SPORTS WRITING

Prepared by:
MA. JENILE S. ESCOPETE
Resource Speaker
Learning objectives:
At the end of the session, the participants will be able to:
a. understand the specifics of sports writing;
b. write a sports news accurately.
What is Sports Writing?
• Sports writing is a form of creative nonfiction journalism that covers
sports, athletes, or other sports-related issues.
• is one of the most read sections of the newspaper because it is filled
with action and emotion of players who are idolized by sports
enthusiasts.
Scope of Sports Articles

• Sports page is not only confined on sports news, it

also contains other kinds of articles like features
editorial, editorial columns and editorial cartoon
and others.
Qualities of a good sports news:
• Basically, it answers the five W’s and one H (What, Who, Where,
When, Why and How)
• It primarily describes the most thrilling and eventful part of the
game.
• It uses more colorful words, adjectives, figures of speech, local color
and longer sentences, which are not commonly used in straight news.
• It uses special vocabulary called sports lingo.
Qualities of a good sports writer
• Must be a sports enthusiast
• Must know the basic rules, strategies, team and players or team
records
• Ability to take note quickly without missing the important sequence
of the play
Qualities of a good sports writer
• Must be fair in reporting even if he has a favorite team or player.
• Must observe accuracy in presenting facts.
• Has wide knowledge on sports lingo.
Elements of Sports Writing

• highlights of the game

• the names of the teams involved
• the type of sport
• score or final outcome
• when and where the game was played
 Types of Sports Article
1. Straight-Lead Game Story
- uses a straight-news structure
- the most fundamental type of sports writing
- it provides an overview of the game
- it includes who won or lost, the score, and key player
actions
 Examples of straight-lead game story
National University moves on to the finals of the Shakey’s
Super League Collegiate Pre-season Championship after blasting
University of Sto. Thomas, 25-23, 21-25,25-21, 25-17, at the Rizal
Memorial Coliseum on Friday, November 11.
The story then describes:
- Key play - post-game observations
- Players - quoting both players and coaches
Types of Sports Article
2. Feature Game Story
- provides viewers and readers with a distinct perspective
- preferred tool for professional sports writers.
- gives a different perspective of the game and the people
involved
Types of Sports Stories
3. Profiles - feature an individual character. This person might be a rookie
athlete rising in the ranks, or perhaps an influential coach.
- focuses on a certain character as opposed to feature game story
- the person in the profile can be a player or a coach that has a
remarkable experience.
Example of a Profile Story
He stood on the bridge, pondering how everything in his life had gone
wrong. After several years of depression, disappointment, abuse and
separation, he had reached the end of his rope and was ready to end it all. He
closed his eyes, readying himself to take this irreversible step. At that very
moment, he heard seemingly innocuous noise from below, “Beep-beep! Beep-
beep!” He opened his eyes and reached into his pocket for his phone, intending
to read this message before he went forward with his tragic plan. The words he
read, sent from an acquaintance he was not particularly close to, shocked him
out of his stupor; “Jesus loves you. He will never leave you. Receive his love.”
Types of Sports News
1. Advance News
a. Significance of the game
b. Historical background of the game or event
c. Players and coaches
d. Physical and mental qualities of the athletes
e. Strengths and weaknesses of each player and team based on their previous competitions
Types of Sports News (Advance news)

f. Venue of the event

g. Noteworthy event that could be included in the
news
h. Weather that could affect the game
i. Expected viewers
j. Statement of the coaches and athlete
 Types of Sports News

2. Coverage Story
a. Outcome
b. Significance of the outcome
c. Spectacular parts of the game
d. Comparison of the strength and weakness of the athletes of both teams
e. Star player
f. Weather
g. Audience/viewers
Goal of sports news
• To make fans/readers feel like they were right there in the middle of the
action, cheering on their favorite team, game after game.
• To provide a complete and accurate picture of events.
Parts of Sports News
• Headline
• The lead
• The bridge
• Body
Parts of sports news:
• Headline
 The headline of a sports coverage story should tell right away who
or which team won over whom or whose team.
 Appropriate action words should be used to indicate who won depending
on how the event unfolded.
 Headline Verbs:
•

If team A defeats team B by a large margin:

thwartdown scrape past overcome
waylay whip tear crush
stump outplay dumphold off
outlast cruise past elude spoil
demolish rip rally overpower
Headline Verbs
• If team A defeats team B by a slim margin:
edge eke
out
survive nose out
struggle past
Headline Verbs

• If team A defeats team B, a favorite team:

shock
dethrone
upset
pull rug from
turn the table oust
stun
 Headline Verbs
• If team A, favorable team, is eliminated early in the competition:
get door boot
out
get early axe eliminate
exit sent
packing
 Headline Verbs

• If team A wins the championship:

clinches snares
wrest
snags cops
steal
grabs claims
 Headline Verbs

• If team A still the champion:

keep
retain
 Headline Verbs

• If team A held team B scoreless to win:

blank sweep
zero whitewash
 Headline Verbs in Filipino
• nakamit napasakamay namayani
• dinurog namayagpag nasungkit
• pinataob naghari nasulot
• pinaluhod naagaw ginulantang
• winalis ginapi pinadapa
 Headline Verbs in Filipino

• nilupig nasulot hiniya

• pinabagsik naungusan pinatuulog
• pinatumba nagreyna nagkampeon
How to make a headline?

• The winning team + verb + losing team

Examples:
Hotshots hold off Beermen
Hotshots niresbakan ang Beermen
 How to make a headline?
• The winning team + verb + losing team+
significance/event/angle
Examples:
Hotshots hold off Beermen for 2-1 series lead
Hotshots niresbakan ang Beermen para sa 2-1
lead
 The Headline: The winning team + verb +
losing team+ significance/event/angle
Examples:
Hotshots hold off Beermen for 2-1 series lead
Hotshots niresbakan ang Beermen para sa 2-1
lead
Lakers roll past Nuggets in West finals opener
 The Headline: The winning team + verb +
losing team+ significance/event/angle
Example:
Trail blazers takas sa Nuggets sa 4 OT
 The Headline: The best player + verb + losing
team+ significance/event/angle
Example:
CJ McCollum leads Trail Blazers past cold
Nuggets to even series
 The Headline: The best player + winning team
+ verb + losing team+ significance/event/angle
Example:
McCollum, Trail Blazers takas sa Nuggets sa
4 OT
 The Headline: The KEY play + winning team
+ verb + losing team
Example:
Lillard’s buzzer-beater seals Blazers thriller to
knock out Thunder
 The Headline: The KEY play + winning team
+ verb + losing team
Example:
Lillard sinalpak ang pampanalong tres para sa
Toronto, nilaglag ang OKC.
 The Headline: The analysis + verb + losing
team + significance/event/angle
Examples:
Hotshots hold fort in tight finish to thwart rallying
Beermen in Game 1
 The Headline: The analysis + verb + losing
team + significance/event/angle
Example:
Shorthanded Hotshots pinataob
ang Beermen sa Game 1
 The Headline: Using kicker (event)

Example:
NBA Semis
Lebron, namituin; Lakers abante sa Finals
 The Headline: Using kicker (significance)

Example:
Ticket tungong Finals, selyado na
Lebron, namituin; Lakers pinataob ang Rockets
 The Headline: Using hammer

Example:
NERVES OF STEEL
Lebron hits game-winner;
Lakers clinch last playoff spot
THE LEAD
• The lead is the opening paragraph of the article.
• It usually contains who won? Against whom? By what score? Where?
When? And How?
Types of Lead
• Classical lead
• Key play/Turning point lead
• Outstanding player lead
• Analytical approach/assessment lead
• Novelty lead
 Classical information lead

Matikas na pinabagsak ng Fareastern

University ang top seed Ateneo de Manila University
sa bendisyon ng pukpukang 10-25, 25-22, 12-2, 15-8
panalo upang maipuwersa ang rubber match sa UAAP
Season 81 womens volleyball tournament Final Four
kahapon sa Mall of Asia Arena sa Pasay City.
 Classical information lead

Defending champions San Miguel Beermen

tied the PBA Philippine Cup finals series at one game
apiece after besting Magnolia, 108-101, in Game Two
of the best-of-seven series at the Araneta Coliseum in
Cubao on Friday.
The Key play lead
Pumukol si Rodney Hood ng go-ahead 3 pointer sa
huling 18.6 seconds ng laro sa NBA postseason record-tying
fourth overtime para talunin ng Portland Trail Blazers ang Denver
Nuggets, 140-137, noong Biyernes ng gabi para kunin ang 2-1 sa
Western Conference semifinals.

Portland nakaligtas sa 4 ot game

 The Key play lead
Damian Lillard sank a 3-pointer on the buzzer to cap a 50-point display as
the Portland Trail Blazers completed a late fightback for a 118-115 win, sending
Russel Westbrook and the Oklahama City Thunder crashing out of the NBA
playoffs on Tuesday.

Lillard’s buzzer-beater seals Blazers thriller to knock

out Thunder
Philstar.com
 The Outstanding player lead
Kumamada si Rafi Reavis ng mahalagang 16 points, 15
rebounds at 2 steals para maging instrument sa paglagok ng Magnolia
Ang Pambansang Manok ng 86-82 win kontra four-time defending
champion San Miguel Beer Linggo ng gabi sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Reavis, Magnolia balik manibela vs SMB

Abante Tonite//May 5, 2019
 The Outstanding player lead
CJ McCollum scored 20 points as the Portland Trail Blazers held
off a late rally from the Denver Nuggets to score a series-leveling victory in their
NBA Western Conference playoff duel on Wednesday.

Blaazers hold off Nuggets to level playoff series

Philstar.com//May 2, 2019
 The analytical approach lead
Sinandalan ng Magnolia ang balanseng atake, sa pangunguna nina
Ian Sangalang at Paul Lee, upang muling matimbog ang Rain or Shine nitong
Lunes ng gabi, 94-91, at itabla sa 2-all aang kanilang PBA Philippine Cup best
of seven semifinals sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Sangalanag, Lee muling binitbit ang Magnolia

Abante Tonite//April 22, 2019
 The analytical approach lead
Magnolia’s defense was at its unflinching best when it mattered and the Hotshots gutted
out a 99-94 victory over San Miguel Beer in Gmae 1 of their PBA Philippine Cup title series on
Wednesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Hotshots hold fort in tight finish to thwart rallying Beermen in Game 1

Philippine Daily Inquirer//May2, 2019
 The Novelty Lead
Hindi pumayag ang Rockets na mabaon sa 0-3.
Kumonekta si James Harden ng mahalagang three-point shot sa overtime
at tumapos na may 41 points para akayin ang Houston sa 126-121 panalo laban sa
Golden State Warriors sa Game Three ng kanilang Western Conference semifinals
series.

Rockets lusot sa Warriors sa overtime

Filipino Star Ngayon//May 6, 2019
 The Novelty Lead
The smallest man on the floor emerged as the biggest player with the biggest heart
when the championship of the 34th William Jones Cup basketball tournament was on the line.
L.A. Tenorio carried Smart Gilas-Pilipinas on his shoulders as the 5-foot-8 Alaska
point guard scored 11 of his 20 points in the playoff period to rally back the Nationals from a 14-point
deficit and nip 13-time champion United States, 76-75, to win the championship of the annual
cagefest Sunday at the TPEC gym.

Gilas is Jones Cup champ as small man Tenorio stands tall

Spin.ph//August 26, 2012
 The Bridge – links the lead to the body
• W – Ws or H questions not answered in the lead are answered in
the bridge.
• A – Attributes information found in the lead.
• I – Identifies persons or groups impersonally identified in the lead
• T – Ties the story back to previous story.
• S – Secondary facts are brought out in the bridge.
 The Bridge
Hindi pumayag ang Rockets na mabaon sa 0-3.
Kumonekta si James Harden ng mahalagang three-point shot sa overtime at
tumapos na may 41 points para akayin ang Houston sa 126-121 panalo laban sa Golden
State Warriors sa Game Three ng kanilang Western Conference semifinals series.
Idinikit ng Rockets sa 1-2 ang best-of-seven wars nila ng Warriors.

Rockets lusot sa Warriors sa overtime

Filipino Star Ngayon//May 6, 2019
 The Bridge
The Hotshots relied on their backcourt to issue a strong opening statement
in these All-Filipino Finals, beating four-time champion San Miguel Beer in Game 1
Wednesday at the Big Dome, 99-94.
The trio of Mark Barroca, Paul Lee, and Jio Jalalon all showed up as
Magnolia withstood a big effort from five-time MVP June Mar Fajardo for San Miguel.

Magnolia
backcourt shines in Game 1 win
Paul
Lintag (sports.abs.cbn.com//May 1, 2019
 The Body

- is where other elements of the story is found

- includes quotes and play-by-plays.
- arranged in descending order or decreasing
importance. (Inverted pyramid)
QUOTES
• Quotes are an extremely important part of any sports story. They provide
perspectives from key individuals and break up the monotony of narrative
descriptions of events.
• A game story without few quotes from the head coach is an incomplete
story.
 Basic Rules on Handling Quotes:

• If the direct quote is more than one sentence, place the

attribution at the end of the first sentence.
Example:
“Hindi naming inasahan ang panalong ito” pahayag ni
Calvin Abueva. “ Basta ang nasa isip ko lang kanina ay
kailangan ko talagang mag step up. At nagawa ko naman.
 Basic Rules on Handling Quotes:

• Do not attribute direct quotes to more than one person.

Example:
“Nais talaga naming Manalo ngayon,” pahayag ng
team members.
 Basic Rules on Handling Quotes:

• Use the past tense and try to limit verbs.

• “Said” is an excellent verb to use. It does not have an
added connotation, such as “stated”, which implies the
person said something for the record, or “enthused”, which
implies the person was absolutely giddy about his/her
quote.
 Basic Rules on Handling Quotes:

• Ordinarily, place the noun or pronoun before the verb.

Example:
“The good news is they had all of those offensive
rebounds but they didn’t convert a lot,” Portland coach Terry
Stotts said.
 Basic Rules on Handling Quotes:

• Ordinarily, place the noun or pronoun before the verb.

The exception to this rule is when the identification is so
long that it would create an awkward sentence with two
commas.
Example:
Instead of:
“Vice President of player personnel Joe Smith said.” or
“Joe Smith, vice president of player personnel, said.”

Use: “said Joe Smith, Vice President of player personnel.

Play-by-play
Muntik masayang ang itinayong 12-point lead, 54-42, ng Magnolia
sa third quarter matapos makadikit ang San Miguel sa 79-82 mula sa three-
pointer ni Alex Cabagnot sa huling 17 segundo ng fourth period.
Play-by-play
High-flyer Jhonard Clarito soared for a layup with eight-seconds left
as the Knights recovered from the horrors of losing a 15-point lead and
completed a fightback from seven points down in the last two minutes to
steal the series, 3-2, at the Tiger’s lair.
What needs to be included in Sports Stories?

• The score
- as a general rule of thumb, the final score should be stated in the
first three paragraphs.
- Be consistent in writing the scores.
What needs to be included in Sports Stories?

• The score
The Aces opened up an 11-point lead, 56-45, early in the
fourth quarter as Calvin Abueva converted two-consecutive three-pointers
but the Beermen were vigilant enough as they posted an 8-0 run to stay on
track, 56-53.
What needs to be included in Sports Stories?

• The atmosphere
Siniguro iyon ng Meralco pagkatapos itumba ang Ginebra,
98-91, para itabla ang best-of-seven series sa 3-all kagabi sa harap ng record
crowd na halos pumuno sa Philippine Arena sa Bocaue, Bulacan.
What needs to be included in Sports Stories?

• Records
Dahil sa kanilang panalo, kapwa nakasiguro na ang Tigresses
at Lady Tamaraws ng playoff para sa huling semifinal berth sa parehong 8-4
win-loss kartada at manatili sa third spot sa likuran ng Ateneo Lady Eagles
(10-1) at three-peat champion De Lasalle Lady Spikers (8-3).
What needs to be included in Sports Stories?

• Records
The Beermen ended up leading by as many as 21 points in the fourth,
cruising to victory and ending the elimination round with a 7-4 record.
As it stands, Alaska is just holding on to 8th place with a 4-6 mark.
What needs to be included in Sports Stories?

• History
Jokic played 65 minutes in the quadruple-overtime loss, the fourth-
most minutes in NBA playoff history and just two short of the record, as
McCollum led the Blazers with 60 minutes.
What needs to be included in Sports Stories?

• Statistics
Tumapos si Curry na may 17 points para sa Warriors at kumolekta si
forward Draymond Green ng triple-double mula sa kanyang 19 markers, 11
rebounds, at 10 assists.
What needs to be included in Sports Stories?

• Statistics
Houston made 17 of its 50 3-point attempts, while the Warriors shot
just 8 of 33 from downtown with Curry making just 4 of his 14 attempts.
SPORTS LINGO
• Basketball
quintet zone defense man-to-man
keyhole area
five rebound 24-second clock
tip-in
press steals dish out assist
inside baskets
transition defense home court advantage
transition defense
SPORTS LINGO (Baseball/Softball)
diamond pitcher short stop southpaw
shut out
peg at third shut out back stop
pitcher’s mound
hit a home run deep center fielder
strike out
unearned runs bases loaded grand
slam stolen base
walk off extra inning off the wall
Sports Lingo for Tennis
• straight sets singles
smash cut
• doubles grass court
good serving
• half volleys passing shots
lost serve
• backhand volley double fault
Sports Lingo for Billiards
• blackball straight pool
cushion
• solids and stripes scratch
golden break
• head string
ACTIVITY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-RfyQizvx8