs, somersault,
vault
ICE HOCKEY – empty net goal, cage, power play, cherry
picking, faceoff, grinder, left wing, line brawl, neutral zone,
penalty box, playoff beard, shutdown
GOLF - hole-in-one, birdie, bogey, par, playoff hole,
second putt, behind the green, one-shot lead, tee-off,
four-stroke lead, match play, fairway, double eagle,
bunker
TENNIS - straight sets, singles, smash cut, doubles, half
volleys, passing shots, good serving, grass court, backhand
volley, double fault, lost serve
BILLIARDS/SNOOKER – break, blackball, carom, 147,
straight pool, cushion, masse, solids and stripes, scratch,
golden break, head string, race-to-17, bridge
TRACK EVENTS - breasted the tape, dashes, runs (200,
400 & 800), hurdles, burned the cinders, relay, clocked a
new record, photo finish, middle distance runner, anchor
man, pass the baton, bore down on him, break the record
FIELD EVENTS - heaved the shot put, hurled the
javelin, Fosberry flop, threw the discus, broad jump,
pole vault, triple jump, Grecian disc, long jump.
CYCLING - wheel by wheel, remate, multi-lap,
yellow jersey, lead pack, peloton, time trial, sprint,
breakaway specialist, criterium, keirin, omnium,
road race
BOXING - round by round, blow by blow, slugfest,
flyweight, welterweight, jab, uppercut,
heavyweight, uppercut, ring, knockout loss, landed a
liver blow, lightweight, super-featherweight, split
decision, boxing stable, flurry of punches, majority
decision
AQUATICS - aquabelle, freestyle, tanker,
breaststroke, naiad, backstroke, diving board, half-
pike, somersault twist, medley, heats, swim off,
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS – BJJ, turning side kick, arm
bar, rear naked choke, submission, triangle, flying
knee, elbow strike, guillotine, ground and pound,
takedown, tap out, mount
CHESS - grandmaster, chess board, zugzwang, +47,
ELO rating, nine-round tournament, blitzkrieg chess,
king, queen, board one, bishop, knight, opening
move, rook/tower, pawn.
ARCHERY - bowman, drawing back, compound,
recurve, bull’s eye
E-SPORTS – afk, AoE, burst, assist, ban,
buff, carry, crit, crowd control, draft, DPS,
farm, MOBA, MMORPG, FPS, feeding, free-
to-play, gold advantage, GLHF, GGWP,
harass, imba, KS, KDA ratio, league, LoL,
late game, nerf, noob, npc, pro, PVP, rekt,
recall, support, tank, The International,
top-mid-bot, jungle, stack, wards, wiped
out, team fight, tier, ult
The SPORTS Style of
Writing
S - Score
 P - Personalities
 O - Opinion of players, coaches, and
others involved (Quotations)
 R - Rules and regulations
 T - Terminologies/Time
 S - Spectator
The ACES style of
checking article
After you have written your
article, check the following:
A - action
C- conflict / contest /
competition
E - emotions
S - score
Tips:
Check for spelling, subject-verb
agreement, correct use of verb tense,
grammar, unity, and coherence.
Never use articles in the lead (a, an, the).
Use a lead which gets the reader’s
attention. Try to make it answer as many of
the 5 W’s and an H as possible.
Put the final score high in the story.
Never wait to reveal the final score in the
middle or the final paragraph.
When writing, try to use the active
voice (instead of, “The shot was made
by Bryant,” we say “Bryant made the
shot.)
Make sure to put the most important
information on top, and the least
important at the bottom. As well, have
no more than one though per sentence.
Aim for clarity than flowery language.
DO NOT EDITORIALIZE. Keep it
balanced. Get both sides. Don’t be too
overcritical, but don’t be a wallflower.
In team sports, a team is an “it”, not a
“they”.
Make sure you have reported the score
correctly and precisely as the final
buzzer sounds.
A lead of more than 25 words can be
made shorter and snappier. Be concise.
Never compare a sporting event to a
war or disaster, even as quotes.
When talking about your high school
team or college team, don’t refer them
as “we” or “our team”. You might be
covering a game from the school’s
angle, but you must remain objective.
Avoid beginning a sentence,
particularly a lead, with “there are” or
‘there is”.
Know the basics and rules of the sports
you are covering. Know to look up to rules
you don’t know.
Be original and develop your writing
style. Keep your writing style early and
expand your style as you mature as a
writer and as a person.
When you read a game story, look at
HOW it is written as well as the contents.
Make mental notes (or even real notes) on
how the reporter uses transition, quotes,
and attribution.
Have a rulebook of any game you are
covering in handy.
Avoid holiday and question leads.
For prep games, call each coach
before a game. Gather a few quotes for
an advanced story. Try to get an
understanding for the team’s strategy
heading into the game (but don’t share
it with others.)
Keep an eye on the game clock. A
game may run long, goes to overtime or
starts late. Also, go to the venue early,
for some sports end quickly than
expected. Know what time the story is
due.
Highlight a few key turning points and
stats and develop the story.
Don’t over glorify your subjects.
Sports aren’t life or death.
Look for great moments in the game,
ironics, outstanding players, interesting
tidbits, descriptions, crowd reaction,
crowd numbers, venue condition,
breaks in the norm.
Get specific, meaningful quotes. Use the
summary-quote approach (paraphrase-
quote) to get more into the story.
Get high scorers and other superlatives.
Look for extremes. Keep your observation
powers churning. But drop these interesting
tidbits into an otherwise predictable
scenario.
Always have a notebook of sports terms so
you will not get confused on what term you
will be using.
Some headlines indicate the score. Put
the score for emphasis.
Enter a newsroom as though you have
much to learn. You just have to be
humble enough to listen.
Always enjoy what you are doing.
Some Last Thoughts
“You can’t put a limit on
anything. The more you
dream, the farther you get
- Michael Phelps (23-time Olympic gold
medalist, SWIMMING)
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