SPORTS WRITING – a specialized

field of writing which combines

news reporting, editorial writing and
Basketball feature writing.

Golf

Volleyball
Bowling
Baseball
Swimming
 STRUCTURE OF A SPORTS
STORY:
 1. The Headline
 Rules in headline writing are observed
 Colorful but forceful words, especially verbs,
are used
 Usually scores appear in the headline (but not
always)
 Examples:

Tabuena, Gabasa clinch

San Diego jungolf titles
Vinluan catches Dacudao
for lead in Samsung Tour

Lady 9-ball
bet powers
Manila team
Mantawi dribblers stretch victory run

RP clouters stun Japan

Lady Archers bag

V-League crown
Gonzales reclaims chess lead

Dolphins, Blazers gun for 2-0 mark

Taulava beefs
up RP quintet
 Lady Eagles survive Atlas

 Holy Angels tops Eagle Ridge bowling

 Pinoys subdue Indonesians

in AsPac baseball

 Tams get back at Warriors

 Eagles find new star in win over Tigers

 Smart Gilas pulls thru

in OT over Taiwanese

 Llamados, Aces reach Final Four

 2. The Lead
 Introduces the body and summarizes the
story
 The hook that catches the reader’s attention

 The telegraphic presentation of the story

 The dramatic summary of the events

 It may either be summarized or analyzed

 KINDS OF SPORTS LEAD:

1. The Classic 5 W’s Lead

Example:
RP clouters stun Japan
The Philippines opened its campaign with a
bang as it stunned Japan, 7-2, yesterday in
the 2010 Asia Pacific Zone Bronco Baseball
Championship at the Sto. Niño Baseball
grounds in Marikina City.
 The Holy Angels finished fine form to
dominate the field and capture the Eagle
Ridge Team Challenge bowling
tournament crown at the Eagle Ridge Golf
and Country Club lanes in Gen. Trias,
Cavite recently.
 Host Philippines overpowered Indonesia,
8-1, yesterday to open its campaign in the
Pony Baseball/Softball International’s
2010 Asia-Pacific Zone Pony Division
Championships on a high note at the Sto.
Nino grounds in Marikina City.
 2. The Key Play Lead – highlights parts of the game
that are most exciting, most significant, and crucial (gave
the winning team the upperscore)
Example:
Lady Archers bag V-League crown

La Salle survived an epic third set then to avert a

fourth set collapse to down University of Sto. Tomas, 17-
25, 25-22, 30-28, 25-20, last night and capture its
second straight Shakey’s V-League conference title
before a capacity crowd at the Rizal Coliseum.
 Ateneo battled back from a set down then pulled
through in a pulsating fifth set duel to foil
newcomer Perpetual Help, 25-15, 14-25, 20-25,
25-18, 15-12, and join San Sebastian-Excelproof
at the helm in the Shakey’s V-League Season 7
second conference at The Arena in San Juan
last night.

 B-Meg Derby Ace squandered a 23-point lead

but held on to upend a resilient Rain or Shine,
105-100, in overtime and clinch one of the two
hotly disputed semifinal berths in the PBA Fiesta
Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last night.
 3. The Outstanding Player Lead – also called
“Hero of the Game Lead”
Example:
Gin Kings slip past Coca-Cola in thriller

Struggling in offense, Romel Adducul made up for it

in defense.
Adducul blocked a potential game-tying undergoal
basket by Rafi Reavis and Barangay Ginebra went on to
escape with an 81-77 win over Coca-Cola in the Gran
Matador PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Araneta
Coliseum in Manila, Philippines.
 Justine Chua stepped up for Ateneo in the fourth quarter,
firing eight points down low and powering the Eagles to a
68-56 victory over the UST Tigers in the UAAP men’s
basketball tournament at the Philsports Arena in Pasig
yesterday.
 Chua, who only had two points and one rebound in a
four-minute stint in the Eagles’ 69-72 loss in the FEU
Tams last week and didn’t see action in the team’s
controversial 69-66 decision over Adamson Thursday,
finished with 17 points this time to power the Eagles to
their second win in three games.
 “It was just a gut feel. I felt that I needed a little bit more
scoring in the low post from a big guy and I wasn’t really
getting it from (rookie) JP Ephraim,” said Ateneo coach
Norman Black.
 La Salle. Meanwhile...
 4. The Analytical Approach Lead – Analysis
the outcome or result of the game.
Example:
Familiarity with terrain keys Baguio bets’
romp
Baguio teams used experience and
familiarity with the terrain to the hilt to dominate
the Elite and Novice categories of the Endoro
San Mig Light Adventures 2005 in the City of
Pines last Saturday.

Size didn’t matter for Annie Albania and Charly

Suarez as they brought down their taller, heftier
opponents from Thailand and gave the
Philippines the overall crown in MVP
international Boxing Friendship Cup.
 3. THE BODY – plays up other elements not
in the lead and gives details of those already
mentioned. These include:
 Key play and outstanding performance

 Quotations from players, trainers, coaches

 Play-by-play account

 Personalities

 Background on players
 Importance of the event
 Summaries of results and statistics (these
may be compiled for future reference)
Gathering information before the game:

 Read the rules

 Know key people
 Get the names in full and check the
spelling. Don’t depend in memory
 Attend sports events and practice
sessions
 Make notes on things that count. Jot down
a fact, a quote, etc.
 Gathering information during the game

 Organize your materials

 Be there well ahead of the event
 Secure a good working place
 Note interesting events before the game
 Develop a system of note-taking
 Make notes as complete as possible
 Observe:
 Important plays

 The unexpected or unusual

 Personal standouts on things other than

point scoring
 Touches of humor or the light things

 Don’t get too involved as cheering

spectator
 Gathering information after the game

 Seek out the coach, outstanding players

as well as less important participant
 Get quotes
 Check facts, especially scores, with
scorebooks
 Gather more information from:
 Special statistics

 Newspaper stories
 Game movies
 Box scores
 Standings
 Writing the Sports Story

 Be accurate
 Avoid cliché
 Include human interest
 Keep your sense of humor
 Exercise discipline
 Follow the inverted pyramid order
 Write the headlines along with the story
 Writing the Sports Lead

 Special significance of the game

 Cause of victory or defeat, also called
analytical lead
 Names of outstanding players or player
 Name of the coach
 Description of the crowd, such as the size,
unusual behavior
 A moment of intense interest
Salamat Po Pakikinig!!!