Sports Writing

When writing any kind of article, it is important to remember six important questions:
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

For sports, this means:

Who: are the major players, the coaches, the teams, the opponents?

What: sport do they play, are the rules, competition are they playing in or trying to reach, are the strengths and weaknesses of each team and the major players, does each team need to do to beat the other team, were the highlights?

Where: are they playing, are they from?

Why: are the teams in this game, is this team special?

How: much did each team train, long did it take to get to this game, was the game played?

Sports writers use a writing style called the inverted pyramid. That means the main ideas and points are at the beginning of the article and the rest of the paragraphs fill in the action and supporting details. This is so that editors can easily cut the article if it is too long.

When writing an article, remember that your readers will be most interested in the players. People like reading about people. So, if one player has a great game, or several made terrific plays, be sure to include them in your writing.

Also, make sure to keep your story objective. Don't include your opinion, and avoid writing about yourself. Do not use “I” and “me.”

Finally, avoid using lots of descriptors. Keep your writing clear and concise, and make sure the descriptions you use add to your article.

For Example:

Too many descriptors:

The blazing sun beat down upon the players' sweaty heads as the eager crowd held their breaths for the imminent crack of the first hit of the day.

Better:

The first crack of the bat signaled the beginning of a great game.

ACTIVITY

WRITE

Write a brief article about a sport you enjoy or play. Be sure to include your main ideas at the beginning and use the later paragraphs for description and supporting details.

REVISE

Revise your article for word choice, spelling, and punctuation. Make sure to edit for the pyramid structure.

PUBLISH

Allow others to read your article while you read theirs. Provide and receive constructive feedback.