On Sports

'Field Guide' offer tips from 90 sports pros

2010-01-07T11:01:00.004-05:00

You can order the 'Field Guide To Covering Sports' from either CQPress or at Amazon.com in early February 2010. The book is a practical guide to preparing, observing, interviewing and writing about 20 different sports, from auto racing to wrestling. Chapters also address ways to cover high school sports, and fantasy sports. You can also learn how to cover games, to write features and to interview better. Fans can also learn basic rules of these sports, along with ways to better observe the action. Plus, the book includes several 'virtual' writing assignments for use in classes.
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We've moved

2008-08-26T22:24:00.006-04:00

Please, start visiting my other website at sportsfieldguide.com. I am phasing this blog out. The other site includes all of the material in this blog, plus extra resources. For example, I just added links to every Division I college sports conference website. The other site also includes alphabetized links to every state high school sports association in the country. A Journalism Jobs section links to the latest sports and news jobs. I hope you enjoy the site. I also have some archived material at onsports.wordpress.com.

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Yet another reason to learn online skills

2008-08-26T10:17:00.008-04:00

Newspapers across the country are moving rapidly to online production, as you probably already know. Some newspapers, like the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, have imploded the traditional news structure, eliminating news and sports departments in favor of departments like 'news and information' and 'enterprise,' according to Sporting News EIC Jeff D'Alessio. The AJC is not the only newspaper re-organizing its news rooms. (Still think the Internet is a fad?) Newspapers are actively seeking reporters with new media skills.

Every college newspaper (and yearbook) should develop a sports blog that addresses individual sports or sports in general on campus. Reporters should post info daily regardless of the print publication schedule. Post all breaking news online. These sports blogs should include photos, breaking news, practice notes, and, sometimes, a short feature or profile. And make sure you include internal links within each item, something that enables readers to dig deeper into issues and news. This additional research will also make you a more informed reporter.

If your news publication does not create a sports blog, develop your own as some college students, like an enterprising reporter at Davidson did for basketball. First, you must learn basic journalism skills, but apply them online as well. Frankly, this is no longer an option.

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A primer for writing football preview stories

2008-08-23T16:13:00.018-04:00

Preview stories can take many forms and be presented in all media forms. They can be published online, in print, in a videocast, in a separate special section – or they can integrate several of these forms. Regardless the form, readers love' em. These previews can address trends or they can focus on a feature angle. Or previews can be offered in capsule form. There is no single way to write a preview story, although many include the same key components. Check out the stories below for inspiration as you develop preview stories for your own college teams in the coming weeks.

■ Here is a link to the Orlando Sentinel's always creative approach to football coverage. (Sorry, but I am biased here, rooting for my old newspaper. But this is truly a creative approach.)
■ The Rocky Mountain News packages a series of capsules that focus on key players and which include the previous season's playoff results. The San Francisco Chronicle takes a more bare bones approach to previewing some prep football conferences, briefly offering strengths, weaknesses and notes.
■ Bloggers like The Mountain Top and the Big West Conference Connection have started previewing the Big East and Big West football conference teams, respectively. An Eastern Carolina University football blog previews the Pirates and their schedule. Some bloggers, though, spend more time on their opinions rather than on reporting trends, stats and news. Commentary can certainly be riveting, but save these pieces, or blog posts, until after the facts are cited.
■The Chicago Tribune, which runs a terrific prep sports website, previews the Big Ten conference football season. These writers find a feature angle and then address the same six questions at the end of each preview that includes questions such as "Northwestern will contend for the Big Ten title if ..." and "In a word, the schedule can be described as ..."
■ Rivals.com previews conferences, rather than teams, by focusing on key story lines, top players by position, and the top coaches. They also offer a preseason all-conference team. In addition, Rivals.com also writes previews that focus on the top 10 freshmen, top assistant coaches, and the top junior college players who have transferred to universities.
■ Some newspapers, like the Statesboro Herald in football-crazy Georgia, layer their coverage with videocast previews.
■ The Arizona Republic offers its previews in smaller capsules.
■ Here are some football previews on the Atlantic Coast Conference.
■ Here is a prep football preview in Tennessee's Daily News Journal. My hometown newspaper, the Charleston Times-Courier, has started to preview local football teams in east central Illinois. (Go Trojans!)
■ Yahoo previews the NFL by touring training camps.
■ Here is College Football Poll's expansive preview of all major conferences and individual award candidates.

Read as many previews as possible in order to find inspiration, transforming these ideas in your own sections. Plagiarism, of course, is an unpardonable sin of journalism. But you can borrow others' ideas in order to recreate them as your own. See an approach you like? Use it in your own packaging and reporting. Like poets and novelists, journalists need to read others' work.

Feel free to provide links to other football preview stories below in the comments section. Good luck.

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Dress for respect at practices (and no cheering in the press box)

2008-08-22T20:42:00.015-04:00

As you head out to practices for interviews the first few weeks of class, please (please!) make sure you dress professionally. Yes, you may be a college student. And, yes, you may be running to practice right after class. But you can still dress professionally for your sports gig. Don't wear t-shirts that promote drinking or say 'I'm with stupid' and don't wear ripped, cruddy hats. (And never wear them backward.) Take some pride in your profession. Shorts are fine for practices, but try to wear a collared shirt. Coaches and sports information directors will take you more seriously for your efforts. I recently polled 79 sports information directors who said college journalists rarely act or dress professionally . Nearly 55 percent of SIDs said students never, or rarely, dress professionally for interviews or at games. Only 7.6 percent of students usually, or always dressed, appropriately, they claimed. Yet, countless college sportswriters complain they are not treated like the professional reporters. Act professionally if you expect to be treated with respect.

One more thing: No cheering in the press box. Yes, you may be assigned to cover your university, but you may not cheer, clap or high-five others. You are supposed to be an objective observer. If you want to cheer, go buy a ticket and sit in the stands.

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Check out syllabus for sports reporting

2008-08-21T14:49:00.000-04:00

Anybody who has read this blog knows my respect and admiration for Steve Klein, a talented and inventive sports journalist and professor. Professors looking to develop a sports reporting class ought to check out the website for his classes at George Mason. I will post mine by the weekend as well, but here's the link to Steve's website for his sports reporting class.
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Create good sports reporting habits early

2008-08-21T13:25:00.005-04:00

Sports journalists are returning to campus ahead of the rest of the student body in order to publish that first week's newspaper. Many college athletes have also returned to campus, preparing for lengthy seasons of soccer, cross country, football, and volleyball, among other sports. (And some teachers, like myself, are also gearing up for an exciting academic year.) That first issue can be a challenge. Here are some tips for preparing that first issue.

First, do something as simple as heading out to a practice. Introduce yourself to coaches, trainers, and managers and watch the players work out. Many times, the managers and trainers are your best sources. They are there for every pass, corner kick, and ankle sprain. You can get a lot of background from these folks, information that can lead to news stories and features. But also watch the practices. Don't write; just observe. Get accustomed to these practice sessions. Afterward, you can jot down a few thoughts and observations. Make sure the players see you at these practices so they know you are working as hard as they are, credibility that can lead to better working relationships and conversations. Attending practices is one of the most important things a sportswriter can do. Make this a habit. Not that you should blow off that afternoon calculus class. (Only kidding. I know sportswriters like myself can spell calculus much, much better than they can quantify derivatives and integrals.)

Make sure you also write a season preview story. This can be done the second week, but try to publish it before your conference schedule begins. You'll need to get some background information first, determining, for example, the top players who return to each team. You'll also want to determine which teams have the toughest schedules in and out of the conference. Check these websites frequently, if not daily. This is another habit that will yield great news and feature stories. You will also write much more informed game stories as well. One more thing – check if your conference schedules a weekly press conference by phone. If so, ask to be included so you can learn more about your sport and so you can ask questions for notebooks, features and game previews.

One more suggestion for preview stories – interview opposing coaches and players as much as you cite your own players in order to get a fuller, more balanced look at your team's chances this season. This also yields a much more impressive clip.

We'll talk about this some more later, but start blogging on your team's practices even if only to offer a short note or a few observations. This can be especially helpful at newspapers that do not publish daily (but dailies should do this as well.) And file these dispatches right after practice. Eventually, you should start posting game stories as soon as they are completed. A more developed version can be published in the print editions or updated after you interview players and coaches.

Finally, make sure you introduce yourself to your school's sports information directors, athletic directors and coaches – even if only to pop in their offices for a few minutes. Reporting is about developing relationships.

Also, check this blog for more information on reporting through the school year. Now that school is back in session, I will be posting at least two to three times a week. You can also contact me at jgisondi@gmail.com if you have questions or suggestions.

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Gonzo (sports) journalism

2008-07-18T09:38:00.003-04:00

Hunter Thompson was more than a drug-inhaling, liquor-imbibing, self-aggrandizing radical journalist. A new book claims the man who put Gonzo into journalism, writing subjectively, profanely and sarcastically, was also a sports journalist. Not that Thompson made many deadlines, apparently. In Outlaw Journalist, UF journalism professor William McKeen reveals that Thompson loved sports, covering Super Bowls, heavyweight title fights, and marathons. CBS Sportsline’s Greg Hardy interviews McKeen about the man whom he calls “the world’s luckiest failure as a sportswriter."

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Student journalists offer 1 side

2008-06-03T10:58:00.001-04:00

There are always at least two sides to any story – unless that story happens to be about sports on college campuses. Or so it appears based upon a recent survey of college sports journalists. (A few weeks ago, I surveyed 72 college sports journalists and college advisers, along with 79 sports information directors. The results will be published in College Media Review.)

More than half of those responding say they rarely or never interview players and coaches from opposing teams for any of the following stories – gamers, previews, profiles, and features. Just over 10 percent of all college sports journalists say they interview opposing players and coaches for these same stories. That's a shame. Sports journalists cannot be lazy reporters. Sportswriters already have a poor reputation as borderline journalists who write for the toys department or serve as PR hacks for teams even though some of the finest reporters can be found in the sports department. Unless a locker room is closed, there is no excuse for not grabbing a quick comment from the other locker room or dugout. And there is absolutely no reason for not calling opposing coaches and players for game previews, profiles and features. That's how readers – and sports reporters – gain perspective on their local, or campus, teams. As sports journalists, we need to work hard and report in much more depth.

This summer you may be out there covering Little League baseball or travel softball. Treat these sports the same as you would college and professional teams. Introduce yourself to the opposing coach and ask to speak to some of these other kids. You'll learn a lot about the game. And readers will be terribly impressed – as will the sports editors who may consider hiring you some day.
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Rugby is quietly building momentum

2008-05-22T08:53:00.003-04:00

Robert Husseman, a sports copy editor for the Oregon Daily Emerald, writes that the University of Oregon could be the first major Division I program to adopt women's rugby as an NCAA sport. The club team recently petitioned Oregon's athletic department, asking for NCAA status. This does not guarantee the sport will be established on the Eugene campus; however, it does show that women's rugby is quietly building some momentum. The sport is currently on the NCAA's emerging sports list, which essentially means that the NCAA has given it 10 years to garner enough teams to offer a championship. So far, five universities play women's rugby – Eastern Illinois University, West Chester (Pa.) University, Bowdoin College, Southern Vermont College and Norwich University – which is far below the required 40 teams needed to earn championship status. But the NCAA would probably extend women's rugby an additional five or 10 years if momentum continues to build. According to Husseman, petitions have been circulated through 50-plus universities, including Colorado, Missouri and California. Robert did a fine job exploring a complex topic, and offering salient details, significant background, and solid reporting on Oregon's petition. Check it out.

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Has sports journalism really lost its game?

2008-04-25T09:22:00.011-04:00

Sportswriting today is unimaginative, sentimental, superficial, and sensational. At least, those are some of the claims made by Utne's Michael Rowe in "How Sportswriting Lost Its Game."

Rowe ponders: Does sports journalism suck? Overall, he seems to believe that opinion suffocates analysis, that stats derail stories, that analysis is empty, and that profiles are vacuous. On the other hand, Rowe cites several exemplary stories as well, such as Chuck Klosterman's piece on the Boston Celtics' transformation -- a story that is self-aware and which invokes first person, approaches that are usually eschewed in journalism classes and news rooms.

Using 'I' is a no-no everywhere except in the blogosphere, or so it seems. (I know, I know. You're saying, 'Joe, that's an obvious statement.' But, like other bloggers, I had to find a way to insert myself into this post.) Actually, using 'I' in a news story may jolt some editors, prompting them to find a 'better way' to tell the story in a more traditional, third-person omniscient manner. Using 'I' may also elicit anger (or jealousy) among print journalists who hate the self-promotional approach used by ESPN's anchors, by sports talk radio 'personalities,' and even by cross-over print journalists like Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon (who remain excellent sports journalists). Like with anything else, though, 'I' can be used both expertly by seasoned writers like Klosterman, and poorly by younger reporters who have not read much. (And reading, really, is the key to good writing. Read Gary Smith. Gay Talese. John Feinstein. Frank DeFord. Sports Illustrated. And books like Seabiscuit, Red Rose Crew and In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle.)

Rowe also notes some other excellent examples, like one the New York Times ran on sexual harassment at Jets games and another that is really a series of dispatches on the Sonics' pending move from Seattle. These eclectic pieces are compelling, even if they are sometimes crude, like the one where the author drops an F-bomb, a word that would be as welcome in a news room as 'I' or 'layoffs.'

Whenever LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony come to town, I am happy to see local folks wearing their jerseys. I respect other people's basketball passions, even if they are vaguely treasonous. But whenever Kobe Bryant comes to town, my stomach burns with hate. So last week when I walked into Key Arena and saw at least a thousand people wearing Kobe-fucking-Bryant jerseys, I almost vomited.

Yet, Sherman Alexie does not pivot on this single expletive; instead, he turns toward a sad, subtle point about empty moral victories. In another dispatch, Alexie connects the Sonics' pending departure to Oklahoma to other national problems -- unregulated hedge funds, socialism, and Marxism -- before concluding that he would love to play hoops with Karl Marx's ghost so they could "have a long talk about the soulless billionaires who love to reap where they've never sowed." In another piece, he remarkably finds a way to blend Emily Dickinson's poetry with hope.

Rowe, though, believes that good sports journalism is rare, calling these exemplary pieces "islands in a sea of dead, beaten horses." Are these pieces unique? Certainly. But that's true for anything -- certain stories, art work, or buildings are better than others. As Rowe indicates, sports journalism can be overly sentimental, especially in formulaic profiles whose narrative goes from youthful struggles to current success (or vice verse). Single or double-source profiles do suck. In addition, Rowe notes that sports sections include way to many notes and briefs, that stories rarely have an overarching point, and that blogs frame news as debate, arguing points instead of digging into stories.

But Rowe is a little too harsh. Sports journalism is not as dire as Rowe and Richard Ford state. There's a lot of good local sports journalism in community newspapers that chronicle kids playing in youth leagues, competing for their local high school, or about adults running in 10K races or shooting a 300 game in the local bowling league. Sure, some of these pieces can be reported better, but what do you tell the sports reporter who wrote eight or nine pieces that week? How is he going to find the time to hang out for several days with a player or coach? Not that this sportswriter shouldn't push to develop a series or shouldn't work on a large profile piece, stories that delve into a topic important to the local community. (And which will provide an impressive clip for potential future employers.) But sportswriters at weeklies and small dailies need to work these into a busy schedule filled with game stories and short profiles.

This is not to dismiss Rowe's points. Rowe is correct to ask for more sophisticated and contemplative narrative journalism.

I want sportswriting to offer evidence of athletic struggle, not celebrity, evidence that “professional” sports tells me something about the cruelty, appeal, and exhilaration of playing. Fans and sportswriters, spectators all, may try to get inside sport, but few of us are on the sidelines and even fewer are on the field. Readers have been left to digest fantasy fluff and their own obsessions. If it has become increasingly difficult to admire athletes and appreciate sports, we ought to realize that their potential for narrative, for story, made them newsworthy in the first place.

We do need more intelligent storytelling and reporting. Check out Rowe's piece for more on these points. It's a good read.

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To err is human, but to make a fielder's choice can also be divine

2008-04-22T09:35:00.010-04:00

You're covering a game, taking notes and faced with the following scenario: A runner is on second with no outs. The batter slaps an easy grounder to the pitcher, who, instead of firing the ball to first for the easy out, turns and starts to throw to third, where the base runner is headed. However, the third baseman does not get back to the base in time so the pitcher turns back to first. But she does not throw the ball since the hitter is only a few steps from the base. So now runners stand on first and third. How do you score this?

I faced this scenario last weekend during a girls softball game. At the time, our scorekeeper asked: "How the heck do you score that one?" He immediately received two conflicting answers. I said: "E-1," denoting that this play should be scored an error on the pitcher. The other coach said, "Fielder's choice. You can't score this an error if she didn't throw the ball." Both of us have played and watched baseball for more than 30 years, yet we were at odds on this play. So where does one turn for answers? That's always a challenge, especially when you are covering a game held in a small town, far from an official scorer.

I've carried rules books to games in the past, although not as frequently as I should have. Now, I carry the National Softball Association's official rule book in my car, but it does not address this scoring scenario. Instead,this book focuses more on equipment, base running, and other clearly stated rules of the game. Keeping score is not a priority within this text. Zack Hample's Watching Baseball Smarter is another excellent resource, explaining the context, lingo and strategy of baseball; however, this book does not focus on scoring plays like the one noted above.

You might want to purchase an official major league baseball or NCAA rules book. If you have access to the Internet, you can also go to sites that outline rules for major league baseball, NCAA softball, NCAA baseball, and youth softball. Some state high school associations, like Florida and Illinois, post their rules manuals online that can be downloaded, printed, and stashed in a briefcase or backpack. (The NCAA has even posted a video outlining rules changes for baseball this season.)

Still, some plays are harder to define than others. In cases like this, I usually try to delete what the play isn't or cross-reference several resources to find an answer. For example, one online resource confirmed my call, indicating the pitcher should be assessed an error since 'ordinary effort' would have led to the team getting at least one out. But what is 'ordinary effort'? Judgment plays a part in many scorekeeping calls. On this play, this player could have easily thrown out the hitter, so this definition works. Still, this website could be wrong, so I went to several others, looking for similar scenarios and additional definitions for fielder's choice and error. The Baseball Almanac defined fielder's choice:

FIELDER'S CHOICE is the act of a fielder who handles a fair grounder and, instead of throwing to first base to put out the batter runner, throws to another base in an attempt to put out a preceding runner. The term is also used by scorers
(a) to account for the advance of the batter runner who takes one or more extra bases when the fielder who handles his safe hit attempts to put out a preceding runner;
(b) to account for the advance of a runner (other than by stolen base or error) while a fielder is attempting to put out another runner; and
(c) to account for the advance of a runner made solely because of the defensive team's indifference (undefended steal). That's the same definition cited in MLB's official rules section.

By this definition, this play could not be scored a fielder's choice because the pitcher did not attempt to put out the lead runner. But could this play also be called 'indifference'? Probably not, because the team did want to get at least one out. So fielder's choice does not appear to be the correct call.

I next checked my favorite book about baseball rules, Baseball Field Guide, a book that illustrates the rules of the game like no other. The authors, Dan Formosa and Paul Hamburger, rely on illustrations and clear writing to clarify and define rules of the game, such as when a batted ball landing near home plate is fair or foul, the rules vs. the reality of where umpires will call a strike, and the 16 ways a batter is out. The 240-page book, which is about the size of a reporter's notebook, can fit nicely into any satchel or back pocket. The book is also indexed, my favorite feature of all.

The authors define fielder's choice as a play in which a fielder must choose between at least two runners -- "putting one of them out instead of the other." Since this pitcher did not attempt to put out a different runner, this definition appears to work. But my scenario is not clearly defined as an error in this book, either. Physical miscues, like dropped balls and errant throws, are typically judged as errors, not mental lapses.

So what is an error? According to MLB rule 10.12, an error is assessed when a fielder's actions assist the team at bat. Errors include misplays, wild throws, and muffs. This rules does not apply to mental errors, misjudgments and bad hops: "The official scorer shall not charge an error to a fielder who incorrectly throws to the wrong base on a play." This would probably apply to a player who intended to throw to the wrong base. Fielder's choice? Perhaps.

So why spend so much time trying to determine a call that did not affect the winner of a game? Two reasons -- one, we want to offer correct information; and, two, because researching plays like this makes us more knowledgeable about the games we cover. On deadline, we may not be able to thoroughly research plays, but we can revisit plays like this in second-day game stories, notebooks, or features. To do nothing at all is clearly an error on our part.

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Apply for this great sports scholarship

2008-04-17T18:12:00.007-04:00

Just received the following information for an Associated Press Sports Editors scholarship. Check it out and send something in.

Here's the information from the release.

The Associated Press Sports Editors are sponsoring four $1,500 scholarship for collegiate sports journalists.

APSE, a national organization of sports editors, is awarding four scholarships to help motivate talented students to pursue a career in sports journalism. Collegiate sports journalists entering their sophomore, junior or senior years are eligible for the scholarship which will awarded based on the students' journalistic work, their academic record, financial need, and geography. The scholarships will be awarded to students from four different regions of the United States. The winners will be chosen by the APSE scholarship committee, which is chaired by Joe Sullivan, sports editor of the Boston Globe and includes editors from all sections of the United States.

Please have them include the following information in their letter of application:
- Personal: Name, address, age, phone number.
- Academic: A copy of the student's collegiate grades.
- Financial: A brief rundown of the student's financial situation, with regards to how he/she plans to pay for tuition and copies of any pertinent records including the copies of the FAFSA form EFC and family’s income tax return.
- Letters of recommendation: One or more from teachers/employers.
- Five examples of sports journalism (usually stories but could also be sections the student has edited).
- Finalists may be contacted for an interview .

Mail information to:
APSE Scholarship
c/o Joe Sullivan, Sports Editor
Boston Globe
135 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02205-2845

Deadline for applications is June 1. For more information contact Joe Sullivan at the Boston Globe 617-929-2845, jtsullivan@globe.com.

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Put together a tennis package

2008-04-16T02:45:00.007-04:00

Several conferences will hold their tennis championships during the next few weeks. A conference championship is always big news, but, sometimes, sports like tennis get dismissed because they are not perceived as 'major' sports. That's a shame. Just because 10,000 people do not pack the local courts does not mean we should dismiss this sport. We should cover tennis just like we would do basketball and football.

That means you could put together a package that includes capsules, a well-researched preview and, perhaps, a column. During the tournament, you could also write daily gamers (which can be published online during the weekend.) Next season, you might want to develop a tennis blog as well. (I'd recommend you start a blog for every sports team on your campus.)

There are many ways to cover the ACC tennis championships this weekend. First, you might want to determine match-ups. Georgia Tech, for example, plays its first match Friday when the Yellow Jackets will face either North Carolina State or Wake Forest in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference women's championships at Sanlando Park (a long lob from my old house in Altamonte Springs, Fla.) Who's the better opponent for the four-time regular-season champ? Checking the stats will yield some information. You could also ask Georgia Tech's players to assess these two opponents. Which players have played them tougher? Finally, you may want to speak with players at both N.C. State and Wake Forest, asking them how they feel about playing Georgia Tech again. Yes, making so many calls can be a challenge, but the insights offered would be impressive.

Beat coverage fosters this type of in-depth coverage. It is difficult to get so much information so quickly -- especially if you rarely speak with players after matches on your courts. A tennis beat writer would not only have better perspective, but would also have contact information for opposing players and coaches. (Yet another reason to interview opposing players for game stories.) Some staffs cover tennis based upon phone calls. That is unfortunate because the best stories come from watching matches first-hand.

Even if your school has not covered as many matches as you would have liked, you can still put together a pretty good package. First, assemble capsules that can include school names, school records, coach's names and career records, the top five singles players in order and the top two doubles teams (along with their respective records). If you want to be more ambitious, you may also want to add a question or two to the bottom of the capsules, such as "What do you need to do to win the conference tournament?" or "Who could be the surprise team of this tournament?" While making these calls, you may want to ask another question or two for a preview story. Packages like this take time and effort, but they will yield much for readers wanting to learn more about the tournament. And they serve as great clips for your portfolio as well.

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S.I. offers great lessons to young writers

2008-04-15T11:41:00.009-04:00

You learn how to write by reading. How else can you learn to craft a great lead, to develop a compelling anecdote, and to write fluidly and precisely? Read, take notes, analyze, repeat the process endlessly. All writers need to keep a journal. In mine, I take notes from books and articles, citing phrases and words that I try to infuse into my own writing. I learned that areas can be scalloped with natural harbors, that a light fog can make people appear wraithlike, and that an insecure man may offer a maladroit joke. Without such diligence, your own writing may also become clumsy. Always push your writing to the next level. That means reading good writers. There are few better than those writing for Sports Illustrated, still the premiere sports magazine anywhere in the world. S.I. offers some requisite smaller features like news to note, Q&A and a Who's Hot list, but these are really filler for the main course -- in-depth, compelling features that offer insights into athletes, society, and sports themselves. Stories that are told by talented writers, whose finely polished, precise language reads more like a short story than a clumsy news dispatch.

L. Jon Wertheim supplies this week's gem in the April 14 edition in "Breaking the Bank," a story that recalls a bank heist by a former Ultimate Fighting Championship brawler. This story also has an important lesson for sports editors and page designers -- sell your stories. Here's the headline and the preamble:

Breaking the Bank
Four years ago, 'Lightening' Lee Murray made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in Las Vegas. Today he sits in a prison cell in Morocco, the alleged mastermind in the largest cash heist in history. So tell us: Is that something you might find interesting?"

Wertheim, who has written several books on sports, breaks this story into four parts. He leads with a compelling scene, one that includes a kidnap, a robbery, an inside man, and high-powered weapons. He goes into the minds of both the man kidnapped, the bank's manager, and the mastermind, the former UFC fighter. Wertheim shows how the manager was blindfolded and told his family, also nabbed, would die if he did not comply. Right away, Wertheim has established story, character and plot. After doing this, Wertheim breaks into a second section where he profiles the mastermind, former UFC fighter Lee Murray. Too many writers reverse this structure, offering background on someone first before telling the main story. Keep background information in the background -- and do not cite such details as if it were a chore. Don't cite facts about a person's life. Instead, learn stories and details that help define a person's life. Speak to as many people as possible and read as much as you can in order to better understand this person's life. That's what Wertheim does in this second section. Lee Murray was not born in 1977. Instead, Wertheim writes: "Lee Murray came into the world in 1977 with his fists balled, and he never quite seemed to unclench them."

In the next section, Wertheim returns to the aftermath of the heist, showing how the robbers got caught. Then, he shows how the gang was rounded up in the final section. Notice how well Wertheim understands the situation in the passage below (and consider the research needed to gain such an authoritative voice):

The suspects, though, also did plenty to hasten their demise. Mirroring Murray's fighting career -- disciplined and methodical in MMA; arrogant and unthinking in street brawls -- the same thieves who had been smooth and poised in actual pilferage could scarcely have been sloppier in the aftermath. Some gang members boasted to friends about the heist. One of the vehicles used in the crime was set afire in the middle of a field, attracting attention. The money was poorly hidden. Oceans 11 quickly devolved into a comedy of errors that recalled the Al Pacino classic Dog Day Afternoon.

Wertheim relies on interviews, documents and testimony for much of his information. At times, he writes "It was revealed" or "He would later testify." There is nothing wrong with stepping aside for a moment to clarify a point to the reader. That happens in all kinds of storytelling.

There are many lessons to be learned from reading pieces like this. Take note of several things when you read others. Language is the first to jump out. List and define words in a notebook. Make sure you also take note of other elements in stories -- how a writer learned key details, how a story is structured, and how frequently quotes are used. Wertheim's story read more like a narrative that included few quotes. Too many writers rely on quotes to tell the story, instead of working to understand the story themselves. Try applying some of these lesson in your next story. That's how you become a better writer.

Happy readings.

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Sports Institute seeks applicants

2008-04-06T11:10:00.002-04:00

The Sports Institute is again seeking applicants for its terrific summer sports program held in Boston from June 2-27. Sports reporters from the Boston Herald, Boston Globe and the Providence Journal will offer seminars on a wide variety of topics. Here is the information from the institute’s web site. You may want to check it out.

Participants in the program will take four courses over the period of study, meeting a minimum of four hours a week per course. The intensive area of study will be open to current Boston University students as well as students from other colleges and universities. College students must have at least junior or above status. Graduate students are welcome as well. Professionals seeking career advancement are encouraged to enroll.

Tuition for the four week program is $4,000. Living expenses are not included in this fee. Contact Prof. Shorr via email with further questions:fshorr@bu.edu. The Sports Institute at Boston University is affiliated with sportsmediaguide.com.

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Nothing inconceivable about Davidson writer's success

2008-03-25T09:56:00.013-04:00

Davidson had just pulled off two improbable victories. Stephen Curry scored 30 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer with a minute left to lead the Wildcats to a mild upset of Gonzaga, 82-76, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Curry then helped Davidson erase a 15-point second-half deficit to stun Georgetown, 74-70, to advance into the Sweet Sixteen.

The cheering in the RBC Center in Raleigh was deafening. Students on campus were screaming and yelling. And the school's marketing director was probably popping champagne.

The college's newspaper, unfortunately, did not post anything on its website, leaving readers of the Davidsonian with a column on racism and a feature assessing student involvement on campus. (By the way, the paper gave fans an A- for fan support at basketball games but only a D+ for support at other school athletic events.) That schools do not regularly post online is -- I feel like Vizzini from the Princess Bride but I'll say it anyway -- almost inconceivable. Yet, there you have it.

The weekly paper did not have a word about a story that transcends sport. It is breaking news. In its defense, the school has only 1,700 students and does not have a journalism program. Thank goodness, Will Bryan stepped in to fill this void for Davidson basketball fans by covering games, notes and issues on his terrific blog. Will's World offers TV clips from interviews on Pardon The Interruption, CBS highlights of games, as well as commentary, gamers - and a live blog, or glog.

Will introduces readers to Davidson in a recent post, explaining that the college (not university) has both an excellent academic and athletic history (Lefty Driesell twice coached the school to the Elite Eight in the 1960s.)

More impressively, Will has been blogging since 2005. Like many bloggers, he first wrote more about his personal life. Eventually, he explored other subjects and approaches like making NFL picks. By 2006, he had started to write more regularly on the Davidson basketball program. Will clearly has learned much about new media and writing from his regular postings. I will repeat: Every young journalist needs to start blogging on a regular basis. Will proves that you do not have to work at a daily paper to write daily. Start one today. You won't regret it.

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Journalists are ready for the Big Cliche

2008-03-19T19:27:00.013-04:00

I feel like putting on my dancing shoes, baby. It's time for the Big Dance where a Cinderella always pops up. And it's also that time when cliches run rampant. Writers and editors especially love using the Big Dance, but they also enjoy many other cliches. Many of these cliches are overused well before the NCAA Tournament begins. Games are frequently called tilts, teams fight back when their backs are against the wall, victories are hard-fought, and players assert ther will.

Headline writers particularly love to use Big Dance. TV Guide plays off the Irish dance troupe, writing: "Lords of the Big Dance: NCAA March Madness 2008 Preview." And Austin Peay's editors are excited that the "Govs advance to the big dance," although the reporter refrained from using that term. ESPN writes that "Cinderellas at Big Dance share common attributes." Detroit Free-Press editors wrote that Michigan State's women were "left off 64-team Big Dance card."

The Sporting News breaks down the game between No. 6 USC and No. 11 Kansas State by stating: "The showdown of super freshmen Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo should be enough to keep everybody glued to the screen. This is probably one-and-done for someone's NCAA Tournament career and perhaps the only chance to see either Beasley or Mayo in the Big Dance." You can also check out the NCAA bracket history for the Big Dance.

Many college newspapers refrained from using this cliche. The Independent Alligator did a fine job covering the Gators, explaining that the team would not defend its men's basketball title. The GW Hatchet, meanwhile, writes that the George Washington women are preparing for the Big Dance. Who knows? Maybe they'll also be a Cinderella team. The Arizona Daily Wildcat did not yield to cliches. College newspapers covering the No. 1-seeded teams in the two tournamenta did a fine job offering stories that included context but that were not riddled with dancing references. Check out particularly solid coverage in the Daily Tarheel and Daily Bruin.

But, alas, neither writers nor editors can stop using this slam-dunk reference, one that everybody understands. Even the Wall Street Journal argues that the field for the Big Dance is mediocre. Sigh. Please, work hard to at least keep such references out of the stories themselves. Your readers -- and prose -- will thank you for your efforts.

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Don’t get personal, earn athletes’ respect

2008-03-07T11:27:00.010-05:00

Here are a few more highlights from two sports panels I attended a few weeks ago during the Illinois College Press Association. As expected, the writers and editors at the Chicago Tribune offered some terrific advice on a wide range of topics.

On writing blogs
This is where writers put breaking news, notes and observations. For example, if Lou Piniella says anything during spring training, the paper’s baseball writer, Paul Sullivan, will add those comments on the blog. “We reserve the nuanced, analytical stories for print,” says Tribune sports editor Dan McGrath. … Many blogs offer fan perspectives, but this information is not always verified. Instead, many blogs offer rumors or rely on reporting done by newspapers. That’s where news organizations play a key role. “Somebody has to provide that content,” McGrath said, “But it has to be responsible content. … Everybody has an opinion. We try to have an informed opinion.” … Journalists love to get recognized for breaking stories online. Said McGrath: “We put it up there and get it out. And then we check ESPN to see if they pick it up and cite us.” … John Mullin, the Tribune’s long-time Bears beat writer, says the best bloggers are accurate and passionate about their subject.

On print content
Newspapers want more stories – and they are looking for people who can find and tell them. So work on reporting – and storytelling – skills. Take courses in creative writing and creative non-fiction. Last season, the Tribune eschewed the story everybody else sought – how home-run king Hank Aaron felt about losing his record. Instead, the paper sought out Sadaharu Oh, who hit 868 career homers while playing in Japan. Said McGrath: “We try to produce content that other people can’t, or don’t, have.”

On working as a sports journalist
Tribune prep writer Dave Sirico says he loves covering preps as much as he did covering horse racing. He says the love for sports is what drives him to do his job. “If you enjoy the thrill of competition and writing about it,” he said, “you’ve picked the right career.” … McGrath said he feels blessed to be a sports journalist. Phil Hersh, who wrote game stories on his brother’s typewriter as a kid, says he doesn’t have a single regret with his career. “I know it sounds old-fashioned,” Sirico said, “but your job is your reward.” … Mullin offers this reminder: “I don’t cover sports. I cover people. That’s where the stories really are.”

On covering high school sports
Sirico covers games about five to six days a week, most of which are published on the Tribune’s website. There’s a refreshingly innocent quality among many prep athletes – especially those who participate in sports that do not typically receive much attention like cross country, soccer, and swimming. Sirico says he loves the energy connected to high school sports. “These kids pour their whole soul into their sports before friends, family, and teachers.” Reporters also need to pour their own souls into their stories, regardless the event or topic. “You should believe your story is the most important event of the day,” Sirico said. Phil Hersh, who has covered Olympic events, the Tour de France and the World Cup, says reporters should treat every assigned story the same. “In a high school gym, you do not care what else is going on. You should treat it with the respect it deserves.”

On high school recruiting
This highly controversial topic probably deserves a more in-depth view at some later date. We should treat kids differently than we do professional athletes for a variety of reasons – not the least of which is that high school athletes are still kids, no matter how much we try to publicize phenoms like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. A 17- or 18-year-old is not nearly as a mature as a 24 or 34-year-old – typically. Put aside your cynicism. Treat these kids differently. You can still call these kids to find out where they are going. Unlike boosters and coaches, sports journalist are not trying to convince them where to attend school. (Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl recently analyzed problems related to recruiting – how fans get so angry they taunt and verbally abuse opposing players and their families. Disgusting stuff.) Sirico usually checks with key recruits about once a week. “Sometimes, I think we lose site as to why they are out there in the first place.” Competition seems to become secondary during recruiting season, he said. “You still have kids out there playing their butts off. People are interested in recruiting so we have to do it, but I hope it doesn’t become the central focus of what we do.” Dan McGrath calls the emphasis on prep recruiting distasteful. “I think we’re almost at the tipping point where we don’t let them be kids anymore,” he said. “And we’re as guilty as anyone.”

On being right, not first
Hersh would rather be accurate than first. Take the time to verify information, otherwise you will look foolish. And if someone else beats you to a story, show respect and class. “It’s important to be first,” Hersh said. “But it’s way, way, way more important to be right. You’re going to get beat sometimes on any beat. If that happens, acknowledge your peers, repeat the news and go on.”

On ego
Player and coaches know more about their respective sports than we do. Remember that. Don’t criticize unless you truly know all there is to know (And, even then, be careful.) Sports journalists frequently write that coaches should be fired, players benched, and programs reprimanded. Shouldn’t we rather report the facts on these points and let the readers decide? Save the mud-slinging and second-guessing to fans and radio sports show hosts. As journalists, we should spend more time reporting so we have a more informed opinion. “The 53rd guy on the Bears roster has forgotten more than I’ll ever know about football,” says Mullin, who has covered pro football for more than two decades.

On writing columns
Columns are not places to bloviate. Rather, they are places for carefully crafted, fully investigated, and informed opinion. “A columnist who does little reporting will not be very helpful,” says McGrath.

On whining
A coach yells at you. So what? A player refuses to talk with you. Ho hum. Readers are not interested in this information. Find a way to work around these challenges. Talk with these people later, after tempers have subsided. If this does not work, talk with your sports information director or athletic director. Unless the issue affects other aspects of the team, avoid writing about it. “Fan don’t care if players don’t like you,” Mullin said.

On getting personal
You don’t think a player or coach is doing her job. Fine. Talk with teammates and opposing coaches/players. Investigate whether this is true. Then discuss the manners in which the team, or player, is not playing well. You can use specific moments in games and actions off the field. But there is never a reason – ever – to demean anybody. “I always felt [Bulls general manager] Jerry Krause was maligned by the press,” Mullin said. “People would write that he had food stains on his shirt or that he was fat. That’s just mean.” … That’s unconscionable, says Neil Milbert, the Tribune’s college basketball writer. Beat writers need to be fair – and then need to go in the locker room the next day “to take the heat.” Jay Mariotti, who writes for the Chicago Sun-Times, has been derided by his peers for refusing to go inside locker rooms after games. John Mullin says coaches and players should have the opportunity to offer their opinions to sports journalists as well. A few seasons ago, Mullin wrote a story about locker-room spies that angered then Bears coach Dave Wannstedt who yelled at him for several days – even though they had sometimes ridden bikes together during training camps. Said Mullin: “But my story wasn’t personal and he realized that.” And they continued to talk through the season.

On showing up to practices
Athletes respect writers who put in the same effort they do. Do not just appear at games or use stats from the sports information office. Get out to the fields and courts to get to know the players, earn trust, and find stories. “Show up before the season starts,” Mullin said. “Go to off-season workouts and go to practices. By November, in their minds, they’ve seen you every day since summer. That engenders respect. You’ve been there for the whole trip with them. They know who’s been there and who has not. You’re sweating along with them.”

On asking questions after a bad loss
Body language is important. Don’t appear you’re happy that a team, or player, lost. And don’t take cheap shots. (You never seemed able to handle the ball today, Rex. Why do you suppose you fumbled the ball so many times?) Instead, temper your questions with phrases like “I hate to ask,” “I hate to bring this up,” or “I need to ask you about.” Don’t act embittered when your team loses, Mullin says, acting as if the athletes betrayed you by losing.

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The real fields of dreams

2008-03-02T20:17:00.009-05:00

Greg Hardy lists some items to consider during spring training in his most recent column for The (Columbia) State, something that also serves as a primer for the upcoming major league baseball season. Greg, who is a friend of mine, also regularly writes irreverent columns for cbssportsline.com’s Spin. Check him out.

Greg’s column elicited more than a few smiles, reminding me of great times spent in Florida ballparks before I moved to Illinois. There really is no better line than “catchers and pitchers report to spring training.” And there is truly no better place to be than a spring training game.

Greg inspired me to offer my own spring training list, one that is alphabet challenged since it only goes from C to Y (with a few other letters left out.) Here goes.

C – Conversations with fans sitting nearby, hearing stories from old men (and women) about retired players like Harmon Killebrew, Ted Williams and Sandy Koufax.
D – Thinking of my dad who taught me respect and love through the greatest game ever. I miss hearing his stories, laughing when he told a lame joke, and just hanging out with my pop.
E – Early games where teams use four or five pitchers and insert only a few veterans, games where you can see players whose hearts and souls are focused on every pitch.
F – Four-hour games. Yes, that's right. During spring training where else would you want to be than in a place where young kids are fighting for a roster spot, the sun is shining, and your team still has a shot? As a matter of fact, I'll usually head out to a spring game a few hours early to see batting practice and to hear fungos cracking fly balls to rookies and veterans alike. With all due respect to those fields in Iowa, heaven is really spring training sites like those at Winter Haven, Tucson, and Fort Myers – places where dreams truly come true.
G – Seeing young girls with gloves shagging foul balls and keeping score. Loving the fact my daughters and I can speak about the game as my father and I had.
H – In March, we all believe our team can win – even fans in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. And it can happen. Who thought the Rockies would reach the World Series or that the Brewers would come close to postseason play? Hope is important. (Just ask the millions who have voted for Barack Obama.)
I – Innocence still lives on in places like Vero Beach and Kissimmee despite efforts to commercialize these spring training games.
K – Kids reaching over the railing with their programs, excited to even get an autograph from players numbered 88 and 92.
R – Seeing a rookie succeed despite their anxiety and fears. Last year, we watched Hunter Pence drive in the winning run in an extra-inning game in Kissimmee. He nearly won the NL's rookie of year award.
S – Sunny days where fans can kick back, casually read a program, and escape their worries.
W – Hearing wood bats cracking rather than the pings echoing in so many high school and college parks. Ban aluminum bats before someone gets killed.
Y – Yogi Berra played with exuberance, determination, and respect for the game. He won 10 World Series rings, but never gave up. If players like Yogi can't attract fans, nothing will. Or, as Yogi once said: "If people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody's gonna stop them."

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Immerse yourself in the new world of sports journalism

2008-02-28T16:18:00.015-05:00

Don’t despair when you read that newspapers are losing readers or that news organizations are laying off workers. Seriously.

That people are losing jobs is sad news, to be sure, but this is no reason to abandon hope in journalism. Newspaper websites are gaining readers online, specifically younger readers who are engaged in today's news and issues, according to several surveys. And online advertising is solidly growing, accounting for about $2.3 billion of total newspaper revenue last year -- more than twice the total from 2003.

These changes have also created more opportunities, says Chicago Tribune sports editor Dan McGrath. "We know the audience is out there," McGrath said during a panel at the Illinois College Press Association last week. "We just need to find a way to reach them."

Phil Hersh, who has covered international sports since 1987, says he can now reach a much wider audience at all times of the day. No longer do newspapers rely upon a 24-hour cycle. News is breaking? Put it online. Readers are on all sorts of time schedules, something that is clear to Hersh, who files stories and gamers at all hours of the day at the Tour de France, World Cup Soccer, and the Olympics. "There's no paradigm shift like we've had with the Internet," he told the students in Chicago. "When we had the goalie controversy with the U.S. women's team last year, I sent five paragraphs on my Blackberry at four a.m. (CST). By five a.m., we already had five comments."

McGrath said game coverage is changing quickly, especially at events that are completed early in the day, like the U.S. Soccer World Cup and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In these instances, the traditional news cycle implodes. By noon, the paper will probably file the traditional game story online for events that had concluded earlier that morning (in U.S. time). Then, the writer may revise this gamer with updated information and the featurized leads typically reserved for second-day folos. By the next morning, this story is already old news to many readers, meaning newspapers may opt to either published a condensed version or instead use a featurized story long on storytelling

As newspapers shift coverage, they'll offer more features and columns in printed sports sections. That means storytelling (and deeper reporting) will take on an even larger role in presenting sports. (Fiction writing should be a required class for all sports reporters wanting to learn structure, character, plot and conflict. Just don't make anything up when you return to journalism work.)

Blogs are also playing a bigger part in news rooms. College newspapers should include at least one sports blog for breaking news, notes, observations at practices and commentary. Higher profile programs may merit an additional, separate blog where several writers can contribute from the field, filing on laptops or cell phones. To some degree, blogs are often abbreviated columns, where writers test ideas and offer snippets that may evolve into longer pieces. "My blogs tend to be columns in blog form," Hersh said. "I may put out five snarky little paragraphs (like some other blogs), but not that often." Unlike most fan bloggers, journalists offer more significant and relevant information, said McGrath. "Everybody has an opinion," he said. "We just have to have an informed opinion. A columnist who does little reporting will not be very helpful."

Make sure you learn the basics of reporting. But also seek to learn other presentation methods like podcasts, slideshows, and v-casts. News will regularly be read on iPhones, Facebook and other media before you know it. Some news organizations are also producing videos for YouTube. It's a whole new world for journalism - and one that is not nearly as scary as it seems if you prepare yourself well.

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Focus on postseason chances

2008-02-21T10:25:00.001-05:00

It's nearly tournament time in college basketball. At this point of the season, individual accolades are not nearly as important as postseason opportunities. Fans want to know whether their team will qualify for their league tournaments. In college men's basketball, teams like Florida, Oregon, Massachusetts and St. Joseph's are on the proverbial bubble, unsure whether they will reach the NCAA Tournament. Women's teams like Houston, Southern Alabama and Illinois State are also concerned. These teams may have to win their respective college tournaments to reach the NCAA Tournament. (Please, please, please: Do not call this the Big Dance unless you are also going to ruin your copy with terms like charity stripe, dishing the rock, and treys.)

So, focus on your school's postseason chances. Will your school's team even reach the league tournament? Perhaps, the team is in 10th place and only eight teams go, which is the case for our school in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. What will it take to reach the tournament. At what point are they mathematically be eliminated? At what point does the team qualify? That should always be the lead for these game stories. Or perhaps, your team is on the verge of securing a first-round home game that is awarded to the top four teams in the conference. Focus on these angles, unless a player breaks a school record or something unusual happens. Either way, elevate the postseason chances early in your copy at this time of the year.

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What do sports editors want? A mix of new and old skill sets, they say

2008-02-13T09:38:00.007-05:00

A Florida sports editor says nothing is more important than developing news instincts on a beat.

A North Carolina sports editor says he looks for personality, enthusiasm and multimedia experience.

A senior editor in Illinois says sports journalists ought to know – and use – language well.

And a sports editor in Kansas says college students ought to get editing and reporting experience.

Above else, job applicants should know how to develop and insert a wide variety of sources – something some editors look at first. As a matter of fact, many sports editors only briefly review an applicant’s resume before going to the clips. If the clips impress, then the resume and cover letter may get a second look. Beat reporting is essential to attracting some of this attention.

Beat experience is essential to honing reporting skills, forcing sports journalist to cultivate sources, develop story ideas, and learn news values. “I don’t care about the beat they covered,” says the North Carolina sports editor. “Covering high schools is just as good as covering a small college or minor league team. In fact, there are more good stories on the high school beat, and therefore, more opportunity to show your reporting and writing ability.”

Beat coverage also requires reporters to develop organizational skills, a must for many sports editors like the one in Kansas: “I’ve already interviewed one job candidate who admitted he works week-to-week and never plans too far ahead. Strike three right there. Especially with a high school beat where you have to know what’s going on at three dozen schools. Reporters need to be forward thinking and not reactionary.”

Finally, beat reporting helps instill the value of real news. “Nothing is more important than news instincts on a beat writing job,” says Kim Pendery, sports editor for the Tampa Tribune. “It doesn’t matter how gifted a person is if he or she isn’t a good reporter. Beat writers live and breathe their beat and must be determined to break news first. Usually, that’s a matter of effort.”

Sourcing is the single most important way one can stand out in a field populated by college sports journalists who rely mostly on home-team players and coaches. And this is not just the case for game stories. Outside sources are used even more infrequently in profile stories and features. Doing a story on the top scorer on the women’s basketball team? Then, interview opposing coaches and players over the course of several games. You will learn much about this player’s skills that cannot be learned from watching at the scorer’s table or by talking to a few teammates and coaches. Speak to as many outside sources as possible, whose perspective is essential to better understanding an issue and that will impress sports editors.

Sports editors also want to hire writers who are creative, journalists who can find new (and significant) angles in gamers, news features, and profiles. That means college journalists should read – and evaluate – as many books and articles as possible, including non-sports pieces.

“I also value creativity,” says Pendery, whose full title is Senior Editor For Multimedia Sports. “We write a lot of stories through the course of the season. I like someone who sees interesting angles and can do more than deliver the nuts and bolts. Readers have a short attention span and we can’t afford to be complacent and predictable.”

A central Illinois sports editor says applicants should include clips that look beyond the stats. “As far as writing goes, our approach is to avoid game stories filled with stats that could be found elsewhere, says Jim Rossow, sports editor for the News-Gazette in Champaign. “I look for someone to tell me not what happened, but why it happened or how it happened.”

In addition, sports editors are looking for new media skills. “Reporters are equipped with cameras to get shots when photographers are not available,” says a Chicago area editor. “Multitasking has become the rule.”

Rossow points out that his basketball beat reporter does much more than write stories for print each day. The News-Gazette’s University of Illinois beat reporter also does radio three to four times a week, conducts online chats once a week, participates in podcasts twice a week, continually updates the blog on the paper’s web site and regularly speaks on TV. “If I were seeking a writer right now,” says Rossow, “one of my first questions would be: What else can you do other than write?” Ralph Morrow, sports editor for the Key West Citizen, says the shift to multimedia means he’s now much more interested in personality. Enthusiasm goes a long way. Although this is not the most significant trait, personality is now a part of the equation. “I like someone who is Internet friendly,” Morrow says, “who’s a go-getter, a good interviewer, a good writer, and has a pleasant personality.”

In North Carolina, the sports editor wants someone who has at least a little new media experience. “It's great if they've done something web-related, or even TV/radio, because we'll use that. HTML skills are a plus, but not a necessity for a reporter position. When I interview them, I'll be looking for personality and enthusiasm, because those will be key job requirements when we ask them to do multimedia projects.”

Finally, do not neglect your writing skills, the basis for good sports journalism across all media. Use language precisely and correctly. Editors especially hate clichés. “The one thing I stress to everyone who asks is that a good writer knows the language and uses it properly,” says a Chicago area editor. “Too many writers butcher the language — I sometimes think some never took, or paid attention while in, an English class.”

So how do editors look at packets sent them by prospective sports reporters? Usually, by first scrutinizing clips that should include a variety of stories – news, game stories and features. Toss aside the columns. Copy editing experience is a plus for many editors who believe editing others’ work teaches reporters where to improve their own copy.

“I put more of a premium on the ability to write,” says the Kansas sports editor. “If a candidate sends me his best feature and it doesn't grab me, I probably won't go too much farther with the packet. Gamers are lowest in importance. I put an importance in number of sources in news and feature stories. And again, for a job like this, I don't care about column writing that much.”

The North Carolina sports editor goes straight to the clips. “I can eliminate more than half the field just by reading the first six to eight graphs of each clip. I'll hire somebody who went to a junior college over someone who went to Missouri if the junior college kid has better clips. Once I've narrowed down the field, I go back and read the cover letter and resume, then read the clips again, this time top to bottom. I'm looking for a lot of things. Again, most important is writing ability. The clips should cover an array: gamers, features, enterprise. They must have good leads, multiple sources, good organization and a creative touch. Then, I'm looking to see where they've worked and where they went to school. I do have a lot of respect for strong journalism programs like Missouri, Kansas, Northwestern, Texas and North Carolina. And ideally I'd like to hire someone who's worked at least one full-time job after college. I don't care about the beat they covered.”

So get out there and keep developing your skills – and your clips. Be persistent, enthusiastic, curious, and diligent as you chase down your dreams.

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Check out new job listings

2008-02-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

Check out a new feature on the sister site to this blog, at onsports. wordpress.com, that lists job opportunities. News organizations regularly update these job openings. This feature is listed down the right side of the rail, under PAGES. Click here to go to this site.
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Two great learning opportunities

2008-02-11T22:55:00.000-05:00

You may want to check out the Sports Institute at Boston College, where you can spend four weeks learning and practicing sports journalism. The literature says this course offers practical hands-on training in print, broadcast and multimedia reporting. The faculty are experienced as well. You can learn more by going to their website.

The Poynter Institute offers a more abbreviated immersion into sports journalism that features journalists from Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and the Sporting News, among others. The Sports Journalism Summit attracts professional and academic applicants. But this summit also accepts college students so check out the site for this three-day session to be held in St. Petersburg. Application deadline is in a few weeks. Good luck.

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Indiana tops Illinois down stretch in sportswriting showdown

2008-02-09T14:46:00.000-05:00

photo/Brad Vest (Daily Illini)

Indiana won an exciting double overtime basketball game last week, beating Illinois thanks to some missed free throws. It is unfair to say Shaun Pruitt lost the game for the Illini, even if his actions were crucial. Still, most fans will focus on the final plays – and so will sportswriters in most cases, which is fine in games like this. But we also need to offer analysis of other key points in the game to reveal how others also affected the outcome. In the Super Bowl last week, it would have been equally easy to say Eli Manning won the game for the Giants or that the Patriots defensive line lost it. We need to look beyond the easy to discover other reasons for results. That means learning as much as possible about game strategy. That means talking with those immersed in the game. I cannot emphasize this aspect enough. Sport writers need to speak with coaches and players before and after games to understand what happens in the games – even if you are on a tight deadline. We need to gain as much information before we write.

Let’s see how these stories compare in this week’s sports writing showdown. I want to again acknowledge that this assessment is intended for education and fun – NOT to demean the work of college journalists who work hard learning their profession. Unlike other college students, journalists have their homework graded by the public. As a newspaper adviser, I understand how challenging this can be. Still, let’s have a little fun with this exercise in the spirit of friendly competition. Please, feel free to offer your own comments below these stories as well.

LEADS
Observation is an essential element for any reporter. This allow writers to capture moments before, during and after games that can help show key moments. That’s what Jason Grodsky did in his story published in the Daily Illini. Grodsky describes Pruitt, the Illini’s senior center who had twice failed to make crucial free throws. Pruitt failed to convert on a one-on-one opportunity with four seconds left in regulation. He also missed both free-throw attempts with two seconds left in the first overtime. Both would have given Illinois the victory. Grodsky does a good job showing this:

Shaun Pruitt's head hung lower than anybody's at the Assembly Hall on Thursday night.

Illinois' senior center had three opportunities from the free-throw line to give Illinois the lead in the final minutes of Illinois' game against Indiana, but the ball couldn't find the bottom of the net.

After missing the front end of a one-and-one from the line with four seconds left in regulation, the senior center was unable to convert two more from the line with two seconds left in overtime.

In a game that saw eight lead changes and nine ties, the No. 14-ranked Hoosiers were able to pull ahead for the final time in the second overtime, outscoring Illinois 14-10 in the final period to escape with an 83-79 victory.

Normally, you do not want to delay the nut graph more than a few graphs. In this case, the score works fine in the fourth graph because the writer smoothly moved from an observation off the court to two key moments on the court. Still, this lead could have been improved had the writer described a little more of Pruitt walking, head hung low, as he sat as his locker, on the bench or as he walked off the court. Plus, he could have also asked some questions afterwards to learn more what Pruitt (and others) was thinking at this moment. More on this later.

Michael Sanserino, who writes for the Indiana Daily Student, offers a straight summary lead that offers a general assessment that also leads into a reference to Pruitt, clearly the focus of most any game story, before leading into the score in the third graph. This also works well – especially when one is probably faced with a tight deadline. EDGE: Illinois (slight).

CONTEXT & ANALYSIS
These two writers focused on the key free throws, but they did not address other significant plays in much detail. Even though I watched some of this game, I would have liked more insights into how the game ended so tightly and why Indiana won the second overtime. Terry Bannon of the Chicago Tribune notes that other Illinois players also shot poorly from the free-throw line: “A major part of the story, especially at the end, was that the Illini made only 8 of 17 free throws, with senior center Shaun Pruitt making only 1 of 7.” And Bannon accurately notes that two players on the bench had an impact in the second overtime: “Illinois played the second overtime without Chester Frazier, who injured an ankle, and Brian Randle, who had fouled out.” Grodsky notes that Illinois guard Demetri McCamey scored nine points at the start of the second half, which is a good observation, but I would like to know how he scored – on short jumpers, three-pointers, lay ups, off high screens? And Sanserino writes that Indiana guard Armon Bassett took over in the second overtime by scoring nine points. This story should have also shown how he took over. Grodsky does a fine job offering an overview of trends (noting there were eight lead changes and that Illinois has lost all three overtime games this season), but the story could use more analysis. The same could be said for Sanserino’s story, even though he focused on more key moments – including the time Eric Gordon turned over the ball because of a ten-second violation.

But Gordon made mistakes as well. With IU up three and 25 seconds remaining, Gordon turned the ball over with a 10-second violation after he failed to dribble the ball past the half-court line. He responded by forcing a turnover on the next possession by pressuring Illinois guard Demetri McCamey, who botched a handoff to teammate Trent Meacham.

EDGE: Indiana.

LANGUAGE
Grodsky writes tightly. And he varies sentences, juxtaposing simple with complex. He twice uses dashes, though, when commas are more appropriate. Reserve dashes for when you want to change directions, deliver punch lines and shock and humor readers. They add flair and style to a story’s telling. But they should not be used just to replace commas as they do below:

McCamey - who became Illinois' premier recruit after Gordon backed out of his verbal commitment to Illinois - outplayed Gordon, hitting a career high seven three pointers.

Sanserino offers a pretty good mix of sentences, too. But some could use trimming, like the following (deleted words in orange):

Gordon shot just 3-of-13 from the field, but he made 10-of-12 free-throw attempts to finish with a team-high 19 points, which was tops for the Hoosiers. But none of Gordon’s no points were more important than the 3-pointer he banked in with less than 30 seconds left to tie that tied the score at 63-63.

He also uses several clichés, saying a shooter ‘bricked’ two free throws, calling the free-throw line the ‘charity stripe,’ and writing that the second half was a ‘frame.’ Also, games are not 'contests.' Save that word for pageants and figure skating. Plus, we should avoid tossing expletives in stories unless they are essential. In a game story, rarely would you state that fans yelled 'fuck you' to a player. Instead, say these (moronic) fans cursed or yelled expletives. That gets the point across just fine. Now, if a player like Chester Frazier were to get suspended for saying ‘fuck you’ when he bumped into Gordon, then that might be significant to add in a follow-up or analysis piece. EDGE: Illinois.

SOURCES
This category was a slam dunk. The Illinois story did not include a single quote, whereas Indiana’s offered comments from both coaches. There are really two issues here – deadline and web content. On deadline, it can be difficult to get as many sources as you would like, especially when the game goes into double overtime. But we must try. The players and coaches offer perspectives that we cannot offer in the press box or at a table behind the official scorer. For instance, what was Pruitt thinking when he hung his head after the game and what went through his mind before, during, and after his crucial free throws? What were his teammates thinking as he attempted these shots? How was Gordon able to bank that really long three-pointer in the first overtime? And why in the heck did Frazier bump Gordon, a classless act that should have merited some bench time. Ask the follow-up questions. If you can’t interview coaches before deadline, get someone else to grab some quotes. Or you can quickly file your story before heading to the locker rooms for comments you can insert later. Update stories on the web as you get new information. That’s one of the advantages of the web.

Sanserino includes a few quotes in his story, which is a good first step. But he, like many other sport writers, needs to ask sources to expand on their thoughts by asking follow-up questions. Journalists interview to get information, not to record quotes. For example, Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson says: “In the second half, our defense got better.” I would then ask, in what specific ways did the team improve – and I would keep posing similar questions until I received a specific answer that I could explain to my readers. Sampson says of Gordon: “He probably was pressing a little bit.” How could Sampson tell? And how specifically did Gordon press? These insights would be great for readers. Still, Sanserino did chase down these coaches to offer some insights. EDGE: Indiana.

ORIGINALITY/CREATIVITY
Grodsky did a fine job of focusing on Pruitt, but Sanserino kept looking for ways to reveal the game by revealing key moments, offering comments from coaches, and describing trends in the game. EDGE: Indiana.

Overall, Indiana takes this close 'contest' (yes, this is not a game.) Writing on deadline can be a challenge, but that does not mean we should use this as an excuse. Speak with more sources, offer analysis, avoid clichés like the plague, and read other writers to learn structure. Check out the book review section on this blog for some terrific sports books as well. Sports editors are looking for stories (clips) that include these elements. Keep working hard.

Both schools did a fine job with multimedia packages. Keep working in new media if you want a job in the future. Click here to see the Daily Illini's package and here to see the Indiana Daily Student's.

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Sports copy editor sought

2008-02-08T15:19:00.001-05:00

The Charleston Times-Courier is seeking an editor/designer for its sports desk. This paper, which does a good job covering prep and college sports, is looking to improve its packaging and presentation. I know the managing editor, who is a great guy. I'll post more on getting jobs in the next few days. You can find other jobs at Journalism Jobs, and at the Associated Press Sports Editor's website.

Sports Copy Editor/Designer
We're looking for someone who knows sports and loves design to join our copy desk team. We seek someone to help us attract a wider audience through lively visual presentation in print and on our Web site. The preferred candidate will have college newspaper or professional copy editing/design experience. Minimum requirements include an eye for accuracy, a flair for headlines and design and knowledge of both Quark and Photoshop. The Mattoon Journal Gazette and Charleston Times-Courier are part of Lee Enterprises, the fourth-largest newspaper group in the country.If you are the one for this position, send a resume, CD, tearsheets or link to a Web site to Bill Lair, managing editor, Journal Gazette/Times-Courier, 100 Broadway Ave., Mattoon, IL 61938 (217) 238-6865 or to blair@jg-tc.com

Thomas Jefferson rocks!

2008-02-03T17:59:00.000-05:00

I'm getting chills listening to NFL players read the Declaration of Independence, the greatest document ever written -- a document that gives us the freedoms we take for granted. Poll after poll shows that most people know little about this amazing document and that fewer than 20 percent can name more than two of the five freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution's Bill of Rights -- speech, press, religion, and the rights to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Let's remember these inalienable rights past today's Super Bowl. Get out and vote in Tuesday's primaries. Show that you care about this great country. God Bless America, baby!

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

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Florida-Georgia showdown is much closer off the court

2008-02-02T15:19:00.000-05:00

Andy Landers won his 700th basketball game as coach of Georgia’s women’s team, making him the fourth coach to reach this plateau. That’s no small feat given the highly competitive nature of the Southeastern Conference. Surely, Georgia fans were doubly excited that this milestone victory came against rival Florida. The No. 17 Bulldogs routed the Gators, 82-55.

Off the court, the college journalists covering these games were faced with a different task – revealing the importance of the game to its distinct readers, something these reporters did pretty well. They did an especially fine job of illustrating key moments and offering context.

Let’s see how these stories compare in this week’s sports writing showdown. I want to again acknowledge that this assessment is intended for education and fun – NOT to demean the work of college journalists who work hard learning their profession. Unlike other college students, journalists have their homework graded by the public. As a newspaper adviser, I understand how challenging this can be. Still, let’s have a little fun with this exercise in the spirit of friendly competition. Please, feel free to offer your own comments below these stories as well.

LEADS
Kevin Copp focuses on Landers’ milestone win, which makes sense for the hometown newspaper. In the opening five paragraphs, Copp puts Landers’ accomplishment in perspective: he is only the third coach to win 700 at a single school and fourth fastest to do so. The lead includes the obligatory quote from the coach as well, but that works well in the introductory paragraphs.

The No. 17 Lady Bulldogs secured a milestone victory for their head coach with their most dominant performance of the SEC season in an 82-55 win over Florida.

With the win, Andy Landers, who was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, recorded his 700th victory at Georgia.

"I've been blessed to be at a school with an administration that supported this," Landers said. "More importantly, when you have great assistant coaches and great players, this is something that's going to happen."

Landers joins Tennessee's Pat Summitt and Texas' Jody Conradt as the only coaches to record 700 wins at a single school.

Landers is the eighth coach in women's basketball history to reach 700 career wins. It took him 918 games to reach the mark, making the Georgia coach the fourth-fastest to 700 wins behind Summitt, Stanford's Tara VanDerveer and Conradt.

Sophomore point guard Ashley Houts illustrated what a low profile Landers kept about the achievement, as she first found out by reading a sign held up in the stands during the game.

Gators fans would not be as excited to dwell on Landers' achievement, although Phil Kegler correctly references this feat in a story published in the Independent Alligator. Instead, Braun evaluates the impact of this rout, revealing that Florida is not yet among the top teams in the SEC.

The Gators talked all week about the opportunity a game with No. 17 Georgia held.

Full of momentum, they called it a chance to see where they matched up with one of the nation's best, one year removed from a disappointing 9-22 season, and playing at home, where they'd won eight straight.

Instead, UF (13-6, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) tried its hardest to imitate last year's team as Georgia (16-3, 3-2 SEC) dismantled them 82-55 Thursday, tying UF's largest margin of defeat this season.

Both reporters did their job. EDGE: Even.

SOURCES
The Florida story includes comments from both coaches and a key player from both teams, compared to a single source in the Georgia story. EDGE: Florida.

CONTEXT & ANALYSIS
Kegler addresses key moments and relevant stats. He explains why the Gators played poorly in the first half (because they shot 23.3 percent), why the team fell behind (two extended scoreless droughts), and how Georgia compensated when its All-American was forced to the bench in foul.

It was so bad on both ends for UF that Georgia guard Ashley Houts matched UF's first-half output singlehandedly, scoring 21 of her career-high 25 points in the opening 20 minutes.

With teammate and All-American Tasha Humphrey stuck on the bench with two fouls, Houts put a bigger focus on looking for her own shot.

"That's been a common case this season, and my shot was kind of falling for me tonight," Houts said. "I was feeling good about it so I wasn't afraid to take it."

Landers called Houts' performance "incredible."

"Basketball is a game of opportunity," Landers said. "What Ashley did tonight was take advantage of the opportunities. She found the gaps. She found the seams. She got the ball deep and laid it up. Then when she was left open on the perimeter, [she] spotted up and shot it very, very well."

Kegler does a terrific job breaking down the game while Kopp’s strength is in breaking down the significance of Landers’ victory, putting the 700th win in perspective. Would have liked more analysis of the game. EDGE: Florida.

LANGUAGE & STYLE
Neither writer relied heavily on clichés or jargon, although Copp used “long range” for three-point range and Kegler called UF’s offense “high octane,” a vague, cliched term. Also, the teams are referred to as Lady Bulldogs and Lady Gators. We need to pressure schools to delete these sexist labels. EDGE: Even.

ORIGINALITY
Copp attacked the story straight on, stating that the Bulldogs coach won a milestone victory and that Georgia won in a rout, which is a solid approach. Some other suggested approaches: reveal the coach’s thoughts when he realized he would win his 700th victory, focus more on the fact he did not tell his players, or interview Pat Summitt or Jody Conradt before the game to include their perspectives. Kegler’s strength is the way he puts the game in perspective. Suggestion: Ask more follow-up questions so sources can further explain what they mean in quotes like: “It’s very disappointing. We just couldn’t get our offensive flow early.” What strategy had they hoped to apply – and how specifically did the flow get disrupted? EDGE: Even.

Overall, the edge goes to Florida 2-0, but both writers should be commended for doing a solid job on deadline, which can be a challenge. I wish both writers continued success.

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Let's focus more on athleticism, not sex

2008-01-27T14:02:00.000-05:00

I guess boys will really be boys. And girls will always be sex objects - even in sports publications. I guess that's still the fate of women. Girls, it's cool that you work hard developing skills, that you sacrifice your body in games, and that you build your strength. But, put on a bikini, honey, and the boys will be more impressed. I guess sports fans really are pigs.

Sure, sex sells. But do we really need it in our sports publications? CBSsportsline.com and Gatorade recently focused on women's sexuality rather than on their athleticism. To Gatorade's credit, four of the 10 athletes in its "Every Game Needs A Hero" ad are women -- but two are in bikinis and one is in a short skirt. I guess that's a reflection of the sports themselves where flesh sells. Yet, Gatorade could just as easily have selected Candace Parker, the Vols' talented junior forward, or world-class softball pitcher Jenny Finch (above), or someone from New Hampshire's top-ranked women's college hockey team. Why are beach volleyball players emblematic of sports?

But sports publications continue to slip in features that diminish women. Sports Illustrated, for example, always finds a way to include a hot girl of the week in "The Beat," a short feature in the magazine's scorecard section. This week, the editors find a way to sneak in a reference to Ellen Page, the protagonist of the movie Juno (an exceptional movie, by the way) who is about to star in a movie about roller hockey. ESPN's page 2 crew, at least, focused on both the hottest female and male athletes in a feature from several years ago.

CBSsportsline has the most egregious sexist feature, where readers voted for the College Cheerleader of the Week through the football season based upon a single photo. Unlike at the national cheerleader championships, these young women were not judged on athletic skill. Instead, these cheerleaders were evaluated based upon sex appeal, which is clear when you read comments by readers. Here are a few: "The two finalist blondes are attractive but their looks are a dime a dozen." ... "One of the biggest complaints here is that you can't see the girls' entire body so it's therefore harder to make a judgement." ... "Why didn't we get another hot/future porn star from UCLA this year?"

Features like these are inappropriate in a sports publication alongside stories that are supposed to address athletic accomplishments. CBS does not have a feature asking readers to vote for the hottest male cheerleader. So what else is featured in the 'What's Hot in Sports' section? The roster for the NBA Slam Dunk competition, something that makes more sense for a sports site.

I'd expect features like this in Maxim, Playboy, or, perhaps, GQ. Not here. Here's my favorite reader response to the cheerleading tournament: "Great little contest you boys have here. Next thing you know, it's off to dumpster-diving for discarded issues of Playboy. Ugh." There's no need to jump in, though, because SI's swimsuit issue is due out next week. Sigh.

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College papers do not use enough sources

2008-01-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

Sports journalists understand their audience, as you can tell from the stories posted below by newspapers in Wisconsin and New York. Fans want to know about their own teams the most.

Something else you'll notice if you read the stories below - - comments from players and coaches of both teams, something that also serves hometown fans. Fans learn more about their own teams by listening to new voices, which, in this case, would be the Giants coaches and players, if you are a Packers fan. Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel offers comments from Packers general manager Ted Thompson, defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, coach Mike McCarthy, quarterback Brett Favre, and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, but he also includes a quote from Giants coach Tom Coughlin for this night game. Given more time, this reporter may also have included a comment from Corey Webster on the pivotal interception and from a Giants defensive lineman on the Packers' struggles with the running game.

College journalists do not frequently includes sources from the opposing team. I recently read through websites for more than 30 college publications. Of the 32 stories I critiqued, only six included sources from both the home and opposing team. Instead, college sportswriters followed a similar formula: 1 coach + 2 players = 1 game story. Some stories include a third player or offer two coaches and a single player. But the coverage is all relatively one-sided.

Andrew Zuckerman of Maryland's Diamondback says this is partly because universities frequently limit access to locker rooms. "It is nearly impossible to get quotes from both teams since the locker room is open for such a limited amount of time and you're going to want as many quotes as possible for gamers, siders and next-day follow ups," Zuckerman says. "In Maryland's case, there won't be another media availability until Friday, so it benefits the Maryland beat reporters to stay in the locker room until the team kicks us out."

Given the time constraints, that's a smart move to get information for additional stories. But there are several ways to overcome this. First, papers can send a second reporter to hit the opposing locker room. The great Dave Anderson says he sometimes runs quotes for his colleagues at the New York Times if he has completed his column. Journalism is a team game as well, right? (This writer can even use some of these quotes for a sidebar.) Writers can also ask the sports information director to send someone to collect quotes from the opposing locker room. Or, writers can share quotes with one another afterwards. The writer for the Daily Nebraskan , for example, can share quotes with the writer for the Iowa State Daily when the Cornhuskers face the Cyclones.

There is no excuse, though, for failing to include comments from opposing players and coaches in precedes when deadline is not looming. Beat writers should regularly call other conference coaches on a regular basis for notes, quotes and comments -- thoughts that should be included in preview stories. You can get many of these numbers by calling sports information directors and by asking coaches for phone numbers when they come to town. Usually, it's better to talk with the coach well before the game when it's calmer. The earlier the better. You can also use this time to collect comments for profiles and features. What does this coach think about a new rule, for example, or about a top-ranked wrestler in the conference? After a few weeks, you'll have comments from several coaches, which ought to lead to an informative, compelling story.

Late-night games are a challenge to write on deadline. No doubt. But look for ways to get additional insights that will help your story stand out.

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Writers put Giants-Packers game in perspective

2008-01-21T14:35:00.000-05:00

Doug Mills/The New York Times

It's clear that new media rules in sports -- at least, if you checked out the news organizations covering the NFC Championship Game. Newspapers as varied as Oshkosh's The Northwestern, the New York Times and the Green Bay Press-Gazette all had audio slideshows, picture galleries and audio or podcasts. Fans could also weigh in on the numerous blogs dedicated to these teams at Newark Star-Ledger, Long Island Newsday, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and Wisconsin State Journal . Clearly, fans love this constant flow of information. As a New York Giants fans, I checked nearly a dozen websites last night after the game - and just as many this morning. Give me more news, information, quotes, analysis.

I also love reading leads for game stories, which offer insights into communities the sportswriters serve. No fans embrace their team more than those living in Wisconsin. The Packers are as much a part of their community as city hall and the local schools. As a result, Packers fans are probably more knowledgeable than most. This was reflected in the game coverage of last night's title game, a 23-20 overtime victory for the Giants. New York fans also appreciate the nuances of sports -- and they especially love a great defense. Plus, New Yorkers love big personalities, which is clearly shown in lead published in the New York area. Regardless, the NFC championship was a game that will be remembered for many years for a variety of factors -- subzero temperatures, a certain Hall of Fame quarterback facing off against a potential Hall of Famer, hard-hitting defenses, a last-second failure - and, ultimately, redemption in overtime. So many plot twists, so many angles.

It's challenging to write a game story for an audience that already watched the game. Sportswriters do not want to repeat the obvious, nor do they want to miss the important facts. Multimedia reporting allows layers of the game to be unfolded elsewhere on a web page. Yet, solid writing and storytelling is also required in text. Check out some of the stories writers offered readers this morning.

The Associated Press focused on an individual in its lead, preferring to offer a play on words. Notice that the writer sticks to this angle for several graphs before turning to the rest of the game. Even the lead quote connects to the main angle.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Oh, brother!

Eli, the baby of the Manning quarterback clan, finally has arrived.

And he's taking the New York Giants on yet another road trip -- to Glendale, Ariz., site of the Super Bowl.

Manning repeatedly put the Giants in position to win the NFC championship Sunday, and when Lawrence Tynes came through at last with a 47-yard field goal in overtime, New York had itself an improbable 23-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers at frostbitten Lambeau Field. Now comes Mission Impossible: beating the undefeated New England Patriots in two weeks in a Super Bowl matchup hardly anyone saw coming.

"We haven't been given a shot, but we're here and I think we're deserving of it," Manning said. "Right now I'm excited as I can be."

The New York Times waxes a little more poetically, developing scene as a significant actor in this game while also mixing in geographical references and allusions to the weather.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Under a full moon, a black sky and a crisp and cruel blanket of cold, the Giants stood on the frozen sideline of Lambeau Field, waiting for a rush of warmth.

It came belatedly and unexpectedly.

With one errant toss from a legendary quarterback, and one kick from the right foot of Lawrence Tynes, the Giants sent themselves from the northern prairie and into the southwestern desert, all the way to the Super Bowl.

Tynes’s 47-yard field goal 2 minutes 35 seconds into overtime gave the Giants a 23-20 victory in the National Football Conference championship game. The Giants will next head to Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz., where they will be two-touchdown underdogs to the undefeated New England Patriots on Feb. 3.

Newsday's writer addresses character. He focuses on a moment in the game before tying it in to several related angles, essentially showing how one moment defines both individuals and the team in general.

GREEN BAY, Wis. - As the ball sailed through the uprights, as his and every other Giant's dreams were fulfilled, Shaun O'Hara thought of one word.

"Redemption," he said.

That's for every Giant, starting with coach Tom Coughlin - who needed a winning season to keep his job - down to the players who got smoked by the Cowboys and Packers to start the season, who felt they were written off after allowing 80 points while falling to 0-2.

Last night, Lawrence Tynes joined the group of the redeemed. He missed two field-goal tries with an opportunity to snap a 20-20 tie, the last a 36-yarder as the regulation clock hit all zeroes. But with the help of two more Giants looking to right some early-season wrongs - cornerback Corey Webster and quarterback Eli Manning - Tynes got a third chance. And his 47-yard field goal 2:35 into overtime beat Brett Favre and the Packers, 23-20, to send the Giants to Super Bowl XLII and a date with the unbeaten Patriots 13 days from today. The Patriots are early 13 1/2-point favorites.

"The thing I'm most proud of is the way we hang together and the way we never say die," said Coughlin, who will coach in a Super Bowl for the first time. "No matter what the odds are, we keep scrapping, we keep working and finding a way to win."

Two Wisconsin beat reporters focused on 'dreams' - how they were dashed Sunday night. In many ways, so were the dreams of so any fans across the state. These leads reveal the relationship Wisconsin has with its team: When the Packers lose, everybody loses. Fans feel this way for many teams, sure, but few teams are as closely connected with their communities. New York fans love their Giants, but they also have the Yankees, Mets, Nets, Jets, Islanders, Rangers -- and even the Knicks -- to choose from. That's not the case in Wisconsin.

The Green Bay Gazette reporter carries a single idea -- of a preordained season -- through to the lead quote, something that usually works well in any game story.

The Green Bay Packers' dream season, set up so well for a return to the Super Bowl, ended with a major thud Sunday night.

They had so much going in their favor for their NFC championship battle with the New York Giants: The home-field advantage, an arctic Wisconsin winter night and nearly pristine health.

But the Packers, 7½-point favorites over the plucky underdog from out east, were done in by a poor second half, when both sides of the ball faltered at critical times. Their unexpectedly magnificent season ended with a whimper when Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes redeemed himself with a 47-yard field goal in overtime that won the game, 23-20, and choked the life out of the Lambeau Field crowd of 72,740.

So, New York (13-6) heads to the Super Bowl on the back of a 10-game road winning streak to face the New England Patriots. The Packers (14-4), on the other hand, step immediately into the offseason with time to agonize over how such a golden opportunity eluded them.

"It's very difficult to go out like this," middle linebacker Nick Barnett said, "especially with the season we had. We didn't think any other way than going to Arizona. To lose with the home field, in Lambeau, to not be celebrating on that podium right now, it's devastating."

The Gannett reporter reveals the mindset of many Packers fans who believed everything was set up for another Super Bowl run. That they lost was inconceivable.

GREEN BAY — Two years ago, it was only a fantasy. Last summer, it was a pipe dream.But the Green Bay Packers were on the verge of a dream come true as they lined up against the New York Giants on Sunday night for a chance to pursue the National Football League grail — the Vince Lombardi trophy.

The dream was left in tatters in the frigid night air at Lambeau Field.

The Giants will go to the Super Bowl, not the Packers.

Lawrence Tynes' 47-yard field goal less than three minutes into overtime, coming after Brett Favre threw an interception that will likely dominate the winter conversations of Packers fans, gave the Giants a 23-20 victory and the Packers one of their most painful losses in the franchise's history.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporter addresses this point as well, listing all the historical reasons the Packers should have won the game. Even the team's general manager seems despondent in the lead quote.

Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers, a franchise that had never lost a playoff at home in their first eight decades of existence, have now been toppled three times in the last six years.

Following in the footsteps of Atlanta in 2002 and Minnesota in 2004 at the wild-card level, the New York Giants stormed into icy Lambeau Field on Sunday night like they owned the place and whipped the Packers, 23-20, in the NFC Championship Game.

Lawrence Tynes, a kicker who did not have a single pressurized field-goal attempt in the first 18 games, drilled one from 47 yards 2 minutes 35 seconds into overtime. It sent the Giants (13-6) into Super Bowl XLII against the New England Patriots (18-0) on Feb. 3 and the Packers home.

"All the plans and the hopes we had are out the window," general manager Ted Thompson said. "It's a shame. I certainly didn't think we played our best, and the Giants played very well."

Like the Newsday reporter, the Wisconsin State Journal writer focuses on a scene, showing something that TV viewers and fans in the stadium would not have known. That's a great approach for any game story. You can hear the sadness in the voice of the Packers GM. Always tie these scenes back to the game, though, as this writer does.

GREEN BAY — Ted Thompson stood in the middle of the equipment room, stunned. Always adept at keeping his emotions in, Thompson found himself trying to do so at the most painful possible time: Surrounded by 20 or so others — including team chairman Bob Harlan, members of coach Mike McCarthy's family and a host of staffers and team officials —in cramped quarters.

Watching the disappointment unfold in high definition on a 42-inch Sony flat-screen just off the Green Bay Packers' locker room, the 55-year-old general manager was dying inside.

He'd just watched quarterback Brett Favre's pass on the second play of overtime flutter toward the Packers sideline and into the hands of New York Giants cornerback Corey Webster. Four plays later, Lawrence Tynes' 47-yard field goal just 2 minutes 35 seconds into OT would send the Packers to a 23-20 NFC Championship Game defeat and the Giants to Super Bowl XLII.

''I'm crushed,'' said Thompson, who'd been ushered down from the team's private box on the seventh floor club level along with the others to prepare for what was supposed to be the on-field coronation and acceptance of the George Halas trophy for earning the franchise's fifth Super Bowl berth.

''A lot of people thought we were a surprise team. We felt we were good enough to win week-in and week-out and have a chance to go play for the world championship. And we're not going to get to do that now.''

Clearly, there's no single best way to approach a game story. Here, several seasoned and talented sportswriters took somewhat different approaches in their leads. Yet, they all offer a nut graph early on that offers a key play and the final score. Most of these stories also offer context, telling the reader the winner goes to the Super Bowl - even though that may seem obvious to most fans. Now, go check out the leads in California and New England related to the AFC championship game -- certainly, they are just as varied, creative and reflective of their audiences. Make sure you also scrutinize the multimedia reporting, something that is essential to all sports coverage as well.

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Maryland edges UNC in sportswriting showdown

2008-01-20T17:12:00.000-05:00

photo/U of Maryland Diamondback

Michigan relied on a 40-foot desperation shot to defeat Wisconsin women’s basketball this weekend. And Maryland’s men celebrated when Tyler Hansbrough’s last-second shot bounced off the rim in Chapel Hill, N.C., in arguably the biggest upset of the season.

Nothing is more exciting in college sports than a hard-fought game – especially when that game is against a regular rival. Sprinkle in last-minute heroics or a major upset and the drama increases and the bumps starting goosing up though the skin.

The college journalists covering these games were up to the task of revealing these exciting games, even if the stories lacked some perspective at times. These sportwriters grabbed readers by writing solid stories that offered context, analysis, and good writing.

Sources, though, seem to be the biggest problem in college sports reporting. Too often, college journalists fail to offer sufficient perspective, relying too heavily on comments from their own coaches and players. Always speak to athletes on both sides. (More about this later this week when I offer the results of a survey of college newspapers across the country.)

In order to more clearly illustrate how games should be covered, each week I plan to compare stories written about the same game, essentially pitting the two writers against one another. This week I have selected two games – the men’s basketball game between Maryland and North Carolina and the women’s game between Wisconsin and Michigan – since they are both exciting and accessible.

Each week, we’ll have a sports writing showdown. I want to first acknowledge that this assessment is intended for education and fun – NOT to demean the work of college journalists who work hard learning their profession. Unlike other college students, journalists have their homework graded by the public. As a newspaper adviser, I understand how challenging this can be. Still, let’s have a little fun with this exercise in the spirit of friendly competition. Please, feel free to offer your own comments below these stories as well.

Stories will be scored based upon the following criteria – leads, context/analysis, sources, language/writing style, and originality.

This week’s showdown pits the Daily Tar Heel (North Carolina) against the Diamondback (Maryland) in one match-up and the Michigan Daily against Wisconsin’s Badger Herald in the other. We’ll dig into the ACC match-up first. Tomorrow, we’ll assess the Big Ten battle.

In what may prove to be the biggest upset of the year, Maryland defeated previously undefeated North Carolina 82-80 on Saturday. The Tar Heels had won 18 in a row, but extending such a streak through a rigorous ACC schedule is a daunting task. Maryland, now 12-7 and 2-2 in the conference, has defeated UNC several times during the past several seasons. Let’s break down the coverage of this big game by category.

LEAD
Andrew Zuckerman focuses on the final play of the game, observing how the players reacted when UNC’s final shot bounced off the rim. This writer did a fine job describing the final scene:

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Tyler Hansbrough's last-second 3-pointer hadn't even yet clanked off the rim, but the Terrapins could tell it wasn't going in - so much that Cliff Tucker even threw his arms in the air to celebrate an improbable win.

The lead could have been offered in two shorter – punchier – sentences by replacing the dash with a period, deleting “so much that,” and starting a new sentence with “Cliff Tucker even threw…” But that’s picky. … It’s much more difficult to write a story when your home team loses in a wild upset, but Gray Caldwell does a great job finding the appropriate angle: “It couldn’t last forever.” EDGE: Maryland (slightly).

SOURCES
Zuckerman includes comments from the hometown team – coach Gary Williams and three Terrapin players. … Caldwell doesn’t do much better, offering only the thoughts of his hometown coach and players. A story that mixed comments from both teams would have offered great insights. The sources are limited. EDGE: Even.

CONTEXT & ANALYSIS
Both writers did a fine job putting this game into perspective, but Zuckerman did a slightly better job. He states this game is an upset for the ages (an exaggeration, perhaps, but this is a big upset considering UNC’s record. Yet, this hardly stacks up against a real upset for the ages -- N.C. State’s win in the NCAA final.) And Zuckerman also assesses that Maryland seemed to be playing for an NIT bid, that it was the seventh time a Gary Williams team had defeated a No. 1 team, and that Maryland had stifled Hansbrough for most of the game. … Caldwell puts the loss in perspective (it’s only one loss, after all) and assesses the final sequence of plays, which works well; however, it’s tough to beat writing about a major upset. EDGE: Maryland.

LANGUAGE/STYLE
The ‘upset for the ages’ statement could have easily gone overboard, but this writer puts it in perspective. Caldwell also inserted borderline clichés (dominating the paint and trying to bounce back). Otherwise, these writers eschewed using clichés and jargon, instead offering fluid transitions and concise language. EDGE: Even.

ORIGINALITY
Again, this is a close match-up, one that lends itself more to the one writing about the upset winner than the journalist describing the upset loser. Zuckerman relies heavily on description to lead into the story – and returns to that in the conclusion, shown below.

And when Hansbrough's final shot harmlessly bounced to the floor to complete the upset, Williams showed the most emotion he has in a long time, much like his team did. Williams raised both arms into the air, turned around to the Terp fans and gave numerous fists pumps.

Caldwell, meanwhile, does an exemplary job of putting the game into context, keeping the focus there throughout the beginning. He also gets his sources to explain how it all happened, a key for every sportswriter. Here’s a terrific quote from Roy Williams.

Williams said that he was angry at his team's lack of transition offense in the game and that he felt Maryland probably outran the Tar Heels.

"We had one time two guys give me the tired signal running back on defense," he said. "That should never happen. If you're going to be frickin' tired, tell me on offense, don't tell me as you're running back and the other team's laying it up on the other end."

Once again, the choice is difficult here. So, again, I’ll be a fence-sitter and split the vote. These two young journalists did a fine job, though, which made the decisions close. EDGE: Even.

OVERALL: Maryland wins off the court as well, 2-0 by my score. But both writers should be commended for their stories. I would strongly recommend everybody consider one crucial part of reporting: interviewing. Speak with sources on both teams in all situations so you – and your readers – can learn more about the game. Head over to that other locker room and listen in.

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IAAF denies double-amputee Olympic opportunity

2008-01-14T11:50:00.000-05:00

So I guess losing one's legs is now considered an advantage -- at least in the world of track and field. The world's governing body for the sport says Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee from South Africa, uses technology that is unfair to other Olympians who will compete in the 2008 Games. Therefore, he won't be eligible. The International Association of Athletics Federation says Pistorius's carbon fiber prosthetics "give him an advantage over athletes not using them." Instead, these other able-bodied runners are stuck with their own muscular legs.

Yes, it is easy to attack the IAAF on this issue as the big bully picking on the poor, challenged kid. And, yes, there may be a time when technology prevents paralympians from competing -- but now does not seem the time. Based upon the IAAF's study, Pistorius's prosthetics are more efficient than a human ankle, allowing him to run with about 25 percent less expenditure than able-bodied sprinters. For all the advantages Pistorius's prosthetic legs give him, though, he still has not matched the qualifying time for the 400 meters, which is 45.55 seconds. This ruling is sad news for all people faced with the challenge of fitting in after accidents or after birth defects. Seeing Pistorius sprinting down the track in Beijing could have inspired a whole generation to start viewing physically-handicapped people as more than victims. Here's hoping the IAAF changes its mind.

[The New York Times put together a great multimedia package to illustrate how these prosthetic legs work during a sprint.]

A solid prep reporting resource

2008-01-05T01:50:00.001-05:00

Now that the holidays are over, prep sports seasons kick into high gear across the country. As a result, you may want to check out sports schedules, records and other information about prep sports across your state or across states in your region. There is no better resource for this than the website for the National Federation of State High School Associations, if only because it has a directory for every state high school sports association. The site also has updated rules and regulations for specific sports and information on issues related to injuries and sports medicine. You'll have to pay $12.95 for the national high school record book, something every prep editor and reporter ought to have in the office. You may want to bookmark this page for future reference.
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Jumping into a new sport

2008-01-05T01:25:00.001-05:00

I stumbled across this story while catching up on the New Hampshire primary. I love that certain sports thrive in select areas of the country, like lacrosse in Maryland, field hockey in the Northeast, and eight-man football in some Plains states. That's why -- after reading about Rudy Giuliani's thoughts regarding a vice presidential choice -- I checked for sports stories on the Concord Monitor's website, where I found this story on prep ski jumping. Sounds like fun for both the athletes and reporters. I'd love to cover ski jumping. Getting out on the slopes alone would be worth the trip. I'd also like to learn how the sport is scored for team results. It appears points are awarded for reaching certain distances. Perhaps, scores are calculated based upon difficulty, like in diving. After reading this story, it also appears four skiiers' efforts count toward a team's overall score, where the higher score wins -- unlike in cross-country running. I'd love to hear from anybody who has covered this intriguing sport. (Send photos as well, if you can.) In the meantime, I'll try to determine how scores will tally up next Tuesday in that other rollicking competition in the Granite State, where we'll learn if Hillary Clinton has an inside game, whether Mitt Romney can defend the home court, and if Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama have the endurance to win this political marathon.

Here's the Monitor's ski jumping story:

Joe Merrow of Hopkinton came in first overall, scoring 51 points after three jumps of 12 meters in the season-opener at Blackwater's K18 hill.

It was Concord, however, that took home first-place team honors with 370 points. Nashua South was second at 368, followed by Plymouth (367.5), Hopkinton (365), Sunapee (258.5) and John Stark (240).

Parker Finch (fourth place) led the Tide, scoring 44.5 points with the longest jump of the night at 13 meters. Matt Bengston (sixth), Gavin Guay (ninth) and Bryan Higgins (15th) rounded out Concord's scoring.

Also earning points for Hopkinton were Duncan Sweny (third) and Brian Scala and Brooks Wood (tied for 21st). The Hawks' Olivia Wheat came in first overall for the girls.

Greg Franciscovich, competing for the first time, led John Stark with a 27th-place finish. Sam Harris (30th) and Sarah Ray (35th overall, fifth for girls) completed the Generals' scoring.

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Covering wrestling - pinning down a technical sport

2007-12-21T15:02:00.000-05:00

Politicians are flocking to Iowa, trying to gain an edge in the nation’s first primary for president that will take place in two weeks. Actually, Iowa holds a caucus, where voters gather in precincts to determine which politician they like best. There’s no denying what sport Iowans hold dearest. Sure, 70,000 fans may attend an Iowa football game, but where else in the country would 9,000 attend a wrestling dual meet? That’s how many watched No. 3 Iowa defeat top-ranked Iowa State, 20-13, in Ames two weeks ago.

Politicians would be well advised to spend time on the mats at local high schools to help in their own maneuverings. (Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney may know national politics, but they need to learn more about the heart of the Midwest. That starts with sports like wrestling.) Like politics, wrestling can get confusing for casual observers, which is why we need to translate as much as we can. Like politics, wrestling also usually has a clear winner at the end (unlike the Bowl Championship Series).

Still, few sports are as technically oriented as wrestling, which has its own language and relies on very specific rules and guidelines, most of which readers care little about – not even in Iowa, arguably the cradle of wrestling in the United States.

“Wrestling is a very unique sport,” says Jim Leitner, sports editor for the Telegraph Herald in Dubuque. “Even here in Iowa, where it is very popular, there are a lot of people who have no idea what the sport is about and what some of the finer points are. So, you have to strike a balance in your story. You have to write a story that will appeal to the die-hard wrestling fans, and, at the same time, you can’t make it so technical that a casual sports fan can’t follow it. If your story hinges on a very technical storyline, you have to be sure to explain it well enough so you don’t confuse the casual fan.”

That’s why Des Moines Register sports editor Bryce Miller looks for emotion and odd details in wrestling coverage. “Only the most hard-core wrestling fans understand and want deep, deep wrestling detail with the tongue-tying language of the sport,” says Miller, who covered University of Iowa wrestling as a beat at five NCAA Championship tournaments and at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. “Instead of focusing on cradles and inside-trips, talk about the people stories behind the game or match. That type of story pulls in more general-interest readers. If you’re too wrestling-specific, it’s a niche audience and you slam the door to a bigger group of readers who might want to know that not only did Bill Smith win 2-1 — but the victory came on the one-year anniversary of the death of his former roommate.”

Readers want mostly basic information, such as who won a dual meet or a tournament and how specific wrestlers performed in these competitions, says JR Ogden, sports editor for The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Like other sports editors, Ogden says readers prefer human interest stories in sports game coverage – particularly in less publicized and more technical sports like wrestling.

“I try not to get technical because most readers don't understand one move from another,” says Ogden, “and, for the most part, the same move or hold can be called several different things.”

Lehigh University coach Greg Strobel says wrestling is very simple. “Don't get too involved with knowing the names of moves, just watch the struggle to overcome the opponent,” says Strobel, a two-time NCAA champ and coach of the 2000 Olympic team. “Wrestling is really very simple. Try to take your opponent to the mat, try to turn him over, try to control him. On the converse, don't get taken down, get away, don't be controlled.”

Some more tips for covering wrestling are offered below.

TAKING NOTES
Taking notes is essential to all game coverage. Find a system that works well for you. You might take notes on each match by putting names on two sides of the page, putting the running score down the middle of the page. Or you might just put the names of the two wrestlers a the top of the page and then record observations as the match progresses.
■ Miller keeps a running play-by-play that records points scored and the time points were scored “so I can explain key moments in many ways — chronologically or in different ways — but also keep room to the side to explain details and observations about words, facial expressions, crowd reaction and the fabric that really puts readers in the crowd.”
■ Ogden also keeps a running play by play but he covers tournaments differently. “In tournaments, I try to watch as many matches as possible that involve the teams I'm interested in,” he says, “then catch up with the others once the meet is over.”

PREPARING BEFORE MATCHES
Miller says reporters should prepare the same way for any game coverage. “My rule: Never come to the event empty-handed,” says Miller. “Always have a couple unique facts in your notebook, some unique sources ideas. If a wrestler is going for 100 victories, can you talk to mom and dad before coming to the match?”

LEAD ELEMENTS
Make sure key information is high. “Many times, writers and reporters sacrifice clarity and what-you-want-to-know detail at the tops of stories in exchange for flowering, over-indulged prose,” says Miller. “It’s always important to remind writers that on spot events, particularly in sports not commonly on television, readers depend on us to tell them what happened first and foremost.”
■ Add team names/nicknames
■ Include team scores
■ Focus on a key match, particularly if it altered momentum or secured a team victory
■ Focus on an individual’s performance, particularly if this ties to a human interest element
■ If the match is blow out, focus on how and why one team dominated. Did one team record pins in six matches or were five matches determined by two points or fewer?
■ Focus on a coach’s decision or strategy. Was a wrestler moved up a weight class or did the match begin at a mid-weight class?
■ Focus on a stats leader. Did a wrestler pin his ninth opponent or did a wrestler win his 10th decision by two points or fewer?
■ Records. Put team records in parentheses within the first few paragraphs. Try to add them after you cite the school’s name – and not the school’s nickname. Also, add conference or district records for high school competition.

LANGUAGE
■ Pin – when a part of both shoulders are held down for at least two seconds.
■ Near fall – when wrestler has control of opponent and a pin appears imminent
■ Takedown – when a wrestler takes an opponent to the mat
■ Escape – when wrestler escapes from a down position
■ Reversal – when a wrestler escapes from under an opponent and controls him in a single move.

THINGS TO FOCUS ON
■ Find stories – especially those that take place beyond the mat. “The goal of a newspaper story, especially in the 24/7 information age of online, is tell people something they couldn’t know without reading the story,” says Miller. “We talk about these key words high in stories — first, biggest, only and most. If you can use any of those words, it means your reporting has identified the uniqueness in the event. Newspapers also have the chance to take you into locker rooms, into interview areas and places quick, radio/TV sound bites do not. If readers only needed the basics, we would all run Associated Press stories. Tell them things they don’t know with perspective-driven information and reporting and unexpected sourcing.” Ogden also recommends looking for a story: “This could be a match that turns the dual one way or another, an athlete's or coach's assessment after the meet, or a big match-up on paper that turned out to be a dud or lived up to his hype.
■ Key momentum swings – either from an individual match or team standpoint. “If it’s a blowout, team-wise, we’ll focus on a great match or featurize the whole story,” says Leitner. “We take a more featurized approach to covering every sport, not just wrestling, so our readers have come to expect good human interest elements.”
■ Match-ups: See which matches feature ranked wrestlers. Check records and past performances for each athlete so you will be prepared to add these details into the game story. Details, such as the fact one wrestler has never pinned an opponent in 10 wins, will help you look for details during the match.
■ Did a wrestler make an adjustment during a match? Did a wrestler who was nearly pinned win the match? Speak with athletes and coaches afterward for more insights.
■ Determine how a coach recognizes match-ups.
■ Is this the team’s worst loss, or biggest margin of victory? As always, seek to find out the reasons for such a great victory or terrible loss. You can also cite the last time the team lost by such a margin. (Check newspaper archives and speak with athletic directors/sports information directors.)
■ Cite who the next opponent will be, including the location of the meet and the opponent’s record. You can also do this for key, ranked wrestlers, offering the name and record of the next person he will face.
■ Check to see what the team’s all-time series record is against its opponent.
■ Show, don’t tell. Show how a freshman was the key wrestler by describing how he performed. Don’t just write that the freshman was “the player of the game.” Show how a wrestler appeared fatigued down the stretch by describing the action.
■ Check the numbers for key statistical streaks for teams or individuals.

THINGS TO KNOW
■ Weight classes for colleges. The NCAA uses the following weight classes in its championships – 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197, heavyweight (183-285 pounds).
■ Weight classes vary for high schools. Most high school associations offer several lighter classifications. Florida, for example, uses the following 14 weight – 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215, 285 (heavyweight).
■ Wrestlers cannot wrestle below their weight, but they may compete above their weight classification. Rules vary for how much higher athletes can compete. In Florida, for instance, an athlete cannot compete more than one weight class above, meaning a 119-pounder can not go beyond the 125-pound class.
■ Growth allowances are usually granted for high school athletes. In Florida, that means a wrestler can gain two pounds midway through the season (That’s set for late December this year). These rules are created so wrestlers won’t go on crash diets or starve themselves.
■ Weigh-ins – Wrestlers usually verify their weight about an hour before meets. This may be two hours before matches at NCAA tournaments.
■ Sudden death – when wrestlers are tied after three regulation periods. In college, a winner is determined by the first wrestler to score a point during the one-minute overtime period.
■ Wrestlebacks – Usually, tournaments are double-elimination, which means wrestlers who lose can “wrestle back” into the later rounds until they lose their second match.
■ Scoring during matches – Near fall (2, 3 or 4 points), takedown (2 points), reversal (2 points), escape (1 point), time advantage (2 points).
■ Scoring for team scores. Points are awarded to teams whose wrestlers win by the following methods:
6 points – fall (or pin), default, forfeit, disqualification
5 points – technical fall (if near fall was already awarded to winning wrestler)
4 points – technical fall (if near fall is not recorded by winning wrestler)
3 points – for a decision
■ Tournament scoring. Scoring changes based upon how many places are awarded, according to the NCAA. If eight places are awarded in a tournament, scoring goes as follows: 16-12-10-9-7-6-4-3. For six places, scoring goes 12-10-9-7-6-4. For four places, scoring is 10-7-4-2.
■ Matches last three periods unless the match ends prematurely by a pin, technical fall or disqualification.
■ Record the names of the game officials in case anything unusual happens in the game. Also, interview them afterward in such instances.

INTERVIEWING
■ As most reporters will tell you, get to know the people involved before asking questions. That’s why beat coverage is essential. Of course, many stringers and reporters are asked to cover teams they’ve never met, which is certainly more challenging. Still, make the effort to introduce yourself before a match, even if that is just to tell coaches you’d like to talk with them after the meet.
■ Athletes, like everybody else, react to questions in varying ways. So do not get discouraged if someone does not talk to you right away. “It truly depends on the individual and the situation,” says Miller. “I’ve known NCAA champs who seemed unapproachable, but were just fine talking right after they were finished. I know others who needed a small amount of time to decompress. You must know the athletes/teams you cover, since there’s no one answer that applies to every situation. And, as always, deadlines might dictate how long you can wait.”
■ Strobel wishes more reporters knew some very basic information before they covered matches and asked him questions – the names and records of participants. Pretty simply, Strobel says: “Knowing who is competing impresses me. Not knowing records bothers me.”
■ Ogden prefers to wait until the overall competition has concluded. “There have been times I have talked to wrestlers after their matches in a dual – when they come up to press box to do radio – but coaches want to keep the "team" focused the other wrestlers.
■ Leitner likes to speak with coaches first so he can then get a better idea what questions to pose to the competing wrestlers. “The key is developing a good relationship with the coach,” says Leitner, “and basically training him to give you good, newsworthy information that leads to good storylines.”
■ Work hard to gain some trust, otherwise that means you may get bland, uninformed quotes. Even if you are covering a team for the first time, you can impress coaches and wrestlers by doing your homework – by reading published articles on the team, by reading press guides, and by speaking with opposing coaches and wrestlers before you head out. That way you’ll be able to ask specific, informed questions – something that often impresses those being interviewed. They’ll see that you are working as hard as they are and that you may be someone they can trust. “In my experience, I have found that wrestlers, in general, are not very quotable people,” Leitner says. “They seem very guarded. They don’t want to give away any information to opponents who might be reading the article. So, it takes a little work to gain their trust, and you have to do a better job interviewing them than you would with athletes from other sports.”
■ Ask what coaches, players were thinking during a key moment.
■ Ask wrestlers to describe their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. You can also ask the to offer a narrative of the match. This will give you an insider’s view of the match, which is can be more important than getting quotes. Do not be afraid to summarize and attribute this information. Not everything has to be a direct quote.
■ Ask how the team has progressed over the last several games or weeks. But make sure you read as much as you can about their pervious meets so you can ask informed follow-up questions.
■ Introduce yourself to coaches before the meet whenever possible. You can also ask the coach his goals and how he expects the meet to go, which could lead to a nice angle for your game story.

You do not need to be an expert to cover wrestling. Like with any sport, you just need to do your homework and to work diligently along the way.

“In my opinion, you don’t have to be an ex-wrestler or a huge wrestling fan to write about it,” says Leitner. “I had no experience in wrestling until I started writing about it. But I do find it a very intriguing sport and one with a lot of great storylines. If you’re willing to learn about the sport, you can find it very fascinating. I could sit and watch 10 hours of the Iowa High School state wrestling tournament and never get bored. I don’t think I could say that about any other sport, including the more popular ones.”

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Lupica's right on mark about Mitchell, steroids

2007-12-15T13:17:00.000-05:00

For those who think Sen. George Mitchell did a poor job revealing steroid use in major league baseball, read Mike Lupica's column on this issue. As Lupica says, Mitchell is 'no rank amateur.' Mitchell helped broker peace in Northern Ireland and probably could have been on the Supreme Court.

This report is going to be one of the most important documents in professional sports for many years to come. So do not rip this report until you've read as much as you can on (or in the report.) Our job is not to defend athletes (or to be fans) , but to report, so if you plan to write a column or story on this issue, do the research and learn the facts. Then, step up and opine away.

Don't get burned by unnamed sources

2007-12-05T11:48:00.001-05:00

As we're waiting with baited breath on what happens to Johan Santana, here's something to consider: Don't print unsubstantiated reports or repeat rumors. Last week, ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit reported that LSU coach Les Miles would sign to coach Michigan, a report that was proven incorrect. Herbstreit claimed on-air that the report was based upon solid information. That may be true, but that's the problem we face when reporting anonymous information. We're wrong when this information is wrong, not the unnamed sources. At times, we are used by sources trying to advance their own agendas. Most of the time, anonymous sources suck.

Instead, verify reports and rumors as CBS Sportsline's Scott Miller did last night at the baseball meetings. Where's Santana going? Who the heck knows? But Miller does a terrific job addressing rumors circulating in Nashville, Tenn,. and in various online news sources and blogs by speaking directly to the primary sources involved with the reported trades -- namely, to the general managers. Yes, these GMs could be lying, but at least they are on the record doing this, not the sports journalist.

Check out Miller's most recent post:

As the stare-down continued, reports circulated wildly, ranging from the Red Sox increasing their offer by adding a fifth name to the proposal (not true, say sources with knowledge of the talks) to multiple reports that the Los Angeles Angels had met with the Twins.

Not true, said Angels general manager Tony Reagins, who noted that he had informally spoken with Minnesota GM Bill Smith a day earlier but had not conducted any formal meetings with the Twins.

So where do these rumors come from?

"I ask myself that question," Reagins said. "Watching ESPN, I see things being reported and you wonder where it comes from sometimes."

Regarding whether he envisions a scenario in which a trade with Minnesota could develop, Reagins said, "That would be tough to say. There are a lot of things being reported out there, obviously. But I don't see anything on the horizon."

Miller speaks directly with the Angels' GM to address the rumor instead of passing along unsubstantiated information. He also speaks with several other GMs and to some other verifiable sources. Yes, Miller offers several other trade scenarios, but based upon his earlier reporting, I'm inclined to believe him. Evaluate for yourself whose reports are most accurate. I'll bet it's the ones where reporters speak directly with sources. Being accurate is more important than being first.

Note -- remember to start going to onsports.wordpress.com, where this site is moving and where information, like this, is printed first. Thanks.

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We're moving

2007-12-03T23:37:00.000-05:00

I am in the midst of moving the main site for OnSportz to another location, so please change your RSS feeds and bookmarks to onsports.wordpress.com. For the next month or so, I plan to post to both sites, but I will always post here first. As always, the site includes tips and suggestions for covering more than a dozen sports, commentary, book reviews and much more. And, I love to hear from sports journalists — young and experienced. Suggest topics, ask questions, or send notes to me at jgisondi@gmail.com. I hope you find this site just as easy to navigate.
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Journalists should not determine national champions

2007-12-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

Man, the Sheriff Center is going to be rocking today. More than 10,000 Hawaii fans are going to roll into the arena in Honolulu to listen to the Fox Bowl Championship Series Selection Show. The pep bands will play loudly, cheerleaders will rally fans, the Rainbow Dancers will frolic about, and players and coaches will pump their fists. In all likelihood, Hawaii is going to get a bid for the Sugar Bowl, where they will probably face Georgia. In reality, the Rainbows should get a chance at the national championship. But they won't. Voters (yes, us) do not believe football in the Western Athletic Conference is as rigorous as football in the Southeastern Conference or the Big Ten. Experts say Hawaii did not play as tough a schedule as Louisiana State or Ohio State (who played Akron, Kent State and Youngstown State). But these same experts and sports journalists also believed West Virginia would destroy a mediocre Pitt team Saturday and that Ohio State would have defeated Illinois earlier this season.

Last night, Pitt upset West Virgina 13-9 and Oklahoma routed Missouri 38-17. Meanwhile, Colt Brennan completed 42 of 50 passes and five touchdowns to help Hawaii overcome a 21-point deficit to defeat Washington and remain undefeated.

It's fair to say the SEC, Big Ten and Big East are also stronger in basketball. But that did not stop Webber State from beating North Carolina in 1999, Hampton from knocking off No. 2 Iowa in 2001, or Coppin State from upsetting another No. 2, South Carolina, in 1997. There are many more upsets where those came from. In college basketball, titles are determined on the courts, not by judges. Leave that format to figure skating, not to sports journalists.

The argument against the playoff system: the season itself is a playoff system. Yet, LSU lost twice - and they may be in the title game instead of a one-loss Kansas team or an undefeated Hawaii squad. The system does not work if a team can go undefeated and not get a shot at the national championship -- especially when a two-loss team gets into the title game. Again, blame sports journalists.

John Feinstein calls the BCS the single worst creation in sports. Says Feinstein:: "It is the creation of a group of selfish, money-mongering college presidents who couldn't care less about what is best for the so-called student-athletes, couldn't care less about the fans who go to the games and, most of all, couldn't care less about fairness."

I'm not going to offer the format that is needed most (although I will say an eight or 16-team format will compel more than a few fans to watch.) You'll also have intrigue watching teams on the fringe (Nos. 8-12 or Nos. 14-18) that will be working hard to get into the playoff picture. Hawaii is probably going to be a No. 10-12 this afternoon, meaning they would still be locked out of an eight-game playoff picture. There's no denying they deserve a shot at the title. But we journalists (we experts) have prevented this.

We are taught that games are won and lost on the field, not in the press box or in the newsroom. As sports journalists, we should boycott all polls, refraining from offering a vote or being on any panels that make these decisions. Voting is an inherent conflict of interest. ("Well, I would really like to go to New Orleans, so, yes, let's vote for my team as No. 3 so it can go to the Sugar Bowl.") We should not determine who gets to play for a title. Leave that to a selection committee similar to one used for the other college football divisions and for basketball, baseball and soccer. Polls are fun to follow through a season, but they should not determine championships. Nor should sports journalists anoint champions. So rip up your credentials and give back your votes, if only because it's the right thing to do.

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Failure to plan can lead to screaming other 4-letter words

2007-11-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

We haven't really addressed the planning and designing of sports sections in this blog. That's an oversight worth remedying. 'Plan' may be a four-letter word in many news rooms, but direct the other four-letter expletives at yourself if you can't produce a decent section. Each staff has unique challenges, but the biggest is a failure to plan. As the old adage goes: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

At times, we can pull off a terrific page, section, or package at the last minute. But that's the exception, not the rule. Instead, sports editors need to plan well in advance. Plan, at the very least (and I do mean 'very least'), one week in advance.

Enter meetings with a goal. Your goal could be making sure you have at least one feature story per day for the next month. Or, it could be having one in-depth story per week. After the planning meeting, immediately enter everything onto a budget -- deadlines, length, visuals, assigned reporter -- and distribute it to the staff. And post it on the wall in the sports area. (That way, everyone will know exactly when the content is due -- no excuses.) And follow up on everything. Get regular updates from reporters, cajole staffers to do follow-up reporting, make sure visuals have been assigned. Neither stories nor visuals should be submitted the day before publication. You'll need time to send back stories for revision and to plan how you'll use photos and graphics. You should also sketch the main pages before creating them on Quark or InDesign. (I'd also plan to have an extra story just in case someone does not come through, which could leave you with pages to fill but no copy.)

Finally, put together a long-range budget that can either cover a semester or a school year. This is the spine for all other budgets. Typically, the Associated Press will send out a list of major sports events at the beginning of the year. Simply cut and paste these to your long-range budget. Of course, most college departments do not need major events like the Masters or the Super Bowl. So, instead, insert your school's sports schedule for the year. You can call the long-range budget something like "SportsSked--spring08." You can use this as the basis for your monthly planning budget, which, in turn, would lead to easier weekly planning sessions. As a result, your stories will have more depth and your section will be more interesting than a series of game stories and columns. Include fun stories like how to bunt or how to run a marathon but also include hard-hitting stories on athletic budgets. These stories take time -- and planning.

Remember, photos, illustrations and other multimedia reporting should not be an afterthought. Plan these vital, and time-consuming, elements early.

I'll post some sports budgets in the coming weeks. I'll also offer some tips for designing sports pages. In the meantime, let me know if you have specific questions on either of these topics by sending a note to jgisondi@gmail.com.

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How would you feel? Some tips for taking sports scores

2007-11-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

You've worked hard all season to get into the basketball lineup, enduring months of hard training. Running sprints in the gym. Planting your feet, holding your ground, taking the charge -- a slamming of bodies. You dive into piles of elbows, knees, and fists to get loose balls during practices. And practice is every afternoon -- but (sigh) sometimes at 6 a.m. You get into the game mostly for mop-up time, when the coach realizes the team has no chance to win (or lose). Two minutes here, three minutes there. In a rare circumstance, a full quarter.

One game, you find yourself in an unusual situation -- holding the ball near the basket. A defender slams into you, deflecting the shot. But you hit one of your free-throw attempts. Your name will now be in the scoring summary, something you'll be able to brag about with friends and family. The next morning, you rush to get the newspaper before school, but there it is. Your name misshapen, butchered, destroyed. Disdoni. Instead of praise the next morning, students will joke about your newly crafted name. Then, you notice your teammates' names are also misspelled -- Jori (not Joy), Cheyanne (not Cheyenne), and Andersen (spelled with an 'o' at the end). Karly's name is spelled two different ways -- in the scoring summary and the brief game story.

As sports journalists, we get pretty hacked off when our byline is misspelled -- even though we get our name into publication frequently. Imagine the kid who gets into the paper once or twice all season, only to see it misspelled. We need to get these names right. We need to verify them every time, otherwise our credibility is ruined. Names, scores, locations, statistics -- these are so much more important than adjectives, adverbs or metaphors.

Newspapers do a great service to readers by compiling local sports roundups. But this good will is destroyed if we do not correctly record this information. Taking game results on the phone can be a difficult task, especially when clerks or editors are also editing and designing other stories and pages. But we cannot rely on excuses. The reader wants it right, or not at all. (Getting news accurately is what we do. Otherwise, we are just printing presses not news organizations.)

Many sports sections hire stringers or clerks to write briefs and to take scoring summaries. If you get this opportunity, consider the following tips:

1. Ask callers for their name and affiliation. Unless this person regularly calls in results, you do not know if someone is fabricating the information. We rely too much on the good will of callers. I've known people to call fake holes-in-one, little league scores and race results. Few try to fabricate prep scores because they know coaches will also call in the information. Knowing who called helps for another reason, cited next.

2. Verify information with opposing coaches. Sometimes, both coaches will phone in the results. Do not tell a coach that you already have the results; instead, ask this second coach to verify the names of players and to check the scoring summary. Coaches often relegate this task to team managers, who do not always have the correct spellings of opposing players. They rarely have the first names of players either, which causes problems when you write the brief game stories.

3. Ask for a key play. That way you have something to offer in the game brief that readers cannot find in the summaries.

4. Look for unique team stats. Did a basketball team hold another team scoreless in a quarter? Did a wrestling team record nine pins in a dual match? Did a soccer team outshoot its opponent by a large number and still lose?

5. Look for unique individual stats. Did a player record a double- or triple-double, recording more than 10 rebounds, assists and points? Did a soccer goalie record more than 10 saves? Did a wrestler pin someone in less than 30 seconds? Ask for first names as you take these stats, otherwise you may forget later in the rush of fielding other phone calls.

6. If all else fails, write the brief on the leading scorer. That's still a good angle -- just one that is over-used, especially if your newspaper runs a full page of these briefs.

7. Verify final scores. Make sure the score by quarters or innings adds up to the final score. Problems like this happen much more than you can imagine. Try to do this before you let the caller go.

8. Calculate scoring summaries. Make sure the points cited for players in team summaries adds up to the final score. Then, verify that the free throw totals accurately reflect the team totals. Typically, scoring summaries for basketball go something like this: Miller 8 2-4 18. This means 8 field goals and 2 of 4 free throws for 18 points. But you might also see Anderson 8 2-3 20. Verify that this player made two 3-pointers, otherwise the scoring total would be incorrect.

9. Get phone numbers for callers. That way, if you have problems later, you can contact them.

10. Finally, edit your copy. We are not merely stenographers taking whatever is told to us. We need to be editors, verifying everything. Yes, sometimes a coach or manager will give us misspelled names - but we need to work diligently to try and get this, and everything else, right.

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Get better photos for your sports section

2007-11-16T13:54:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I decided to develop tips for using photos in sports sections. Quickly, I realized I was not qualified. I have designed many pages over the years. But who knows how many sports shooters cursed me under their breath for reducing large, sweeping shots to the size of a postage stamp or for cropping out something they worked hard to work into the frame. Sorry, guys.

Instead, I asked a friend, Brian Poulter, who teaches photography here at Eastern Illinois University , to offer tips for sports folks who are more accustomed to thinking in words than pictures -- even though photos help tell the story and draw in readers. Brian is also an excellent photographer, something you can check out yourself at his itty bitty photo blog. His work is both journalism and art at the same time. I wish I could capture details as exquisitely as he does with a camera.

You should also check out Mark Hoffman's splendid sports photography at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. That's his shot above of Packers receiver Ruvell Martin celebrating one of his two TD catches against the Minnesota Vikings last weekend.

Anyway, here are Brian's practical, insightful suggestions. (And remember, photojournalists are people, too.)

Five ways for Sports Editors/writers to get better photos on their pages
So you’re a sport editor, or you have to lay out the sports page. Here’s the secret to getting good art for you pages.

Educate your photographers
Many photographers have to cover many teams. Most don't get to talk to the coaches and players. They don't know the teams the way reporters/editors do. So take five minutes to point out the key players; then, take three more minutes to write a rough sketch of what’s needed. It is very hard for a photographer to photograph what he/she does not understand. Growing up in the Midwest, I knew nothing about the game of lacrosse. When I moved to Connecticut, my first photos showed it. However, I did stun the sports department with my hockey photos. Why was my hockey so good? I had played the sport and read hockey coverage in the sports section. If nothing else, clip a few sports stories to hand out for photo assignments.

Ask your photographers for emotion and faces, too.
Most readers will never catch a Brett Favre pass (which is good unless they like broken fingers). Faces, faces, faces! Faces tell us what is going on. Hey, I'm a photographer: I understand rejection, and so do your readers. Photographs that show the ups and down of the game appeal to almost everyone-- even non-sport fans. A photo with faces AND action is what you really want. You want a layout that works? Build your page aground an emotion-based photograph and your pages will sing.

Request (demand) non-action sports photos
It not all about action at second base. John Biever is one of Sports Illustrated’s best photographer. If you go to this link you can see some of his best work. Notice how few are sports action. That photo of a running back running through the defense line looks like all the others after a while. To quote Crash Davis in Bull Durham: “Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.” Don't run the same shots time after time. Ask and expect more from your photographers than the same old, same old.

Educate Yourself
As a sports editor and reporter you need to seek out great sports photography. It’s amazing how many photo and story ideas can come from this. A great place to see and read about sports photography is at sportsshooter.com. Next time you are talking to a member of your photo staff, slip in “I was looking at sports shooter the other day and...” and your street cred will shoot through the roof -- and you actually might understand what you are talking about.

Say “Thank You”
The stingy bean counters who are bent on destroying journalism love it when reporters use the phone (cheap) instead of actually going where the story is (money). Photographers can’t make photographs over the phone. A few years ago at the Eastern Illinois University Homecoming, it rained the entire football game, winds gusted over 50 mph. Tony Romo (yeah, that Tony Romo) did not attempt a single pass the entire game. There was no light, lots of rain, and the wind. The most important thing the sports editor did that day was thank the photograph who did not have the luxury of sitting in the warm press box. Even the photographers who do not like sports always worked really hard for that editor because once in a while he let the photographers know he appreciated their hard work. Photographers are like puppies -- they will do anything for food or praise.

Great sports photographs, despite what you think, are rarely the result of luck. Luck may be an ingredient, but it is a small ingredient. Sport editors and reporters often hold the others.

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Greed has trickled down to high school sports

2007-11-14T00:02:00.000-05:00

Greed.

There’s no other word for it.

More and more sports governing bodies want it all. They want free exposure on TV, print and online. They want to control the media. But, most of all, they want to control all revenue, wringing every penny for themselves -- even at the expense of losing essential publicity from news organizations.

The NFL would not be where it is today were not for all the free PR it has received through stories in newspapers, magazines, television and radio. That has resulted in billions of dollars for the league. Apparently, that is not enough. So the NFL created its own network, scheduling key games on this channel in order to force cable companies to add it to their menu. (Unless you have a satellite package, you will not see Green Bay take on Dallas on Thanksgiving.) Plus, the NFL limits video coverage on newspaper websites, believing this would cut into profits or would lure readers away from the NFL’s website.

The NCAA, concerned about profits from its TV contract, halted live blogging at a regional baseball game in Louisville last spring, believing the blogger would violate its TV contract (and that fans would turn away from the live broadcast to read a live blog. Ridiculous.)

Major League Baseball even attempted to stop a fantasy sports company from using player stats and names for its clients, something the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit denied in a ruling last month.

The greed has now trickled down to prep sports where the Illinois High School Association is attempting to limit coverage at its postseason events. The IHSA, apparently, has signed an agreement with Visual Image Photography, Inc., giving this company “exclusive and unlimited access to IHSA tournament locations and photo opportunities.” That means newspapers and TV stations cannot post photos of games on their websites, nor can they make these pictures available for sale to local readers. In order to cover these postseason games, newspapers are required to sign an agreement saying they will comply.

"It's very clear what this is about," said David L. Bennett, executive director of the Illinois Press Association. "After a century of supporting and promoting local school sports, newspapers have helped develop a market that the IHSA now wants for itself. We believe what they're doing is unlawful."

The Illinois Press Association calls this prior restraint. We know what it’s really called: greed. The IPA filed a lawsuit on Nov. 1 seeking to temporarily restrain the IHSA from implementing this agreement. The case went before a county circuit judge last week. Judge Patrick Kelley delayed ruling on the case to give both sides a chance to resolve the issue. Kelley apparently sides with newspapers on the issues. His stance on selling photos taken at games is unclear, though.

This agreement would have a chilling effect on news media. This could prevent readers from learning about games. Newspapers typically produce picture pages and post more pictures online for fans, players and family. If this agreement goes into effect, newspapers would not be able to post any photos online. Newspapers offer a cheap service. They send reporters and photographers to cover games, paying a salary, mileage, hotels and, perhaps, meals. For fifty cents, readers can then read all about these games. Cheaper yet, readers can go online to get most of this coverage for free. Not a bad deal. Much better than the one fans would receive from high school sports associations, governing bodies that, ostensibly, represent its state’s citizens. Perhaps, these same citizens should consider cutting funds to organizations like the IHSA, using it for more academic purposes – especially if this agreement passes.

"Newspapers inform readers in many ways, not just print on paper," says Springfield State-Journal Register publisher Sue Schmitt said. "The State Journal-Register has been a pioneer in the use of online photo galleries and multimedia presentations, all to better serve our readers. Our readers want copies of these photos and presentations because they want to hold onto the memory of their sons, their daughters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, friends or teammates in action. The idea that access could be denied to our photographers if we refuse to seek the sanction of a quasi-governmental body to use our own work is unacceptable."

Unlike the NFL, state sports agencies like the IHSA, are funded by the state. Football is just business for the NFL. That’s not supposed to be the case in amateur sports played by unpaid teenagers. Public schools provide 85 percent of the IHSA’s membership. Perhaps, school districts should be pressured to withdraw from the IHSA if this agreement goes into effect. These schools can create their own sports organization, one that honors open access to events for those involved.

Hmmm. Perhaps, the kids should file suit, claiming they should also get some of this money. Were it not for them, there would be no sports event. Is the IHSA taking advantage of these kids, using them to make some extra money? Is this a violation of child labor laws, where kids are forced to travel late on school nights without any direct financial compensation? Yes, this might be a ridiculous argument. But so is the IHSA’s. Nobody should own the rights to a state-supported public event. There’s no profit in it for anybody.

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Be prepared to do it all in your first job

2007-11-13T09:13:00.000-05:00

Like many smaller newspapers across the country, the Quincy Herald Whig focuses more on local sports. As it should be. More mid-sized and larger newspapers are also turning to local sports coverage. Gone are the days where readers turned to the local newspaper for national sports coverage. Now, readers can get live play by play online and can view highlights of national games on ESPN. Even larger newspapers, like the Chicago Tribune and Washington Post, are turning to more prep coverage.

High school sports are more attractive to editors for several reasons. A senior editor at the Washington Post told me the NFL had blocked the paper’s attempt to create an online site for the Redskins. The NFL, which wants to control as much as it can, has draconian rules that limit video posting to 45 seconds per day. That’s not enough time to tell a substantial story. So the Post turned to high schools, whose coaches, players and fans are excited to get the star treatment. The Washington Post shows videos of key games, includes team rosters, and offers features on teams, players and trends. It's impressive.

The Washington Post’s sports editor told me the prep beat is as important as any other beat. If you can cover preps, he said, you can cover anything. He said he feels comfortable assigning the prep beat writers to cover college or professional events as well. If the Washington Post is pushing local prep coverage, you can bet other newspapers are doing the same.

Since many new reporters will be starting at smaller newspapers like the Quincy Herald Whig, I asked sports editor Don O’Brien to offer advice for those seeking jobs and to those who want to learn more about covering high school sports.

1. What advice do you have for young reporters trying to break in as a stringer or intern (or even to those looking to get hired in their first job after college)? What do you look for in resumes, clips or in interviews?

At a small paper like mine (circ, 26,000) , you really have to be able to do it all. If you can only report, I won't have much use for you. If you only do desk work, I won't have much use for you.

Students must take full advantage of [working at college papers like the] Daily Eastern News to hone their skills in reporting and design both. You must be efficient in Quark or InDesign. Unless you're God's gift to prose, a one-trick pony isn't going to get my attention. (And if you're that good at reporting, you're probably out of my league anyway.)

When I was at the Daily Eastern News, I also worked part-time on Friday nights at the [Charleston] Times-Courier for a few semesters. Yes, it stinks that you lose a Friday night of fun, but it helps you in the long run. You get to see how the pros work on deadline and what it takes to put a paper together. (Not to mention, I had more beer money than my buddies.)

Having that type of experience will also help you when you go job hunting. If someone clerked or strung stories for a paper in addition to what they did for their college paper, that resume will stand out a little more than the others who only have college experience.

The DEN and other college papers are great places to learn the craft. Those who take full advantage of the opportunities there will have a leg up on the others when it comes time to job/intern hunt.

2. How do you approach covering high school sports, such as football, basketball or cross country? Do you want your reporters to approach the games differently than they would if they were covering college or the NFL?

I think we cover the high schools a bit differently than we do the colleges and pros. We'll report on the games and do feature stories on high school athletes, but we're not going to do some of the things that we might normally do for the college or pros. A lot of papers like to grade teams after games or after a season. That's great for the pros and colleges, but I don't think it's appropriate for high school kids.

There's no real need to give a high school junior who plays quarterback and F grade for throwing four interceptions in a blowout loss to their rival school. Those high school players aren't receiving anything to play. It's an extracurricular activity. They shouldn't be scrutinized that way.

That's not to say you don't report that Johnny Quarterback threw those four interceptions in the loss. Facts are facts.

We cover more than 40 high schools in our area and concentrate heavily on the two high schools in town. Don't know how others deal with this, but unless there are arrests made, we tend to go with "a violation of team rules" when high school players are suspended. We try not to make a federal case out of it. These are 15-, 16-, and 17-year-old kids who are bound to make some mistakes.

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'Crash' into sports journalism: Some lessons from an Oscar-winning writer

2007-11-06T23:52:00.000-05:00

Not to name drop, but I spent some time today with Robert Moresco, the screenwriter who won an Oscar for “Crash” – and who co-produced “Million Dollar Baby.” We were hanging out at the Brown Hotel, overlooking Louisville from the top floor. Bobby had some great advice on ways to improve writing, something that captivated many of those attending this session sponsored by Spalding University's MFA program. No matter what you write, you’ll probably want to consider some of his suggestions – many of which are also applicable to those interesting in covering sports.

Commit to your idea. “Don’t capitulate to others’ ideas,” Moresco said. That means thinking about new angles and story ideas for writing profile stories, for packaging sports sections, and for even using agate. Look at as many other sports sections and writing examples as possible – not to emulate these fine works but, rather, to find ways to develop them further. Be an innovator. As Bobby said: “Don’t write what they (studios) want because, by the time they get around to your script, they may be on to something else.”

“The scene you don’t want to write is the one you have to write.” Do things that make you feel uncomfortable, whether that is interviewing someone’s mom, asking tough questions of an athlete charged with a crime, or reporting in a new media. “You have to write out of your problem,” Bobby says. “If you make everything easier, you’re ruining your story. … You know when it’s easy: (it's) when you’re going, ‘Why is this so easy?’” Take on new challenges and new approaches to writing stories and producing sports sections.

“It’s all about human behavior.” This is what draws in readers. Determine what drives the people we write about, what they want most in life. Then, pinpoint what might prevent them from obtaining this. This might mean a catcher needs to learn to improve on throws to second or that a quarterback needs to play better against blitzes – or it could mean that a player is facing some personal challenge off the field. Tell these stories. Spend time interviewing, observing and researching so you can hang your story on this real-life drama. “If nothing is in the way (for a character to succeed),” Bobby said, “then there’s no drama. Conflict is drama, drama is conflict.” Find this, especially for columns, features and profiles.

“We are all driven by the things that own us.” In other words, learn what drives athletes and coaches. Obviously, their respective sports own them to a degree. But so do the people in their lives, their experiences, and their desires. Look deeply into their actions on and off the field by speaking with friends, by attending practices, and by doing some research. In addition, see if these people are acting logically. Too often, sports journalists try to paint a player or coach as good, bad, noble or mean. (Like most journalists, I have been guilty of this as well.) But people are more complex than this. Sometimes, people act irrationally. If we do our homework, we’ll realize these actions are not always inconsistent. Instead, perhaps we just failed to see the entire picture. For example, Officer Ryan in "Crash" acts like a jerk when he fondles the female passenger early in the film. Yet, Ryan (Matt Dillon) risks his life to save this very same woman later in the movie. Can someone be both a saint and sinner? Are you always nice or mean? Nobody is, not even the worst villain or the nicest person. People are not one-dimensional, so do not write flat, one- or two-source profiles that fail to explore these lives. Make them more complex, more real, like Officer Ryan, a police officer who is supposed to protect everyone, but who cannot protect the person he loves the most (his father). So he reacts to this frustration during the traffic stop. Lesson: don’t create villains and heroes. Instead, reveal people fully for who they are.

“Did I give 98 percent instead of 100 percent?” Journalism is hard – like anything worth doing. Give the best effort you can. Sometimes, you have one day to knock out a story, other times you have a week or so. Do the best job you can within these time constraints. “Writers are courageous,” Bobby said. “We know what we have is not enough, yet we write anyway.” We are always facing deadlines, so make the most of the time you have.

Learn to act. This is how Moresco responded when a student asked for advice on how to become an actor. “I’m serious,” he said after some laughter. “Learn the craft of acting.” Take classes, work in local theater, and be committed to acting. In the same way, you do not need to go to the New York Times or Sports Illustrated to become a terrific sports journalist either. You can become a top-notch writer in Robinson, Ill.; Palatka, Fla., or Little Compton, R.I., if you are willing to listen to experienced editors, to study other writers, and to commit yourself to reporting. Learn (and practice) the basics frequently, and apply this knowledge often. Write, edit, and design sports pages as often as possible, wherever you are. Learn to be the best sports journalist you can.

Writing is difficult. So is reporting and interviewing - much more difficult than some imagine. “The only writers who think writing is easy,” Bobby said, “are bad writers.” But if you work hard each day, you will improve. Compare your work through time – to three months ago, six months ago, a year ago. If you have worked hard, you will see some progress. You cannot write like Mitch Albom, Rick Reilly or Gary Smith overnight. But if you commit yourself to the craft, in time you might eventually surpass them.

Test characters. Moresco likes to test his fictional characters, putting them in uncomfortable situations where we learn more about their lives. We learn, for example, that Officer Graham (Don Cheadle) cares more for his career than for his brother and mother by following the choices he made. Find the moments that have tested the people you cover. Pinpoint the moments that test people on the field, if you are writing a game story. Explore the moments where a linebacker or forward were tested on the field or court. Then, put them in your game story, sidebar or column.

Love it or leave it. You must have the desire to commit your life to your work, whether that is as a screenwriter, as a nurse, or as a sports journalist. Success takes hard work. “If something else makes you happy,” Bobby says, “then go do that. Sure, that sounds easy for Mr. Hotshot director/screenwriter/producer. But not if you consider that Bobby Moresco worked as a bartender and in construction for more than 20 years before hitting it big. He kept working and writing and learning. So keep at it. There’s no substitute for persistence. Even if you do succeed early, don’t trick yourself into thinking you know it all. Said Bobby: “The moment you think you’re as good as they say you are, you’re dead.”

I’m guessing, if you read this far, you love sports journalism. You can't change everything overnight. Instead, work to improve on one (even small) thing in your next story assignment. Then, work on another, and so on. Be committed to this thing you love. Good luck.

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Floor your readers with amazing stories

2007-10-29T23:14:00.000-05:00

Columnists are reporters with an opinion. The best columnists are also keen observers, precise writers, and excellent storytellers. Frequently, we forget that readers love stories. But that is difficult to do in 13 inches or 400 words. We need to expand columns on days when a writer finds a terrific story.

Columnists frequently write opinion pieces, offer notes, or playfully address an issue, but how frequently do columnists tell stories to get their points across? Not enough. That's why reading pieces by a great writer like Bill Plaschke is a treat. Plaschke's piece -- "Floored" -- is among the best column I've read in some time.

"Floored" is an amazing story, a column that might have fallen through the cracks had Plaschke not also been a curious observer and a diligent reporter. Ultimately, the column succeeds because Plaschke is an excellent storyteller. Readers love a good mystery, something he clearly understands. Consider the opening:

The name is in giant cardinal letters, stripped across two sides of the new basketball court in this city's new basketball treasure, the signature on USC's signature arena.

It will be stepped upon by generations of Trojans basketball players.

It will be seen by millions of Galen Center fans.

Yet it is cloaked in mystery.

Jim Sterkel Court.

"Are you sure?" asks his wife, Joanne Sterkel. "His name is on what?"

Plaschke starts with a simple detail and then pulls us in with the idea of a mystery before adding an intriguing detail -- that Sterkel's wife is shocked. Hmmm. How does his wife not know something major like this? What else doesn't she know? Tell me more.

Plaschke keeps the story rolling by focusing on conflict at several points. There is the sad moment when Sterkel finds out he has cancer. Then, readers learn that the anonymous donor's son is also dying. The reader, of course, will want to read further to learn the outcome in both situations

When Sterkel first noticed a lump in his testicles, he told Anonymous, who immediately drove him to the doctor for the beginning of his long and fatal relationship with cancer.

While Sterkel was dying, Anonymous' young son also contracted cancer. Sterkel wrote Anonymous a poem, sealed it, and ordered it only to be read if Anonymous' son died.

Plaschke also writes wonderfully, varying sentences as needed. He uses short, staccato sentences to re-emphasize points in longer sentences. He then counters with longer sentences that pack a lot of information within them.

After their senior years, the roommates set upon vastly different courses of life, but never strayed too far.

There's also this nice passage that summarizes the opening scene:

Anonymous became a business tycoon, while Sterkel became a suburban salesman and church leader, yet they still met for family dinners, fishing trips and pep talks on the phone.

Sterkel was the kind of guy who didn't smoke, didn't swear, and would lead his church in services and on its basketball courts.

He was the kind of guy neighbors phoned if they needed a television fixed or pipe unclogged. Giant and bespectacled and always smiling, he was the kind of guy who hugged everyone.

He also says much in the following sentence, a 22-word line of poetry. (Notice, also, how the second shorter sentence leaps out in comparison to its lengthier neighbor.)

A most amazing story in this city of stars, a sports centerpiece decorated in average, laced in ordinary, painted in a nobody.

Or was he?

Plaschke is also a tenacious reporter. He uncovers the name of the anonymous donor but does not reveal it to readers, knowing that detail is unnecessary to the telling of the tale. Just because we know something does not mean we should publish it. Consider how your words impact others. Plaschke speaks with many sources, everybody from Jim Sterkel's wife and daughter to a former teammate to USC's athletic director to Anonymous. He digs in to learn as many details about this story as possible from these people.

After so much work, Plaschke then tells an amazing story of friendship, dedication, and selflessness. It's a lovely story, one that sticks in one's mind (and heart) for a long time -- and one worth emulating.

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Satire can result in a swing and a miss

2007-10-29T16:26:00.001-05:00

Part of my mission is to try and educate. Part of my job is to model activity -- in this case writing a column with a strong opinion. Perhaps, I failed in that mission. At least that's how it appears if you read the comments to my previous blog (below). Nearly every single writer said they did not get the satire, which either means that readers failed to understand it, or that I failed to present it properly. Since no one is defending the post, I can only assume I struck out.

I had thought the reasons I offered in the column would clearly shine through as ridiculous. But I guess there are many ridiculous notions presented on the Internet. I had assumed everybody thought like me -- that binge drinking in college is stupid, that missing class is a losing proposition, that athletes should be held accountable, and that drinking and driving is as deadly and stupid as it gets. That's why, for example, I made the statement below. Who else but the student would be to blame?

After all, it wasn’t the player’s fault that he had inadvertently been arrested twice for driving under the influence of intoxicants.

Based upon comments, though, I found most readers do agree with me on this, thus the comments. What happened is they did not connect with me, a relationship that requires more time. The regular readers of this blog understood what I wrote; first-timers did not. Part of a columnist's success is this connection with readers. Those who know me understand that I believe in accountability and that drunk drivers should be sentenced harshly. They appreciated the posting. Many others, though, did not. That, of course, is not always the reader's fault.

I also assumed readers would see through the rather shallow argument below, where I cited alcohol stats to reveal how deadly DUII can be. I had hoped people would understand that driving while intoxicated is a deadly, stupid thing. That's why I did the research.

It’s not like Luke was one of the 16,885 people who died in alcohol-related driving fatalities in 2005. He had not slammed into anyone, thus he had not added to the 254,000 people who get injured from crashes involving alcohol. One person may be injured every two minutes, and killed another 31, but that’s not Luke’s fault. He would have arrived home safely. So why would a columnist, a person who is supposed to comfort the afflicted, attack this young man? A person with a blood alcohol level of .08 is 11 times more likely to get in an accident than someone who is sober, but that number can’t possibly include athletes with lightning-quick reflexes like Luke. Give this kid a friggin’ break.

Again, this must have been a swing and a whiff.

Finally, I believe the media's role is to vigilantly watch public institutions, not allow them to blindly do as they please.

I can’t imagine why journalists go to the trouble of writing about misappropriation of funds, illegal defense contracts, rapes that go unreported, and alcohol infractions from young men. It’s not like it will make a difference. People will only get angry.

A columnist's role is also to get people to react to an issue so some change of mind or policy or action will take place. In this case, I wrote to change perceptions about two things -- a tacit approval for drinking while intoxicated and continued attacks on journalists who are trying to reveal illegal, unethical behavior. I had thought satire would be the best manner in which to do this. Apparently, I was incorrect. I had sent a note to John Canzano last night, linking to this story, and to thank him for his excellent work. He understood my column (even seemed to appreciate it), so I felt good about posting it here.

I learned a great deal from writing this column, something I can use to help teach others. One lesson: we can all swing and miss once in a while.

The other lesson: Decorum is gone when one can post comments anonymously. Forget about decorum and forget about disclosure. Instead, many people prefer to call names, wish for the worst, and offer other mean-spirited suggestions without citing their names. It's easy to attack when nobody knows your name. I appreciated the comments where someone offered more reasoned, careful explanations, pointing out where I had failed. That's something I can learn from. But I guess this vitriol is something sports columnists face every day. This is yet another reason why I appreciate and respect those that carry on each day despite such attacks. That's another reason I respect John Canzano.
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Let's protect players from selfish columnists

2007-10-29T00:50:00.000-05:00

John Canzano is a selfish journalist, a man who is more concerned about good copy than in doing what is right.

He’d rather publicly embarrass a young kid in order to get a great column than let the University of Oregon deal with the situation. Canzano also rips into this poor player’s mother for running to his defense. Is that how a columnist is supposed to act, betraying a school he is charged to cover and, subsequently, causing intense scrutiny for a family?

After all, it wasn’t the player’s fault that he had inadvertently been arrested twice for driving under the influence of intoxicants. It happens. It’s college. Kids drink. They drive. They miss classes with hangovers. Remember? Good times.

Plus, universities know how to deal with this. A month ago, Oregon suspended a receiver indefinitely for what it called a ‘violation of team rules.’ The university has also suspended two basketball players over the past two seasons. Even the mascot, a duck, could not escape punishment after a fight with a Houston Cougars mascot. Oregon is not afraid to do what’s right.

Canzano should have known the university would have suspended Luke Bellotti had this been a major violation. That he is the coach’s son is irrelevant. Sure, the team may have altered the truth (with fingers crossed) when it said Luke missed fall football for a ‘digestive illness,' which probably was not entirely incorrect. How else would you expect this young man to feel with a second DUII case pending? Agida city, baby.

Let’s re-set the situation here:

Luke Bellotti, a part-time kicker for Oregon’s football team, pleaded guilty earlier this month to driving under the influence of intoxicants. Luke, whose dad is Ducks’ head coach Mike Bellotti, had been arrested in February. This was Luke’s second conviction, something the team kept quiet, knowing it is better to protect these young kids from an evil media contingent. (You can now see what happens when journalists learn about a slight lapse in judgment. Kids will be kids, you know. Let them learn – privately – from their mistakes.)

It’s not like Luke was one of the 16,885 people who died in alcohol-related driving fatalities in 2005. He had not slammed into anyone, thus he had not added to the 254,000 people who get injured from crashes involving alcohol. One person may be injured every two minutes, and killed another 31, but that’s not Luke’s fault. He would have arrived home safely. So why would a columnist, a person who is supposed to comfort the afflicted, attack this young man? A person with a blood alcohol level of .08 is 11 times more likely to get in an accident than someone who is sober, but that number can’t possibly include athletes with lightning-quick reflexes like Luke. Give this kid a friggin’ break.

So Luke’s mom rushes to her son’s defense by chastising Canzano, tapping him on the shoulder during a game last Saturday and mustering just enough strength to explain how his column had hurt her family. Apparently, she had been so intimidated by Mr. Canzano that she needed to take a drink or two before entering the press box. And you can imagine how hard that must have been after her son’s embarrassing misadventures. She managed to blurt out: "You've dragged our family through so much hurt and pain...” That’s the kind of courage one expects from a devoted mother.

So what does this columnist do? Oh, he couldn’t resist. Canzano decided to be the story, smugly recounting this private exchange and characterizing her comments as a hissy fit, which, of course, tarnished one of the biggest victories Oregon has had in decades. Now all the attention is on John, Luke, and his mom. (Did I mention she was so shaken that she even brought her children into the press box where Canzano was supposed to write about the Ducks’ win over Southern Cal?) Instead, he wrote the following post on a blog that has circulated across the country, from the New York Times to Deadspin.

She leaned in, grabbed by my suit lapel, and lit into me with a string of expletives, asking me if I have children, and telling me, "This is going to come back on you tenfold." And she threatened to slap me, which I thought was not such a nice example to set in front of the kiddies.
I told her that it played especially poorly to me that she would approach me in the press box, with a strong smell of alcohol on her breath, hissing and spitting mad, talking to me about alcohol abuse.

Canzano is clearly a callous man. You can tell this by reading another story where he ‘outs’ a family that has trouble making ends meet. Dad just can't cut it.

“His name is Jason Taylor. He’s 29. He has three perfect children – a boy and two girls, ages 5 to 11. Six months ago, he was laid off from his job manufacturing airplane parts. After that, he was forced to sell his house to avoid a foreclosure.”

We also find out the kids have to pick out ants from cereal, are forced to ride along late at night while Jason delivers newspapers, and that the family was on food stamps. This dad even hides in the closet to cry. Talk about public embarrassment. But Canzano did not give a damn. It was good copy, not social commentary on spoiled, selfish Blazers fans.

I can’t imagine why journalists go to the trouble of writing about misappropriation of funds, illegal defense contracts, rapes that go unreported, and alcohol infractions from young men. It’s not like it will make a difference. People will only get angry. Commentors on Canzano’s blog, like RushDuck, are trying to correct him: “This is National Enquirer material here! The great head football coach conspiracy of trying to keep private matters private.” Duck99pdx wonders: “If nobody got killed when Luke Bellotti was drinking and driving, I don't see what the big deal is. No harm, no foul.” We all know it’s columnists who really cause problems, not the people they write about, something that is clear to Bbroich: “Are you nuts? It's attitudes like yours that gets countless people killed every year. You need to grow up.”

We all need to act more maturely. Let’s let government do its job without any interference from columnists, reporters, or citizen advocates. Let’s let universities decide how to deal with unruly kids who rape or attack one another. Let’s let athletic departments decide what’s best for their players. I’m sure none of these institutions would ever abuse this power. Wouldn’t you agree? Let journalists investigate more important matters like Paris Hilton’s driving adventures and whether Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have split (or reconciled?) That’s what we need for a more informed citizenry, not some story about an alcohol-related arrest or a cover-up at a state university. Where’s the fun in that?

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Broadcaster offers ways to improve radio (and print) coverage

2007-10-28T18:54:00.000-05:00

Listeners hate it when announcers fail to offer the score during radio broadcasts. They also hate when announcers predict plays, act like homers, and forget to offer the time left in a game. That's what veteran broadcaster Warren Kozireski told college students at a national college journalism conference in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

That was clear to me this afternoon as I listened to a Bears-Lions game. The Bears announcers told me the game was a shut out (but not who was being shut out) and that the Lions were trying to get three points before the end of the half. Five minutes passed before I heard a score - and a full minute after Jason Hanson kicked a field goal to put the Lions ahead 13-0. I thought I would have to sit in a car at the Arthur Pumpkin Patch while my daughters trampled fields filled with gourds. Fortunately, that catastrophe was averted when the Bears announcers finally ceded that the Lions were winning.

As a print journalist, I have rarely given sports broadcasters their due. Through the years, though, I have gained more respect for radio broadcasting. After Saturday, I admire the work of hard-working radio broadcasters even more. Kozireski revealed the challenges to broadcasting a sporting event. He outlined several areas where sports broadcasters can improve. As I listened, I realized these tips are just as relevant for print reporters. Check out his main suggestions below:

Offer time and score frequently. "That is the number one complaint," said Kozireski, who is also the general manager for a radio station in Brockport, N.Y. "The time and score's always there on TV. Then you go over to radio and what happens? You hope somebody slips in the score once in a while." The key is to have a system, some way that reminds announcers to add these key elements. There is no single way to do this. In baseball and softball, for example, some announcers offer the score after every batter, while others offer it after the second out in the inning. Some offer it every three minutes, using an egg timer. "I still witness them in booths all the time," Kozireski said. Announcers also need to reveal who is leading and the exact time left in a game. For example, announcers should not just say that 5:18 is left in a game; rather they should also give the reference point to those just checking in (saying the 5:18 is left in the second quarter or first half, for example.)

Know the team rosters. Make sure you know the names and numbers of key players. Saying that a pass has been completed to No. 48 (even if you add the name after a brief glimpse at the roster) reveals you did not do your homework. "The moment 48 catches the ball, you need to know the name," Kozireski said. You should study the key players first. In football, that means the quarterback, running backs, and receivers. In hockey or basketball, that may mean studying the leading scorers. These are the players who will touch the ball, or puck, most frequently. Always make sure the numbers are correct by asking team managers and assistant coaches to verify them.

Don't predict. That means saying what has happened, not what is going to happen (even if it appears obvious.) Don't say that a quarterback is going to pass or that a running back is going to get a first down as he runs. Instead, say that a quarterback is in the pocket and that a running back got a first down. Says Kozireski: "Your job is to report."

Don't be a homer. Some broadcasters still argue that outwardly rooting for the home team is a good thing. One student in Saturday's session claimed 90 percent of his listeners rooted for the college team. But not all fans are rooting for the home town, and many want a more evenly balanced report, regardless. That's why I watch White Sox games with the sound off because I cannot stand Hawk Harrelson's blatant one-sided view of the game: "C'mon Big Daddy!" "He gone!" (I wish he were.) If a player from the home team makes a mistake, announcers must describe the play correctly, even if they believe some viewers will get upset. "In one game, I said a player muffed a punt," Kozireski said. "His mom called to complain. I asked, 'How would you like me to describe it?'" It went through his arms and bounced away. But she is clearly biased." Being a homer can also hinder one's career. Networks are not interested in biased announcers on national broadcasts where there are no home teams. Be more like Gus Johnson, who is excited about key plays, regardless which basketball team makes them.

Read books on sports broadcasting. Read Josh Lewin's Getting In The Game, Marv Albert's Yesss, and Dan Patrick's The Big Show -- all of which offer tips, suggestions, and insights into the profession.

Drink lots of water. Not Red Bull, Gatorade, or vitamin water. Milk is the worst thing because it coats the throat. "By the third period of a hockey game, your throat is rough," Kozireski said. "If the games goes into overtime, you can be in trouble." For sore throats on game day, drink hot tea with lemon.

If you are an analyst, shut up! Give the play-by-play announcer time to do his job. The game is not about you. Also, analysts need to do their homework so they know as much as possible about the teams and players. Plus, analysts should not follow the ball. That's the play-by-play announcer's job. Instead, look at other parts of the field or rink. And do not be a Monday morning quarterback, saying what a player or coach should have done; instead, offer your suggestions before plays.

Here are a few other brief suggestions:

■ Don't pigeonhole yourself to a single sport.
■ Avoid jargon, translating a sport's terminology.
■ Sit down and talk with coaches to learn the game better.
■ Dress the part. Keep those worn jeans and torn t-shirts in the dresser. Dress professionally to be treated as such.

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Online skills are essential

2007-10-23T00:11:00.001-04:00

No matter where you're working or taking classes, I hope you're working on some online skills as well. There continues to be great debate whether print publications are doomed. A former writer for the New York Times argues that print publications will fade away like parchment, typewriters and, perhaps, CDs. Digital is the future, this writer claims. Even books and magazines will die off in time, Adam Penenberg writes, eventually turning into artifacts that are either sold on eBay or tossed into land fills.

I'm not so sure that newspapers will suffer such a swift burial, but print publications are definitely hurting so much that online readership will be counted in the next Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) reports, which should be announced in the next few weeks. The Audit Bureau, which is the primary circulation audit group in the United States, will not just publish paid print circulation in its biannual reports. Instead, the ABC will combine print and online numbers, probably in order to soften a steady drop in print circulation. No surprise: More and more readers are headed online. But, many are headed to newspapers' online editions. Newspapers remain the most credible news sources.

Sports readers are probably even more active than the average reader, constantly looking for scores, results, and commentary about their favorite teams. Fans will even follow games online through blogs. Sports readers also love to react to one another, something that is clear when you check comments below stories. Tonight, nearly 400 readers posted comments on a brief NFL story at Deadspin. That number of responses would make any newspaper editor envious.

So what does this mean for sports journalism, where online sites like CBSsportsline, ESPN, and Deadspin already publish scores, commentary and news independent of a print publication? That means more opportunities for writers who have learned how to write for this new audience, for readers who expect quick takes, concise writing, strong opinions, and interactive content. That means you better learn how to link to related content, how to add video and audio, and how to file quickly. Clearly, those with strong journalism skills (reporting, interviewing, observing) will do much better than most bloggers, although there will always be room for witty, engaging writers like Bill Simmons and Will Leitch.

Don't abandon your print publications just yet, though. There is much to be learned from this experience -- and print publications remain the most significant sources of news. (Even Leitch, the founder and key editor for Deadspin, said writing his regular column for the New York Times gives him an extra thrill.) Just don't limit yourself to writing for print editions. Collect some audio, find related stories so you can link to them off your online stories, and write glogs (live game blogs) for live events on days when you do not print. And, of course, read as much as you can, whether that is picking up the Best Sportswriting series, reading excellent sports journalists, or checking out sports blogs and websites.

You can start slowly, perhaps by writing a weekly sports blog for your school's online publication, something that is especially helpful for weekly newspapers where sports news can age rapidly. You might even want to start your own sports blog on a local sports team if you do not write for a school publication. Keep evaluating your own work, and ask others to offer criticism. Learn the basics, hone your skills and take some chances. And, most of all, have some fun along the way. After all, this is sports we're writing about.

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ESPN has bias for ratings, not East Coast

2007-10-21T09:40:00.000-04:00

Last night someone told me, "I'm sick of the Yankees and Red Sox. They're always on TV." He then pulled out the East Coast bias card, saying the Midwest and West Coast do not get their proper respect.

We talked primarily about baseball, this being playoffs season and he being a disgruntled Cubs fan. He said all he sees are Yankees and Red Sox games. I said that's because ESPN is more worried about ratings than judiciously spreading its Sunday Night Baseball Games among all 30 teams. "That's not fair," he said. But that's just smart business for a company trying to make money. Newspapers make these decisions all the time, which is why regional newspapers cover their local teams more than national teams. That sells papers.

Don't mistake entertainment for journalism. Like other networks, ESPN wants to make money. Networks spend a great deal of money to get broadcast rights, so they want to earn that money back. That's why you did not see the small-market Devil Rays and Royals play. Ratings would be abysmal, something advertisers would not like.

There's not doubt there is a certain degree of East Coast bias in some coverage, in part because a higher percentage of people live there and in part because of the time difference. East Coast viewers are not as willing to stay up late to watch 10 p.m. baseball, football, and basketball games. But, clearly, teams like Southern Cal (in football) and the Los Angeles Dodgers get respect when they succeed (although not as much, perhaps, as if they played East.)

But let's look at one small aspect of this bias argument. I decided to check ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball schedule from this past season to see if these claims are true. Not surprisingly, the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox were among the teams who appeared the most. But they trailed the Cardinals, who appeared six times. The Tigers and Braves, though, matched the five appearances by the Yankees and Mets. The Red Sox appeared just as frequently as the Cubs (four times), followed by the Angels and Phillies at three apiece. The Dodgers, Twins, Indians and Rangers each appeared twice, while the Padres, Giants and Astros appeared once.

West Coast teams like the Mariners and A's never appeared, but nor did the Orioles, Devil Rays or Nationals. The Rockies and Diamondbacks were also shut out from Sunday Night Baseball, but so were the Pirates, White Sox, Reds, and Marlins. In most instances, this is because the teams played poorly. But you can also see that many of these teams play in smaller markets, something that affects Major League Baseball teams that do not have the resources to compete with big-market teams. Major League Baseball does not share revenue, unlike the National Football League, where the tiny market Packers can compete much easier with the Giants, Bears and Cowboys.

I'm not sure whether ESPN, or any other sports media, has a bias toward a coast. You can bet Duke-North Carolina basketball games will always be shown nationally, as will Southern Cal-UCLA in football, and the Yankees-Red Sox in baseball. These teams have national profiles and storied histories, meaning viewers are more inclined to watch them play. That's not journalism; that's just smart business.

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'Scoring from Second' shows baseball is more than a game

2007-10-17T21:39:00.000-04:00

Summer is already a distant memory. Days are shorter. Scraps of corn and soy are scattered across harvested fields. And baseball season has just ended.

For most of us, baseball really ended decades ago when we learned we were not talented enough to play at the college or professional levels. That’s tough to accept after so much time spent tossing wicked curves to our friends, ripping mammoth homers, and diving for line drives Brooks Robinson would have been envious to catch.

Sure, we knew better, but we loved the game — the smell of worn, leather gloves pressed against our faces, the sweet smell of newly mown outfield grass, and the rough feel of a wooden bat, knowing it possessed all kinds of magical possibilities.

More than 30 accomplished writers explore their own relationship with the sport in “Scoring from Second: Writers on Baseball,” a book edited by Phil Deaver, a man who once shagged balls and snared line drives as a kid in Tuscola.

These writers reveal that baseball does not enchant everybody. Instead, it taunts overweight, uncoordinated kids and pressures talented kids to the brink of suicide. Baseball also helps one deal with heartache, despair and death.

No sport affects us like baseball — at least, lyrically. Football may be about war and punishment, and basketball may be about power and style. But they lack the familial intimacy of baseball, a sports that connects fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and grandparents. “Scoring from Second” explores the reasons for this.

For example, baseball taught Jocelyn Bartkevicus to deal with life, and it taught her stepson to deal with death. Cancer, which had already ravaged the writer’s family, poised to attack a tiny 5-year-old boy who was more interested in chasing ice creak trucks than fly balls.

“Chris played right field, where we used to put the deaf girl when I coached my sister’s softball team,” she writes. “Out there, a kid gets bored. Chris stared up at the clouds, down at blades of grass, over at his elementary school. He put his hat on sideways, then backward. He threw it up in the air.”

Jocelyn and her son relied on baseball to help endure the roughest times.

Baseball taught Susan Perabo that baseball is not only for boys. Like several other writers, Susan refused to yield to this macho attitude. Instead, she fought to play baseball years before Title IX attempted to even the playing field for young women.

Eventually, she earned a chance to play a season for Webster University in St. Louis.

“There was a little bit of sun left in the sky and we had nowhere better to be,” she writes. “The thing is — the thing I see so clearly now — was that on that cool evening there simply was nowhere better to be, nowhere better than a baseball field, shagging flies in the outfield with my teammates, my friends and I playing simply for the love of it.”

This is a book even non-baseball fans can appreciate. Sure, the book has its share of lyricism — “baseball is as beautiful and irresistible and as irreversible as a first kiss.” But this book is not an ode to baseball as much as it is an exploration into the lives of people who happened to play the game wherever they could — in sandlots, back yards and on organized teams.

In the end, these writers realize baseball is just a game, like life, where the rules may seem a little clearer but the final score is never certain.

This review was originally published in the Charleston Times-Courier.
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Let's show some restraint

2007-10-16T15:02:00.001-04:00

I'm always embarrassed when I read stories like this:

Along with the groundswell of support from his players and opponents alike, attention paid to Torre has seemed suffocating. Newspaper photographers and TV camera people have been a persistent presence on Torre's front lawn and driveway this week.

"In the postgame Monday, Joe said there's always a vigil on his front lawn every year and he asked this year if they could respect his privacy," Jason Zillo, the Yankees' director of media relations, said.

The media are camped outside yet another person's home in order to get the 'big story.' And that is? Joe Torre, or someone else, walking to their car? The family dog relieving himself on the lawn? Perhaps, these reporters expect to get Torre to reveal secrets to the people pestering him.

Reporters need to be persistent, enterprising and thorough. This is neither. Instead, these 'journalists' are being rude, cliche and superficial. If reporters want to know whether Torre has been fired, they can do several things -- wait for the press conference or wait for a call from Torre, his agent, or the Yankees management. The work to get this story started many months (and years) ago, when the team's beat reporters arrived for spring training. The reporters who have diligently covered the team the past several seasons are going to get this story first, not the unimaginative, pesky reporters on Torre's lawn. (Besides, the municipal market has proven that Torre will return.) Show some restraint and go back to the office. I'm sure this time can be spent doing more thorough reporting than sitting outside someone's house. Sheesh.
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Send in your most hated sports phrases

2007-10-15T12:54:00.001-04:00

I am putting together a list of sports phrases, words and terms that need to be deleted in sports reporting and could use your help, especially if you are an editor, writer or teacher. So far, I have a slew of cliches (giving it their all), unnecessary phrases (The Wildcats found the end zone again), and unnecessary repetitions (a 23-0 shutout). Send me the words, phrases and terms you typically cross out, delete or that cause you to scream. You can post them below or email them to me at jgisondi@gmail.com. Thanks.

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Writing sports profiles

2007-10-10T16:08:00.000-04:00

People are complex. So writing about their lives should not be easy. Too often, sports reporters go out, speak with a coach or player for 20-30 minutes (perhaps an hour), return to the office and write. Sometimes, the story also includes a quote or two from another player or coach. Maybe some stats are tossed in. Sports profiles take much more effort than that. They are not easy to write, but you can get better over time if you consider some of the points below. Hope they help.

Conflict – In all good stories, a main character wants something but someone or some thing, stands in the way. Unlike fiction, in these sports profiles the conflict does not always need to be resolved. Check out the story on Jake Scott, an award-winning story by Dave Hyde. Conflicts are usually resolved in stories that deal with events that took place in the past. There is nothing wrong with addressing an ongoing challenge; however, you do need to find the main conflict for most profile pieces. (Do not elevate conflicts that are not really there, nor should you create melodramatic scenes. Instead, spend some time interviewing, observing and researching until you see where the story begins. Keep in mind, some papers are just looking for a short overview profile piece. These are usually not as interesting, but readers do like some of these shorter takes on athletes, nonetheless.)

News angle – Determine the reason you are writing a story on this person. Why this person, and why now? Perhaps, this person is being profiled because of a recent athletic performance or because of a recent hiring. Perhaps, this person is connected to an anniversary of an event (like he 1980 Olympic hockey gold medal game) or an amazing season (like the 1972 Dolphins, the last undefeated NFL team.) Perhaps, someone just died, so you are writing a more involved obituary, one that runs days or weeks after the actual death. Either way, make sure a reason is clearly stated somewhere in this story.

Setting – Put the person in a place, a physical location, whenever possible. Set the scene early, putting the main character in a certain place. Sometimes, you can describe the setting before you describe the profiled person, especially when the setting takes on the role as character. That’s the case in Pamela Colloff’s terrific story on a fired women’s basketball coach, entitled “She’s Here. She’s Queer. She’s Fired” that was originally published in Texas Monthly. (This piece is one of many superb sports stories also published in the Best Sportswriting 2006). The town, whose morals and beliefs, clash with those of local girls coach, is introduced in the beginning of the story.

IN BLOOMBURG THERE ISN’T A STOP SIGN, or even a blinking yellow light, at the center of town—just a bend in a winding two-lane road that meanders through the woods toward the Arkansas state line. Every now and then a logging truck piled high with pulpwood rumbles by on its way to the paper mill, scattering twigs and pine needles onto the blacktop below. Otherwise the town is quiet. There is no Dairy Queen, or any diversions to speak of; the closest movie theater is thirty miles away, in Texarkana. Even Bloomburg’s 1A high school is too small and too poor to have its own football team. But every November, when teenagers scrawl “Go Wildcats!” in white shoe polish on the back windows of their pickups, the boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams try to make the town proud.

Bloomburg never had much to brag about until six years ago, when the school district hired a young coach out of Arkansas named Merry Stephens. She was the first female coach in Bloomburg history, and also one of its toughest. When just seven girls tried out for the Lady Wildcats during her first year in Bloomburg, Stephens had them practice by playing against the boys. If they were used to making fifty layups at practice, she told them to do twice as many. It wasn’t long before the Lady Wildcats started winning. Stephens led the team to the state playoffs three times, and in 2004, when the team had grown to 25 players, the Lady Wildcats made it all the way to the final four. “Half the town went with them,” said one parent of the six-hour drive to Georgetown, just north of Austin. “We’d never had a team do so well.” The Lady Wildcats didn’t win the championship, but they were welcomed back as heroes. When the team’s bus pulled into town, people stood on their porches and cheered, and the volunteer fire department led an impromptu parade.

But even after the local Wal-Mart named Stephens Teacher of the Year and the district had chosen her as its Coach of the Year no fewer than three times, many residents felt uneasy about her. Stephens, it was rumored, was a lesbian. And in an area where ministers preach against homosexuality from the pulpit and tracts denouncing the theory of evolution sit next to cash registers in convenience stores, Stephens’ sexual orientation was not an issue that most residents of Bloomburg, or its school board, could overlook. In December, just nine months after the Lady Wildcats had gone to the finals, Stephens was abruptly put on leave. The woman she lived with, a teacher’s aide and school bus driver named Sheila Dunlap, was dismissed. The board’s actions made this otherwise placid town of 374 people erupt in controversy and became the central issue of the school board election in May. “It’s divided this town,” said history teacher Thresha Jones. “You’ve got people who feel that Merry and Sheila were done wrong. And then you’ve got people who think that what the school board did was the only right thing to do."

Setting is not always so significant, but putting a person in a place allows the reader to follow more easily, so take some notes on the places you go and ask for details from those involved if you could not be there or if the event happened months or years ago.

Character – Your main character (or protagonist) needs to be a fully developed person, a person literary critics would call dynamic, or complex – not flat and simple. Show this person through actions, physical description, dialogue, commentary by others and by revealing this person’s thoughts. Do not paint this person as all good or all bad. We are all illogical, inconsistent people. There’s nothing wrong with revealing this, if these points are relevant. Show this person. Speak to as many people as possible to learn about this person. Do not limit your perspective by only interviewing the person to be profiled. Consider the opening for another fine piece, this one by Pat Jordan entitled “The Magician” that focuses on a legendary pool player who is now down on his luck.

At midnight on a bitterly cold January 15 the lobby of the Executive West Hotel near the Louisville, Kentucky, airport was crowded with men and a few women, all waiting anxiously for the guest of honor.
A man in a yellow windbreaker came through the front door and walked toward the registration desk. A murmur rose from the crowd. Everyone stared at him, a small brown man with slitlike eyes, a wispy Fu Manchu moustache, and no front teeth. He wore a soiled T-shirt and wrinkled, baggy jeans. He moved hunched over, his eyes lowered.

People clustered around him. Men flipped open their cell phones and called their friends to say "He's here!" They introduced him to their girlfriends. The man looked embarrassed. Another man thrust his cell phone at him and said, "Please say hello to my son; he's been waiting up all night." The small man mumbled a few words in broken English. Then the hotel clerk asked him his name. He said, "Reyes." Someone called out, "Just put down 'the Magician.'"

Write with authority – Learn so much about this person that you can tell this story like an omniscient narrator, offering major events and little details related to the story’s main focus. Profile stories take more time and effort than most other sports stories. You can’t just go out and speak to a person or two and fire off a profile story – at least, not one worth reading. Do the proper reporting.

Voice – Yes, reporters can have a voice. Like a column, profile stories can include commentary and insights from the author. But do not interject yourself into the story too much. Offer subtle, illuminating points. Unlike a column, a profile story is not about you. Perhaps, the voice is the person being profiled, where you tell the story through their eyes, or from the perspective of this person’s 10-year-old sister, if that POV is relevant. Do not be afraid to take chances.

Here are a few more points to consider
Make sure the person profiled is acting, or doing, something that propels the overall story. Action means dialogue as well, but it does not mean someone talking about someone else. Quotes can from key people are certainly necessary, but they do not propel the story.
The person should be going somewhere, either on the field or off. The person may be working to go the state track and field meet, earning spot on an NFL team or going to the Olympics. Off the field, the person may be going off to war, going to therapy, or going to places in order to be a preacher. In the meantime, this person may be also going to a low-paying job and living in a weekly rental to get by, or going to a doctor to fix some ailment. But, overall, the person has a goal and place where they want to be.
Be fair. But that does not mean you have to be neutral in these profiles. Look at all sides to any related issues. If a coach has been vilified in the press or on a web site’s fan forum, address those points, even if they were unfair. You can reveal that these comments were unfair through solid reporting. You also need to address aspects of this person’s life that do not reflect favorable upon him. If a person is a known alcoholic, ask this person how she overcomes that handicap each day. If this is not well known, ask if the coach would be willing to share her thoughts on this topic. We do not want skewer people for their faults, so we need to be empathetic in dealing with them. We do, however, want to make sure and address events and moments that serve only to embarrass someone. But there are some aspects of a person’s life that need to be included because they are known or significant. Make sure you have a good reason for using them (and have an honest conversation with this person about your reasons as well.)
Get as much access as possible. Let this person know you would like to hang out at practice, attend meetings and speak with other people in their lives. This way, this person will not get worried when he sees you so often. You might also get some suggestions for new story angles.
Hang out. Watch practices, attend meetings, follow the person across campus, go to lunch with him. Observe and take some notes, even if you can only do so mentally (after all, you should not always be talking notes while other are eating. They’ll feel less comfortable. Write down your observations after lunch.
Use a tape recorder. Nobody can record every detail from a lengthy conversation, so buy a digital recorder and let it roll. Make sure you let people know you will be using this. If they feel uncomfortable, tell the you just want to make sure you want to get the facts right, which is the truth.
Be tenacious, patient and curious. These traits will send you in more directions than you have time, and many paths will lead to amazing stories, news and information.
Piece together scenes. Listen for stories from others, verify them and then tell them in a more concise, compelling manner. Put the reader in the moment based upon the detail offered by your sources.

Here’s an example of a scene pieced together by Kurt Streeter for his wonderful piece on a 10-year-old girl that was part of a 5-part series in the Los Angeles Times.

Do girls box? she asked, turning to her father one evening. Is it OK for girls to box?

Well, yeah, mija, they do, he answered. Sure, it's OK for girls to box.

They were sitting on the bed in his cramped apartment, faces lit by a flickering TV, eating pizza, watching a pro boxing match. Seniesa loved to watch fights with him, loved the way boxers settled their differences, using fists to express what was inside. She was just a kid, a girl enthralled with a man's sport, but she wanted to express herself like that.

Dad? Can I box? Can I learn how to box?

Joe Estrada was shocked, he would remember afterward, but he didn't want to let his daughter down, not with what they had been through. Yeah, he said, eyes still on the TV. Sure, mija, you can do that, if you really want to. I'll take you to a gym in a couple of days. I promise.

He didn't mean it. Boxing wasn't for girls. Not for his girl, a pretty one with thin bones, a delicate nose and rosy lips. He had lived by his fists, both on the streets and in prison. All he wanted was to protect her. For weeks, he did nothing to make his promise real.

But she grew adamant. She read a book about Muhammad Ali, got a poster of him and tacked it to her wall. She admired his confidence, the way he would not back down, just like her father, she would proudly say, and the way Ali had grown up, just as she had — an outsider looking in. She wanted to become a champion boxer, bold and strong, just like Ali.

Besides, if her father trained her, he would be with her, no matter what. Both needed that, desperately. They needed it to save each other.

The more he put off boxing, the more she pressed.

Finally, guilt got him. One Monday afternoon, he drove her to a gym on a busy street in East L.A. When he parked, she sprinted from the van to the entrance. They walked inside, unsure what was next.

Do you train kids here? Joe asked.

The manager looked down at Seniesa, leaning against her father's side. How old is she? he asked.

Eight, Joe said. Almost 9.

She's too small, the manager said. We'll train her, when she's 13.

She walked from the gym with her head down. Joe tried to console her, but actually he couldn't have been happier. Good, he thought, that's the end of this boxing thing. Then, inside his van, he looked at her and saw her staring out the window.

What's wrong, mama? he asked.

She couldn't speak. Tears filled her eyes.

It hit him then how much this meant, how badly she just wanted the chance to step inside a ring and put gloves on and let go.

A few days later, deciding to try once more, he took her to a gym near her home where a group of boy boxers trained.

Emphasize story. Have a beginning, middle and end. Save inverted pyramid for breaking news stories. You can write a story narratively, from beginning to end, you can offer a series of stories that lead to the end, or you can insert asides and commentary in the middle of a longer narrative story. There are many ways to tell a story. Read other great stories for ideas.

Writing a profile story is something that can be done over time while you work a beat through a season. You do not have to reserve a chunk of time to write these stories, but you do need to spend time reporting and developing the story. Do not judge yourself against the stories, like those cited here or those in the Best Sportswriting series. But yo should aspire to get to that level someday, if you want to be among the best. Lear as much as you can from these terrific pieces and always try to be better than you were on your last story. Good luck.

Writing follow-up stories

2007-10-09T17:11:00.000-04:00

I’m always looking for fine examples of college writing. And I found one in our own publication, a game-day follow by Matt Daniels. Matt, who worked as a sports intern at Springfield's State-Journal Register, has continued to improve each semester. This story is as good as any you’ll find in a professional daily. (Yes, I may be biased but this is an excellent story worth emulating. I’ll break it down below.)

As I’ve mentioned before, writing a sports feature is like writing a short story – except we do not make up any of the facts. Story, not news, drives these features. That means you need to grab readers quickly in a lead that tells a compelling story or introduces an interesting character. Matt does that here, introducing a player who has far exceeded expectations in a football game. We get to see the player recuperating after a rugged afternoon on the gridrion. We also get a brief physical description.

Sweat trickled down Ademola Adeniji's face 30 minutes after Saturday's football game against Eastern Kentucky.

The air conditioning in the conference room he sat in at the O'Brien Stadium football offices worked fine.

But the 5-foot-10, 215-pound running back still showed the effects of the best game of his Eastern Illinois football career.

The story also has a nut graph, a sentence or two that serves as both a thesis statement and a reminder, telling readers the reason a reporter is writing this particular story. Here, the nut graph says:

The Springfield native rushed for a career-high 186 yards on 25 carries during the Panthers' 28-21 loss to the Colonels.

He broke tackles, used his speed to outrun defenders and used his hands, which Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo said were not the best earlier this season, to catch three passes for 58 yards.

Next, we have a lead quote, a comment from another main character who summarizes what was just addressed. Notice that the quote is from the opposing coach, something that impresses readers and editors for several reasons. These comments offer a new point of view, one your readers may not be familiar with through your regular beat coverage. As a reporter, you should be looking for new, fresh insights. You will not usually get that from the 10th or 20th interview with your hometown players or coaches. Editors will be impressed that you made the effort to collect additional sources, something way too many beginning (and some veteran) sports writers fail to do.

"Oh, I tell you what, he really surprised me," said Eastern Kentucky head coach Danny Hope. "There were two or three times in the game where we had guys hit him in the backfield or hit on the line of scrimmage and he powered his way through."

The story also offers context for this player’s big game that includes some background information. New writers, especially, lead with background information. That should come a little later. Matt also includes a quote from the profiled player himself in this section -- in the eighth paragraph, not in the second one – which allows the comments to have more weight.

He did this on a day with temperatures in the high-80s, unusual for an early October afternoon in Illinois, and without other healthy running backs to give him a break.

Travorus Bess was limited with a leg injury (two carries for two yards), while Ron Jordan ran once for no gain before he tweaked his right ankle again. Norris Smith didn't dress because of a lingering knee injury and fullback Chip Keys is out for the year with an ankle injury.

"In a sense, it's a running back's dream," Adeniji said of being the only healthy running back. "But certain amount of carries, certain amount of plays, so you can stay fresh to make plays - you need at least two, three running backs."

But it was all for naught because it was the Panthers' first Ohio Valley Conference loss at O'Brien Stadium since 2004.

"Each week in the OVC, you've got to play game in and game out," Adeniji said. "I mean, individual accomplishment is great, but you need to come out with the 'W.'"

This story also includes key moments from the game. Follow-up stories can be written like mini-profiles in the sense that you are profiling a player’s performance in a previous athletic event, not their entire life. So the key moments will be those on the field. Notice also, in this section, how the writer offers careful analysis and clear descriptions. You should also take note that yard lines and yardage are included in the brief play by play. (Avoid filing stories with an overabundance of play by play; however, key moments can help illustrate your analysis and man points.)

Adeniji's first three carries of the game did not indicate he would have a breakout game. He rushed for 3 yards on his first three rushes, but made it up for it on his fourth rush.

His 17-yard run up the middle on the Panthers third offensive possession moved the offense from their own 5-yard line to the 22.

Adeniji struck next with less than three minutes in the second quarter and the Panthers trailing 9-7.

Adeniji took a handoff from quarterback Bodie Reeder at Eastern Illinois' own 27. He appeared to be tackled by EKU defensive lineman Andre Soucy at the line of scrimmage, but broke the tackle.

With EKU playing man coverage on the wide receivers on the outside and Colonel free safety Zach Denton the lone defender dropped deep, Adeniji had plenty of room to run.

He used his speed and cut back to the middle, past EKU's linebackers, after breaking Soucy's tackle.

With only Denton to beat, Adeniji ran past him near midfield en route to a career-long 73-yard touchdown run.
"He's a warrior," Reeder said. "He exemplifies what our entire offense needs to be. We all need to fight from the very first snap. He did that and he didn't give up the entire day."

Finally, this story offers some observations (about the formation), a key play (backwards pass), and some analysis ("The warm weather started to affect Adeniji in the fourth quarter").

The Panthers employed a formation they hadn't used all season in order to spell Adeniji.

Reeder lined up in the shotgun formation with five wide receivers, three to his left and two to his right.

The formation, which Reeder said was installed during practice last week to give Adeniji a break, did not have much success.

The first time the Panthers used it, Reeder threw a backward pass to wide receiver John Gadson and EKU recovered the pass on the Panthers 11.

Eastern Illinois used it eight times and gained a total of four yards. Reeder, not known for his speed, ran two quarterback draws out of the formation and gained a total of one yard on the two draws.

One of the draws, a pre-determined play call, came with the Panthers on EKU's 4 on third-and-goal with EKU ahead 21-14. Reeder was stopped at the 3, and kicker Tyler Wilke missed a 20-yard field goal to end the Panthers drive.

"Maybe I chose the wrong running lane or something like that, but just got to give credit to their defense," Reeder said. "They played well especially when we got down close to the end zone."

The warm weather started to affect Adeniji in the fourth quarter, he said.

It was evident with the Panthers on EKU's 2 with less than two minutes remaining and EKU leading 28-14. On first-and-goal, Adeniji's draw up the middle went for no gain. His next rushing attempt went up the middle again, but he was tackled a yard short of the end zone.

"My wind was fine, but it was my legs," Adeniji said. "You try to conserve your energy as best you can each play, but as you can see with the defense, the more you're out there, the more the heat is spreading on you. I want to run 100 percent, if I possibly can, every play."

Spoo said Adeniji's performance the last two games (49 carries for 278 yards) showed Adeniji's true ability.

"You've got to warp him up or he can break tackles and stay on his feet," he said. "He did that again. Just a hell of an effort on his part."

Agate offers context to stories

2007-10-08T23:20:00.001-04:00

The sports editor for the Providence Journal says his newspaper has reduced agate by 20 percent.

The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle no longer runs boxscores for NBA, NHL, college football and college basketball -- and only linescores are used for major league baseball games.

The Arizona Republic no longer publishes expanded NHL and NBA standings each day. The Newark Star-Ledger dropped NBA and NHL agate the last month of the 2006 season with very few complaints, even though the Devils and Nets play nearby.

"We may be using a little bit more as several youth sports organizations have sent results into us," writes Robert Gagliardi, sports editor of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle in a recent AP Managing Editors survey. "Instead of eating up 20-plus inches of copy we have put their results in agate format to be more consistent across the board. Our paper is a daily, but we still have a small-town mentality so we get junior high and elementary school results and standings. Nearly all of that goes into agate. As far as or high school and other local agate, that has stayed about the same over the last five years."

"We're probably running more local sports agate," Palm Beach Post executive sports editor Nick Moschella writes in the same survey. "We're running more endurance sports agate and the number of high schools we cover at the Palm Beach Post has grown significantly in recent years."

Agate is essential to breaking down any sports event -- and it is especially useful in these days of tighter space and shorter stories. Agate, which is much smaller than average type, allows the reader to learn a great deal about an event in a smaller space. Yet, it is frequently cut by college sports editors who do not want to edit their reporters' copy. The thinking: the story is more important than agate. Agate is complementary information that allows the reader to more fully understand the game. Agate allows readers to more fully engage a game story. Agate allows a sports reporter to offer analysis, describe key moments, offer significant quotes and -- hopefully -- to entertain the reader rather than to recite scoring plays, race times, and team stats.

This is particularly helpful for sports such as cross country, track and field and swimming where more than 100 athletes may compete in as many as 16 to 20 categories. Without agate, sports reporters are forced to write out results within the game story, taking away valuable space better spent focusing on why and how these athletes finished as they did. Consider the following passages from a cross country story:

LaRocque placed 27th overall and David Holm came in next at 41st place with a time of 25:53.44.

Derek Ericson (51st), Harrison Bueno (61st) and Mario Castrejon (72nd) were the last three Panthers to score in the event.

O'Grady said the women did a nice job of keeping their pack together and running as a team.

O'Grady and Amy LeJeune finished 29th and 30th overall with times of 19:04.11 and 19:05.49, respectively.

Napoleoni and Katie O'Brien came in next in the 42nd and 45th spot overall.

We do not need to mention how every single runner finished. Instead, cite your school's results in agate. You can do this by either bolding your runner's results or by breaking them (as shown below). I'd recommend running the top 10 overall finishers for minor meets, but adding up to 20 for larger meets. These other times will put your local results into better perspective. You can then offer the complete results online either as PDF or as a link to the official stats. But do offer some stats in print as well.

Don't forget to add the name of the event, the distance, date and location in a small header above the agate, especially if the results are posted on a separate agate page. If this is the case, make sure you add a refer line to your story, letting readers know where to find this information. Otherwise, put agate at the end of the story. Here is one example:

SIU SALUKI INVITATIONAL
Saturday's results
Women's Distance - 5K
Carbondale, Ill.

WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Southern Illinois – 50; 2. Southern Indiana - 56; 3. Saint Louis - 110; 4. Eastern Illinois - 118; 5. Creighton - 125; 6. UMKC - 142; 7. Southeast Missouri - 167; 8. Evansville - 194; 9. Arkansas State - 224

WOMEN'S TOP 5
1. Sara Hiller - UMKC (17:48.66); 2. Allie Shafer - USI (17:56.24); 3. Jessica Scott - UMKC (18:01.10; 4. Missy Burgin - USI (18:12.18); 5. Katy Simutis - USI (18:20.38)

EASTERN ILLINOIS FINISHERS
11. Nicole Flounders - 18:34.23; 18. Erin O'Grady - 18:48.95; 23. Amy LeJeune - 19:17.16; 27. Jill Blondell - 19:21.81; 45. Katie O'Brien - 19:59.75; 48. Megan Balas - 20:01.86; 73. Rebecca Smith - 20:52.91

Cross country agate usually does not take up much space, nor does agate for volleyball, soccer, wrestling, rugby or tennis, among others. Even agate for baseball, basketball and football is manageable. Check out your local newspapers for examples.

So while sports editors are justifiably reducing national box scores and results, agate is not dead yet in print. Cut a few graphs from that gamer to fit it in. Readers will appreciate it.
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Some pointers for gamers

2007-10-03T00:07:00.000-04:00

Game stories can be difficult at first, especially when they have to be filed on deadline late at night. But you'll need to keep practicing if you are going to get better. Taking scores from coaches for nightly prep roundups is one of the best ways you can improve. You might have to write 10-20 leads in a single night, which will force you to find ways to briefly offer the key plays, key stat, or the significance of the game. To learn more, critique stories from the Associated Press, where experienced writers file solid gamers against all kinds of pressing deadlines. But also analyze game stories that offer an angle that is not connected to a key stat. These stories may focus on a key play, an unusual circumstance, or some other key angle in the lead before citing the result of the game.

Editors want tight, bright stories that include quotes from key players and that touch on key facts and emotions without omitting major factors. Says Jim Ruppert, sports editor for the Springfield (Ill.) State-Journal: "Game coverage is a necessary evil, and I'm not big on the 'featurized' game story. Cover the game or write a feature, but it's tough to do both at the same time."

Art Kabelowsky, prep editor for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, says he likes very little play by play in game stories. Do not just write a running commentary of plays, but do take note of key plays so you can briefly describe them to illustrate some analysis. "The game story should tell you a little about the status of each team and the thoughts and emotions of the coaches and key players who made tonight’s events happen," Kabelowsky says. "Anecdotes and good quotes are better than play by play."

Here are some elements you'll need to mix in for solid game stories.
1. Leads -- Focus on a key moment, unusual circumstance or stat that helps convey the most important part of this game.
2. Context -- Tell the reader what this game means. Has a team broken an eight-game losing streak, qualified for sectionals or lost its fourth straight five-set volleyball match?
3. Score - Make sure you put the score as early as possible. That could be in the second or third graph, if you are focusing on a key moment, or that could be the first graph, if you are filing a straightforward results story on deadline.
4. Analysis -- Watch the game carefully so you can break down the game into smaller parts. For example, you might notice that a basketball team played better with a smaller lineup, going on runs of 12-2 and 10-0 when the starting center was on the bench. Or you might notice that a soccer team dominated the middle of the field for most of the game, which will allow you to focus on the play of the center midfielders and backs, describing their efforts during 1-2 key moments.
5. Offer examples -- Show, don't just tell the reader how a team played. Always seek to offer a brief example. That means you need to take detailed notes throughout the game, because you'll never know when the notes will be needed. Notes also enable you to assess the game with some better perspective, allowing you to find some trend you may have overlooked.
6. Offer key stats only when they help support a main idea -- Do not just cite how many points several players scored or how many hits a softball player had. Cite the stats as they pertain to a focus in your story. Do not just write a story from the box score.
7. Focus on plays later in the game first -- Game stories are not written narratively, from beginning to end. You would focus on the final quarter of most football games, not the opening quarter -- unless something extraordinary happened in the opening minutes.
8. Include comments from both teams -- Do not just interview the home team. Those stories lack a wide perspective. Always try to get coaches and players from both sides.
9. Include quotes that offer thoughts and emotions from the game's key people -- And place these comments next to your description of the key plays.
10. Tell the reader what happens next -- Has the team advanced to the next level of a state playoff? Who does the team play next during the regular season?
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Fans, coaches also challenge player attitudes

2007-09-26T15:10:00.000-04:00

Sports Illustrated columnist Stewart Mandel writes that coaches challenge their players' attitudes all the time. Urban Meyer called his tailbacks 'trash' before their title run, but nobody called to chastise him. Yet, a reporter offers some criticism and fans rush to the defense of the poor student-athlete.

Mandel writes:

"As I wrote on Sunday, Gundy's general point about treating college athletes differently than pros -- one which might have been taken seriously if not for all the SCREAMING, STARE DOWNS and FINGER POINTING -- is a valid one. But let's not kid ourselves about the real reason much of the public is siding with Gundy. It's certainly not lost on me, a columnist, that there's a wide-spread resentment amongst most college football fans toward the media. I'm sure for many people it was a treat to watch a football coach put one of us "know-it-all" writers in his/her place. Because that's the only possible explanation why Gundy -- not Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden, mind you, but career 13-15 coach Mike Gundy -- could perform such a bizarre act and somehow come out of it the hero."

You'll have to excuse me if I don't buy that most of the people empathizing with Gundy are doing so out of genuine concern for the treatment of college athletes. If fans are really so sensitive to personal "attacks" on players, then how come I can go on any message board of any disgruntled fan base right now and find criticisms of certain players that are 100 times more scathing than anything Jenni Carlson wrote about Bobby Reid? Some of the most vicious posts are often directed at recruits -- high school kids! -- who spurn someone's school. These people are doing the same exact thing Gundy says he's so peeved about (and even worse, anonymously), and they're doing it in a public forum. How is that any less hurtful or embarrassing to the player and/or his family?

And what about those stories we always hear about some kicker who misses the game-winning kick or a tight end who drops a wide-open touchdown and gets flooded with nasty phone calls and e-mails. That doesn't sound to me like a case of people acknowledging that the guy's "just a kid." As to Gundy's insinuation that a writer shouldn't dare question a player's attitude -- coaches themselves do so publicly all the time as motivation. Was there any outrage when Urban Meyer called his tailbacks "trash" in the spring of 2006? Of course not -- Gators fans ate it up. However, if a local columnist had suggested the same thing ... oh man, would there have been hell to pay.

Check out the rest of Mandel's commentary by clicking here.

Brad Schultz, editor for the Journal of Sports Media, says coaching blowouts are nothing new, just more easily accessible (as Gundy's was through YouTube.) We've all seen Bill Parcells or Bobby Knight explode, but that may be just a small percentage of coaches who lash out, says Schultz."

"Coaches love to use the new media," writes Schultz. "especially the Internet, because they can control the message (see how much of OSU's web page is devoted to Gundy's blowup). Most "official" school websites are nothing more than propaganda outlets and recruiting tools. But when coaches can't control the message they often get into trouble, no matter how hard they try to sweep it under the rug.

It used to be that if coaches won enough people didn't care what they said or how they acted. But Knight and Woody Hayes showed us that people do care and coaches need to control themselves. A warning to all coaches and players out there--someone is watching.
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Oklahoma State coach's rant shows that women are not equal

2007-09-25T13:58:00.000-04:00

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy makes a fool of all the rational coaches out there, which is most of them. Don't think this coach's spewing is normal, or acceptable. Gundy unfairly attacks the woman columnist for the Oklahoman in a three-plus minute tirade, saying the writer can't understand the issue because she does not have kids.

This rant was clearly spit out by someone who has no clue about journalism, modern media, or YouTube, where more than 200,000 people have watched his childish bombast. This is also someone who has no clue that kids get picked on, teased, and called names far worse than ''fat boy.'' Kids, and adults, get their hearts broken all the time. We've all been kicked when we were down. It's the getting back up that defines us.

Like athletes, student-journalists get their fair share of criticism. Just last week some egocentric, petty graduate students posted 'graded' copies of the staff editorial all over campus because they disagreed with the stance. Last spring, my students got throttled over another editorial -- on Greek life. On message boards, our editor in chief was called words far meaner than 'fatty.' Journalists understand criticism more than most people, coach.

Here's all Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson did:

1. She offered some observations about the player, the Cowboys' quarterback.

Bobby Reid stood near the team charters last Friday night, using his cell phone, eating his boxed meal.
It would've been normal post-game activity but for one thing.
His mother was feeding him chicken.

That scene in the parking lot last week had no bearing on the Cowboys changing quarterbacks, and yet, it said so much about Reid. A 21-year-old letting his mother feed him in public? Most college kids, much less college football players, would just as soon be seen running naked across campus.

And what of the scene television cameras captured earlier that evening of Reid on the sidelines laughing with assistant strength coach Trumain Carroll? The same cameras showed him throwing his cap in disgust after a missed play earlier, but to be laughing in the final minutes of an embarrassing loss is bad form.

2. She reported comments made by the player himself.

I get sweaty palms. I get the butterflies in my stomach. I sweat lot,” he said then. "I've been playing this game for 15 years. And I can honestly say every game I've played in, I've been nervous. It's not so much me being scared; I just get to a point where I start worrying about a lot of things I can't control.

3. She offered some fair commentary.

A lot of guys get nervous, some even puke before games. How you handle the nerves is important, though, and Reid hasn't always managed them well. He has gotten off to some extremely slow starts, putting the Cowboys in some holes. Some, they dug out of, with Reid often wielding the biggest shovel, and some, they couldn't.

Then, there have been the injuries. No doubt some of Reid's ailments have been severe, including an injured shoulder that required surgery and forced him to redshirt. Other times, though, Reid has been nicked in games and sat it out instead of gutting it out.

Injuries are tricky, of course. You don't want a guy to put himself in harm's way if he's really hurt, and yet, football is one of those sports in which everyone plays hurt. Aches and pains, bumps and bruises are part of the gig.

This infuriated Gundy. Like other coaches before him, Gundy played demagogue, playing on popular prejudices and making false claims to promote his main idea, that this player was unfairly picked one. Gundy said three-fourths of the article was fiction, but failed to point out a single instance, preferring, instead, to glare and pause between his exhaustive rant last Saturday. Two days later, he again declined to support his claims.

Gundy also unfairly attacks a woman journalist in this case. As Chicago Sun-Times columnist Carol Slezak points out, it is difficult to imagine Gundy calling out a man for not having kids:

I can't imagine Gundy screaming during a press conference about a male writer's lack of offspring. I can't imagine him substituting ''daddy'' for ''mommy'' in his rant. I also wonder, as one of the few -- or perhaps only -- women in that room, if Carlson didn't make for an easy target in Gundy's mind. Watching the video, I sensed a subcurrent that gave me an uneasy feeling. As if what Gundy was really thinking was, ''How dare that bitch criticize one of my players. She shouldn't be writing about football. She should be home making babies.' '

I'd have to agree with Slezak on this one. Like many other fathers of daughters, I'd be inclined to jump in and face off with anyone talking to my little girl in this rough manner, no matter her age. ("Do you have any daughters, Gundy!" Pause. Glare. "Have you ever had your daughters come home crying because some boy called her a 'Slut," or had some boss demean her skills because she is a female?) Unlike you, coach, I hope you never have to face those situations.

Gundy brings up another point, that college athletes are not professionals. That's true. But more and more these young athletes are treated like pros by sports information directors, local media, and broadcasters. In a way, they are being paid. Full tuition each year is a pretty good salary for slinging a football or knocking down some baskets. Still, we should not demean people on a personal level. On the other hand, we also should not be intimidated to write only fluffy, promotional pieces. (Even though, sadly, that's what some fans want.) More than 89 percent say that Gundy's rant was justified in one fan poll. Sadly, these fans are blinded by loyalty to a sports program. That's who Gundy pandered to last week.

Gundy is not the only coach who is out of touch, though. Colorado coach Dan Hawkins believes fan should not even boo his team's performances. (Clearly, he has never visited Philly.) "If you're not happy with what's going on, don't come to the game, or leave," Hawkins said. "It's like my grandmother used to tell me, 'If you can't say anything nice, don't say it at all.' But I understand those values are a little old fashion and people don't take those to the ballpark anymore."

Thank goodness for coaches like Bill Callahan of Nebraska who told Sports Illustrated: "People have their opinion and I respect that," Callahan said. "In America, people expect excellence. I don't think anybody likes to be booed. You've got to deal with it and don't let it get to you."

Sports journalists, like Carlson, work hard to explore reasons for actions. In this case, she set out to tell readers why Oklahoma State coaches decided to switch quarterbacks. And Gundy could not take it that a writer (a female sportswriter) tried to explain 'his' decision. Thus, came the ridiculous rant by someone who acted more like a pouting kid than a 40-year-old man.

That's all I have to say. Right now, Gundy makes me want to puke.

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Covering HS football

2007-09-23T18:35:00.000-04:00

Writing a game on deadline can be a challenge no matter what sport you cover. But high school football may be the most challenging of all. First, night games typically end less than an hour before deadline. That means getting quotes from players may be more difficult, unless you grab a player before he heads in to hear the coach’s post-game speech. You might also be forced to walk the sidelines in severe weather, thanks, in part, to press boxes filled with announcers, stat assistants, and friends of the program. Press box is a misnomer at many fields across the country.

However, compiling stats on deadline may be the most daunting task of all, something that confounds most new sports reporters. Unlike college and NFL games, high school football stats are not hand delivered between quarters. In many cases, the stats are poorly recorded by student managers or volunteer parents who care little about the visiting team’s stats.

More and more, newspapers are starting to put more emphasis on prep coverage, something smaller papers have done for years. ESPN, cbs.sportsline and others already focus on national sports news, but these national news outlets do not focus on community sports on a regular basis. Instead, readers go to local newspapers for their prep sports coverage. Expect to cover many more high school games than pro games in your career. (And, frankly, that's much more exciting for someone who wants to break news, not emulate what every other news source has offered.)

"I would say that a newspaper's high school coverage is far more important than its major college or pro coverage," says Bryan Black, high school sports editor for The Virginian-Pilot.

And prep football coverage is far more challenging since you'll need to record, verify and compile pretty much everything. "With a major college or pro event, you have professional PR people supplying you with info -- you can be pretty darn lazy and still write pretty good stuff,” Black says. “With a high school event, it's all on you. No one is going to hand-deliver you anything. Every bit of information you gather is on you. You might even have to figure out the roster yourself. You're going to have to double-check name spellings yourself. If you get it wrong, it's on you. And, with a high school event, if you make a mistake, you're likely going to get called out on it. With a major college or pro event, you're just another media hack out there doing a job. If you make a mistake, the guy's mom or dad isn't going to call you. But make that same mistake with a high school event, and you're likely going to get calls from the kid's mom, dad, grandparents and coach.”

So, if you want to cover prep football, you need to develop a precise, efficient system for keeping stats, one that enables you to compile them quickly.

“We train our reporters and football correspondents to also be official statisticians for games,” Black said. “We have a lot of football coaches who love to inflate their players' numbers. In addition, our deadlines are so severe that there's no way we could get high school football stats from games in the paper unless we kept them ourselves. So our reporters and correspondents are trained to do stats by official NCAA stat procedures as well as to keep a play by play. Our staff writers also are adept at making notes for themselves while keeping track of all this. It's an extremely fast-paced and hectic way to work, but our very best reporters love it. The get an adrenaline rush out of it. There's nothing like covering high school football, especially when there are talented athletes on the field. And we have a lot of those in South Hampton Roads.”

“This (keeping stats) is a bigger deal than one might think,” says Jim Ruppert, sports editor for the Springfield (Ill.) State-Journal Register, “especially when the football press box is filled with non-press -- more times than I'd like to remember I have asked school officials why they call it the press box if there's no room for the press -- and the reporter has to walk the sidelines in the rain. It is not possible to cover a game without statistics, and in a lot of ways I think it's more important to have a person more proficient in keeping stats than writing on high school coverage.

“Most of my young stringers are scoretakers who have earned a shot,” says Art Kabelowsky, prep sports editor for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “It’s a meritocracy, though; if you don’t pan out, you don’t pan out. Working for a smaller paper will help you improve your game. Even if you are writing for a weekly, find out what the daily paper’s deadline is and try to write your story to meet that deadline. It’s good practice.”

There are many ways to keep score during games. I still use a system shown to me more than 25 years ago by Joe Arace, former prep sports editor for the Fort Myers News-Press. This system enables you to do several things at the same time -- record play by play, calculate player stats, and note key plays. You can either create a pre-printed page like the one below or you can simply draw lines down some line paper. My comments, of course, are not nearly as clean as the typed ones below, but they work nonetheless. In the first column (far left), I cite the number of the player who ran, passed or caught the ball. On the second column, I cite total yards gained or lost (along with a brief description). In the third column, I record the down and yardage needed. The fourth column reflects the line of scrimmage for the play. As you can see below, I invert the location for information when possession changes. I also use two different colors to record the information so I can more easily follow change of possession as I review this while writing. I might use blue for one team and red or black for the other.

At the same time, I record stats for every runner, passer and receiver, updating them on each play. You can get a sense of this system by looking at the stats below.

The only difference is that I cross out the previous number before adding the next one. As you can see, No. 20 ran for 90 yards below on 13 carries (each number denotes a carry). And No. 32 below ran for 28 yards on nine carries. You would also create rows for receivers and quarterbacks for each team. For team stats, you could also create rows to more easily add stats for punting, penalties and first downs.

There is really no reason to do this at college and pro games, where sports information and public relations folks offer stats and complete play-by-play. You should take notes in other manners for these games.

You will also need to do several other things to write a solid game story. Editors want stories that are tight, that include quotes from local players and coaches, include key stats, and that include very little play by play. Instead, editors prefer stories that tell a story.

"The game story should tell you a little about the status of each team and the thoughts and emotions of the coaches and key players who made tonight's events happen," says Kabelowsky. "Anecdotes and good quotes are better than play by play. You can communicate how much a team dominated on the line with some quick statistics. If there was a lot of scoring in the game, try to sum it up by saying 'Bill Smith scored three rushing touchdowns' and then say why he was able to do so well. Inexperienced writers are especially prone to writing box-score stories that fail to reflect an understanding of the big picture and the emotion and humanity that come to light through high school sports."

“For our game coverage we want tight and bright," says Ruppert. "Tell us who did what, provide some quotes from the key combatants and make deadline. But while you're covering the game, look for human interest angles for a good feature next week. There are all kinds of good stories out there, but those stories don't often fall in your lap. Talk to the PA announcer or the trainer during halftime or even during the game. Get to know one of the assistant coaches who can provide insight into the "people" stories on the team. Game coverage is a necessary evil, and I'm not big on the "featurized game story." Cover the game or write a feature, but it's tough to do both at the same time.

Here are some tips for covering your next football game.

BEFORE THE GAME
Make sure you arrive early for games. Give yourself time to find the field, if you have never been there. Plus, you want time to get rosters, speak with team managers and statisticians, and find a place to cover the game. I’d recommend getting to get games at least 30 minutes early, but would strongly encourage you to get there an hour beforehand. That way, you can also scout the locations for the locker rooms and find a suitable parking spot. You’ll also want to check with the official statistician, managers and coaches to ensure the players and numbers match up on the program. At high school games especially, verify the class standing and any team and individual stats for players on both teams. Record full names, numbers and class standings of all players before these games. … Also, make sure you have read past stories on both teams to find potential angles leading into this game.

LEAD ELEMENTS
Elements to put in the first several paragraphs. 
■ Team names/nicknames 
■ Score 
■ Date 
■ Team records 
■ Location (specific name of fields, stadiums) 
■ Game’s significance. Does the game clinch playoff berth or eliminate the team from the postseason? Is this a conference or district victory? Does this advance the team in a tournament? 
■ What’s the “big picture?” What does this game mean to the teams involved? How does it affect them? Why is the game important? 
■ Avoid holiday leads. Football games covered on Halloween should not be filled with players galloping or flying like ghosts or about a monstrous defense or a ghoulish finish to a game. Please, avoid these. Readers will get bored with so many references in so many games and copy editors will not tear out tufts of hair with each a succession of trite, clichéd references. Find a more creative way to approach the game.
■ Sometimes, the best lead is the straightforward approach that focuses on a key play or key stat, along with the game’s result. The Associated Press follows this formula when filing its initial game story for NFL and college games, knowing that many newspapers rely on these tight stories for roundups, where only the first 1-2 paragraphs are used. Only later does AP file the more featurized game lead. So, feel free to write a straightforward lead like the following, especially if you are filing your story for the next day’s editions or for your online editions.

“Tony Romo threw touchdown passes to Jason Witten and Marion Barber as the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Chicago Bears 34-10 on Sunday night.”

If you are writing a story that will be published a few days later, find an angle that focuses on why or how your local team fared. If you are writing for online editions, you can still use most of the original story. You can just revise the lead elements and keep the remaining analysis and play-by-play.

A few other straight leads from NFL games this weekend:

“Randy Moss had touchdown catches of 45 and three yards as New England posted its third straight rout, a 38-7 win over Buffalo.” … “Joseph Addai ran for two scores and Adam Vinatieri kicked three field goals to lead Indianapolis past Houston, 34-20.” … “Donovan McNabb threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns, Kevin Curtis had 221 yards receiving and three scores as the Eagles earned their first win.”

THINGS TO FOCUS ON 
■ Success inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, something that is now regularly referred to as the ‘red zone.’ It never hurts to explain the red zone to readers, some of whom may not know such terminology.
■ Total yardage. Compare teams’ total yardage, addressing any major differences or on a team’s particular prowess (400-plus yards) or inadequacy (100 total yards).
■ Tackles. A team that has more tackles either played a much better game, or was forced to play longer on defense because it’s offense played poorly. Determine the reason for the number of tackles. You can also focus on players who have more than 10 individual tackles in a game, describing a few key tackles and offering reasons for this player’s prowess. Perhaps, an inside linebacker kept plugging holes up the middle to stop the opposing team’s running backs – or, perhaps, a cornerback had to tackle running backs that kept slipping past linebackers for longer gains. Remember, stats can show both success and failure, so don’t assume a high number is always a good thing. Clearly, a cornerback with more than 10 tackles is usually something coaches fret over.
■ Key drives. Include number of plays, yards and time expired, especially if the later two elements are significant. Drives that last more than 10 plays, that cover more than 75 yards and that run off more than eight minutes are particularly interesting. That’s what you would focus on a key drive in the Jaguars’ win over the Broncos. So you could focus on the key drive by writing:

“Jacksonville started with a methodical 80-yard, 18-play drive that lasted 11 minutes, 44 seconds, which was capped by a three-yard touchdown pass from David Garrard to Reggie Williams.”

■ Key plays. There were several key plays in the Giants’ victory over the Redskins. This writer also included a trend:

“The Giants converted seven straight third downs to put together three touchdown drives in the second half, the last a 33-yard pass from Eli Manning to PlaxicoBurress with 5:32 to go. Washington responded by driving to the Giants’ 1-yard line in the final minute, but running back Ladell Betts was stopped on third and fourth down runs.”

■ Turnovers. See how many times a team, or player, fumbled the ball, particularly if these turnovers led to opposing scores or if they halted a drive inside the 20-yard line. Check past games to see if this is unusual, or a trend.
■ Trends. Perhaps, a quarterback threw several interceptions during the game, which allowed the opposing team to score and/or halted scoring drives. Maybe, a defensive lineman made several key plays, tackling running backs before they could get first downs and sacking the quarterback. Or maybe a player lost his composure:

“The Panthers came up with the victory largely because DeAngelo Hall lost his cool. Atlanta’s Pro Bowl cornerback picked up three penalties for 67 yards on Carolina’s tying drive.”

■ Isolate a moment. Consider this play in a game between the Browns and Raiders.

“As Phil Dawson lined up for the potential winning field goal, Oakland coach Lane Kiffin told the line judge he wanted to call a timeout before the kick. He had watched Denver coach Mike Shanahan use the same strategy to beat his Raiders in OT the week before. So Kiffin decided he’d try it himself. The move paid off when Tommy Kelly blocked Dawson’s last second attempt, allowing the Raiders to snap an 11-game losing streak.”

■ Match-ups. Determine one-on-one and team match-ups. For example, determine how one team’s defensive backs fare against the other team’s receivers? You can also assess how one team’s all-conference linebacker fared against an opposing all-conference running back. [Note: Avoid calling players ‘stars’ in games.]
■ Time of possession. High school and college games are typically 12 minutes, while the NFL plays 15-minute quarters. Teams that control the ball typically win the game for many reasons. That means a team kept driving the ball. That also means the other team had the ball less frequently to do the same. This could also result in one team’s defense getting worn down, especially in the fourth quarter. So a team that controls the ball for 39 minutes in a 60-minute NFL game is usually going to win. (The same holds true for a high school team that held the ball for 30 of 48 minutes.) If the ball-controlling team does not win, focus on the reasons for this. For example, the other team may have capitalized on some turnovers or made some quick, lengthy scoring plays. Either way, this is an interesting aspect of the game.
■ Cite who the next opponent will be, including the location of the game and the opponent’s record, somewhere in the story. Unless the game is pivotal, such as a playoff match-up or a game that can determine a conference champion, you can cite the next game near the end of the story. You might also create a fact box that lists the next opponent as part of all game precedes stories.
■ Check to see what the team’s all-time series record is against its opponent.
■ Show, don’t tell. Show how a freshman was the player of the game by describing how he played in key moments. Don’t just write that the freshman was “the player of the game.” Show how this player performed better than everyone else.

THINGS TO KNOW
■ You can put records in parentheses, especially when they also reflect conference or district marks. For example, you would write that Eastern Illinois (9-2, 8-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference) is one game away from earning an NCAA bid. If you have mentioned that the game is a conference or district game, you do not need to cite that information in the parentheses. For example: Lake Brantley (8-1, 6-0) scored four times in final quarter to rout Lyman (7-2, 5-1) in a key Class AAAA, district 8 game.  

QUESTIONS TO ASK PLAYERS AFTER THE GAME 
Essentially, you want to offer fans some perspective they cannot get by watching it in the stands or on television. That means asking players and coaches how they felt, what they saw and why did they acted as they did. Speak with as many people as possible – and make sure you speak with players and coaches from both teams to get a well-rounded perspective. Otherwise, the reader will be stuck with a single perspective, typically the home team’s POV. That won’t impress fans or potential employers.

Interviews go much differently in high school, compared to college and the NFL, where players brought out for press conferences. At high school, you’ll have to scramble to speak with players and coaches before they hit the locker rooms. “The entire atmosphere of a high school game is less structured than the pro/college setting,” Ruppert says. “On the high school level, you're on your own to get interviews with players and coaches. You have to remember you are interviewing 16-17-year-old kids who might not realize how their words will look in the paper the next day.”

“At the end of the game, grab the most important player right away for a couple of quotes,” Kabelowsky says, “then tally your second-half stats for a couple of minutes while the coaches address their players. That’s when you can approach the coaches with some intelligent questions about the big play, the game, what worked and didn’t. Usually, game coverage is on deadline, so you need to know your main points and ask about them right away. Neither of you has time for a rambling conversation.”

Here are a few questions that might help get your game stories rolling.
■ Ask players and coaches for roster changes. For example, you could ask why Ravens quarterback Steve McNair was removed from a game in the fourth quarter. “I could tell he was favoring it a little bit,” Baltimore coach Brian Billick said.
■ Ask offensive lineman about the opposing defense, seeing the game through their perspective.
■ Ask defensive lineman about the opposing team’s offensive line or running backs. As a result, you may get a response the following that ran in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

But the Buccaneers were surprised not to see the Rams stretch the field.
“I really thought they would try to go down the field more with their talented receivers,” said Bucs defensive end Kevin Carter.
“The one thing I was surprised about is they didn’t go downfield more,” Bucs linebacker Barrett Ruud said. “Because that’s kind of what their passing game is known for – the real deep digs, the deep comebacks.”

■ Ask players how they were able to come from behind. Even if the rally falls short, this is worth a question. Here’s a comment from Houston cornerback Dunta Robinson after a Texan rally fell short: “It’s a new team. There’s no quit in us. in the past, the game might have got out of hand. But now we expect to win football games, no matter who we are playing, no matter who is injured.”
■ You can also ask players to describe disappointing starts to seasons. Yes, it is difficult to ask people why they have failed, but that is part of the job. Here’s what LaDainian Tomlinson said after the Chargers lost to go 1-2. “It’s still a long season. But I mean, right now we just -- I don’t know. I’m lost.” This tells readers much about the mindset of the team.

LANGUAGE
■ Spell out RB (running back), WR (wide receiver) and QB (quarterback) in first reference
■ Here are some spellings for commonly used football terms: ball carrier, end zone, handoff, touchdown.
■ Hyphenate nouns when used as adjectives, like field-goal attempts, and goal-line stand, but write field goal and goal line are not hyphenated when used as nouns.
Use numerals for yardage. So you would write 9-yard line, 8-yard pass, and he ran in from 4 yards. You would also use numerals for downs, such as fourth-and-2 and second-and-8. But check with your local sports editors to make sure local style does not usurp AP Style.
■ These are games, not “contests.” That’s true for any sporting event. Pie eating? Now that’s a contest (and a tasty one at that.) 
■ Avoid playing off team nicknames by writing that the Panthers were on the prowl or that Warriors are ready for their next battle.

Some final advice: “With covering major or pro sports, it often gets to be about the writer/reporter's ego,” says Black. “With high school sports, you need to stay in closer touch with your audience. It's not about you, and it's never going to be about you. It's about the kids you cover and their schools. And, for high school reporters who think it is about them, they're on the wrong beat.”

photo/Nora Maberry

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More tips for volleyball coverage

2007-09-19T00:10:00.000-04:00

The other day, a student asked how to score points during change-overs in volleyball, when, for example, the serving team hits the ball out of bounds. He did not realize that high school and college teams no longer use the side-out format, where only the serving team could score points. That system was discarded six years. Colleges (and now high schools) use a rally scoring system where a point is scored on every single serve, regardless who serves. Teams still get to serve after winning points and must win by two points. College teams also must play to 30 points now in all except the final game in the best-of-five scoring system. (Fifth games only go to 15 points.) High school teams typically play to 25 points in a best of three or five game setup, with the final set also going to 15.

Those who have not watched volleyball over the past several years might be surprised by a player wearing a different colored shirt than her teammates. The libero, meaning free in Italian, is a relatively new defensive position player who can play the back row only. The NCAA introduced the position in 2002. The libero can replace anybody on the back row so long as she sits out for one play in between changes. The libero can serve as well. "This player is a handy player to have on the court," says Eastern Illinois volleyball coach Lori Bennett. "Typically, she is one of your better passers and defenders, so it's nice to have her out there."

Here are a few other reminders Coach Bennett offered to my class the other day:
■ Players no longer call balls that bounce off the forearms 'bumps.' Instead, she says, call them 'passes.'
■ Avoid using the term 'spike,' replacing the term with 'hit' or 'attack.'
■ A ball hit more softly over the net is called a 'hit,' not a 'dink.'
■ A 'lift' is called when a ball is held too long, sort of like a basketball player palming a ball.
■ Players cannot hit the ball twice except when returning a serve -- and only if this is incidental, like when a ball bounces off a forearm and a shoulder. This counts as two of the team's maximum three hits on each possession.

You can learn more about writing volleyball by clicking here.

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West Chester wins historic game

2007-09-18T17:21:00.001-04:00

Here's a shameless plug for a story I wrote that ESPN.com just posted.

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Jamaris DelValle had never heard of rugby before she started playing three years ago in Jupiter, Fla.

Like most Americans, the teen knew little about the sport's rules, traditions or strategies. Still, she was drawn to a sport where she has the opportunity to hit someone in a game, just like the boys do over on the football field.

You can read the rest of the story by clicking here.

photo/Brian Poulter

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Point out stupid, crazy fan behavior

2007-09-14T09:53:00.001-04:00

Michigan fans want Lloyd Carr's head. And why not? Michigan sucks right now, losing to Appalachian State and Oregon to start 0-2. This is Michigan football, after all, a team rich in tradition, a team that just doesn't lose to Division I-AA schools. Go big Blue!

What the hell has Carr done for Michigan lately? Sure, he won 113 games entering this season, but what of those 36 losses. He's lost 24.2 percent of games he's coached. Plus, he has captured only one national championship (one more than Bo Schembechler.) But you'd think he'd have more titles after guiding the team to bowl games 12 straight years and being ranked in the AP Top 25 for all but seven games. Sure, he is the first Wolverines coach to win four consecutive bowl games, but what has Carr done this season? He has to go, absolutely.

The only fans who might be more rabid than Michigan's reside in Philadelphia, where fans have booed Santa Claus and thrown garbage at players. But why do fans get so damned upset when their teams lose, their desire to live drained and their desire to lash out inflamed?

That's what Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter Frank Fitzpatrick ponders in today's column. He makes some great points, such as:

"When did all these wildly whooping young men decide to paint their faces each week and live out the blood-curdling finale of Braveheart?
When did the Eagles become the linchpin of their existence?
If, as a lot of social commentators have posited, sports is the new religion, then these scary people are its radical fundamentalists."

Check it out; it's a terrific read.

As sports journalists, we need to be the voice of reason, calming readers still filled with rage after a loss (that damned umpire cost my son a little league game!) and pointing out idiots who fail to restrain themselves (by running out on a field or by posting comments online). Make sure you do not get caught up in this rabid, unthinking loyalty when you write. Be a journalist first, a fan second (or ninth). There's worse things than losing a friggin' game. Let's make sure we remind readers there's life outside of sports. Really.

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Women's rugby makes its push for NCAA status this weekend

2007-09-13T00:50:00.000-04:00

Buzz is building for the first sanctioned NCAA women's rugby team. Perhaps, buzz is the wrong word. Instead, it's more like a low hum. USA Today wrote a brief story on the match-up between Eastern Illinois University and West Chester (Penn.) University, a game that might attract more than 1,000 fans to Charleston, Ill.

EIU coach Frank Graziano says that several local newspapers have also called, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and some Chicago area newspapers. I will be covering the game for ESPN.com. I may be more excited than most, having spent two years covering the team for a project I hoped would result in a book on these women pioneers. I am still writing and working and hoping.

Women's rugby is on the NCAA's emerging sports list, along with squash and handball and a few other sports. Typically, a sport must build enough programs (usually 30) to have a national championship within 10 years. Right now, the sport has about four more years, meaning the sport could be denied if progress stalls. Only two other teams are considered NCAA right now -- Maine's Bowdoin College and Southern Vermont College.

Clearly, many people are hoping this game on Saturday will generate enough media coverage to jumpstart interest among fans and athletic directors. Rugby is an exciting sport, but, like soccer, is considered more European than American even though American football owes its development to rugby.

There are many reasons rugby could become the next big college sport, but there are just as many reasons the sport could cease to exist beyond club status after a few years. Rugby has the speed of track, the power of football and the grace of soccer. Fans easily get hooked once they watch a few games. Plus, rugby could help offset football's overwhelming number of scholarships. Title IX justifiably requires that women must receive an equal share of athletic opportunities. Rugby could help universities in this regard, since the sport could generate as many as 30 scholarships, more than any other sport beside football. On the other hand, athletic directors usually have few dollars to spend on a new sport, especially one with a somewhat tarnished reputation.

At Eastern, the sport has a stellar reputation, thanks in part to its coach, Graziano, a former USA Rugby coordinator and national coach who see no reason rugby should be treated any differently than any other sport.

Many club rugby teams chafe at the thought of going varsity, believing the NCAA will change too many rules and take control over 'their' sport. Two players at North Carolina went apoplectic a few years ago, yelling when I asked whether NCAA status would improve their program. One player claimed UNC was just as good as anybody moments after being routed, 86-7, by EIU.

"The only possible advantage is you will have medical and get things funded," the player said. "But it will strip the fun out of the game. We already have the best of both worlds. We only have to practice two times a week. We do this because we love to do it and want to win. I think it would become a chore having to practice every day. That we show up twice a week when we don't have to builds your heart."

Another player jumped in: "I don't like the Americanized varsity idea. I could hear their coach scolding their players. I didn't get the sense their coach cares about their players. Some of what he said was downright mean. The pressure isn't there with us now. The money isn't there. You can't be kicked off our team. I like that there's no pressure."

Clearly, these players never heard UNC's basketball coaches (or any other professional coaches) during a game or practice. Pat Summitt is not exactly a nun either, yet her players respect her -- and her players learn and win like no other women's basketball program.

Several coaches and players hate that NCAA rules would prohibit post-game socials after games, a staple in the rugby community. Last week, Purdue's coach was not interested in going NCAA, saying she would love the funding. But, she said, she did not want to have to worry about under-age drinking after games.

Say what you will about the NCAA, but no organization does a better job organizing, marketing and promoting athletics in this country. The NCAA's support could turn rugby into the next great college sport. Varsity teams would grow in high school campuses across the country, feeding college teams in Illinois, Florida, Nebraska and elsewhere.

But it all starts, really, with Saturday afternoon's game in Charleston. The winner, really, is not as important to those playing. The real rewards may come years later when these young women can point back and remind people they played in this historic game. Hopefully, they won't have to remind their grand kids that rugby is a sport.

You might want to do some research on your own campus, asking players and athletic directors how they feel about elevating women's rugby to varsity status. Attend a practice, observe how they work out and ask the tougher follow-up questions. There might be a nice story in it for you.

I posted information on ways to cover rugby last spring, which you can find by clicking here.

photo/Brian Poulter

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College sports blogs are mostly blah

2007-09-12T00:33:00.000-04:00

The Daily Pennsylvanian does a pretty good job with its sports blog, offering daily updates on both soccer and football. The sports staff at the newspaper understands the role of a blog for its print publication - offering news, analysis and entertainment. The Daily Pennsylvanian focuses more on the news and analysis parts. The beat reporters are more restrained in their posts, something many readers will appreciate. The beat reporters offer careful analysis supported by reasons and examples.

Sports reporter Sebastien Angel offers this assessment on the men's soccer team:

"The men are difficult to pin down, especially since they've yet to play at home. The bad loss to Seton Hall was a surprise, but Fuller's teams have started slow before - last year's 2-0 defeat to Lehigh comes to mind. (In fairness, Lehigh went on to have a great year.)

I think even less can be pulled from this weekend's performance in California. The optimist might be tempted to read a lot of good things into a competitive 1-0 loss to No. 7 Cal; it's easy to say you were one goal away from a tie - of course, it's much harder to actually get it.

A good barometer will appear this weekend at the Penn Soccer Classic at Rhodes Field. Penn's two opponents, Hartwick and La Salle, gave the Quakers close games last year. A couple of wins - or even a win and a tie - would set them on the right track. The important thing will be to avoid getting swept, though. The chances for non-conference wins and momentum are running out."

The post includes a clear statement, offers some history, and analyzes a recent win rather evenly (no 'homer' comments here.) He also looks ahead to some games later this week.

Two other reporters add to this sports blog that included eight items during 13 days. Most posts where fewer than 300 words. But even the longer post, a 600-plus word piece that outlined Penn's football depth chart, was written concisely.

This is the best of the dozen sports blogs I've reviewed so far. This paper uses three reporters to cover three beats, offers news and updates about its sports.

Blogs, of course, can contain a wide variety of elements, such as more opinionated columns and more in-depth assessment. There's nothing that says blogs need to be mostly notes packages.

Some papers have started to offer game blogs, which, really, ought to be named glogs (or live game logs.) Check out cbs.sportsline.com and ESPN.com for terrific examples of live game reports on the MLB, NBA, NHL and other sports. ESPN.com golf editor Jason Sobel even glogged four days of the Master's, something that was a witty, informative and entertaining read -- and exhausting to Mr. Sobel.

Younger sports reporters need to check these out before diving into this area, otherwise they will be left with bloated, cliche-ridden writing and boring play-by-play. One college publication's live game blog called next week's game against a conference opponent a "must-win," a game that "will be a gut-check." Then, the reporter added: "Yes, there is plenty of football to be played." Blogs are not an excuse to bust out wit da slang and cliches, brother. Instead, they are a place to offer short, informative takes. Don't mistakenly believe that slang and cliches equate to witty, interesting writing.

Make sure you have something to say in the game logs. Offer play by play, but mix in some analysis at the same time. Glogging can be difficult for this reason -- the blogger is expected to be both play-by-play announcer and color commentator. (But isn't that also the role of a sports columnist?)

The Michigan Daily did a fine job offering a running commentary during the Wolverines' loss to Oregon:

First quarter, 5:29 Henne connects with Arrington in the back of the end zone on a short third-and-goal to put Michigan on board. Great throw by Henne to catch Arrington cutting across the back, and Arrington jumps up to grab it. Capped off a solid 10-play, 71-yard drive, highlighted by some nice runs by Hart and 17-yard Manningham reception. Michigan kicks the extra point and is up 4. Michigan 7, Oregon 3

First quarter, 4:40 Wow. That was quick. On Oregon’s second play of the drive, wide receiver Brian Paysinger beats cornerback Brandon Harrison on a fade and takes it 89 yards for the touchdown. One two-point conversion later, and Oregon has a four-point lead. Michigan 7, Oregon 11.

Do not waste space in your glog, as one school did last weekend: "Nothing new to report here as the offense remains ineffective..."

Make sure you are writing for your readers. Do not be self-indulgent, writing about yourself or offering your predictions. Who cares who you picked for the week (or even the score you cited?) Instead, analyze the week's match-ups by comparing one team's passing game against the other team's secondary. Offer comments from players on both sides, from coaches who have played both teams, and include stats that support your statements. Don't just write some general comment and offer a score. Nobody really cares.

The blog for one college publication was particularly self-absorbed. During the past week, one reporter tried to defend a column, another writer made some NFL predictions, calling the local team "our boys." And another posting made sportswriters look like a bunch of free-loading slobs:

"If there’s one thing I enjoy about being a sports reporter, it’s all the free stuff – especially the food.
With two meal tickets redeemable for a hot dog or bratwurst, unlimited soft drinks and coffee, it’s a cheap college student’s dream. Sure, I have to “work” to earn these amenities, but it’s well worth it.

After two 24 ounce Mountain Dews and two bratwursts smothered in mustard and chopped onions, I was feeling adventurous. Considering I only slept two hours Friday night (really, morning – from 6:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m.), I decided to go for the free cappuccino.

Real nice. Credibility shattered. Stereotype strengthened. Thanks.

One final note: Don't be a homer. Create some distance betwen you and the team, even in columns and blogs. Don't write 'us' or 'we.' Sure, you may love your college, but that does not mean you have to be an apologist. Reporters across the United States love our country but still attempt to deliver the facts in a more objective manner. Just as there is no cheering in the press box, there is no rah-rahing or swearing allegiance to one's school in a blog. ("I bleed green and ...")

Learning something new can be difficult. Learning something that is still evolving is even more challenging. So read and assess respectable, professional sports blogs to develop an approach to blogging. You'll need to learn this skill sooner than later because blogs are here to stay for a while.

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Legal scrum: Media win important battle vs. oppression

2007-09-10T18:28:00.000-04:00

I learned the power of the press at a pretty early age. As a teen working for the Fort Myers News-Press, I covered a lot of football and watched a lot of talented players, like the always explosive Deion Sanders. Rarely, did anybody cause any problems. Once, though, a woman at the gate at Cypress Lake High School refused to allow me into a game, perhaps believing I was some high school senior trying to sneak in for free. She said I would have to pay. I repeated that I was a reporter and showed her my notebooks and legal pads. She said I would have to pay like everybody else. I told her not to expect any coverage in the next morning's editions.

Fortunately, a track coach at the gate who knew me, told her to let me in. I'd like to think that coach reamed her out, but this woman probably never gave it a second thought. The press, she believed, should not get any special privileges. But, you know, sports reporters are not there eating hot dogs, downing popcorn, and sipping sodas as we watch our teams march down the field. Instead, we are busy keeping stats, taking notes, and hoping like hell we do not miss any key plays because there are no darned replays in high school football (at least, not in most schools.)

Reporters serve the public's interests. At times, that also helps business interests. We cover mall openings not because we want to promote a business but because we want to let the public know about another shopping opportunity. We cover a college football game for the same reason, to offer information to readers who could not attend. Sure, sports help sell single-copy editions of the newspaper, but the school board also gets something in return, its message sent to thousands of people. The reader, meanwhile, learns more about local schools.

No businesses have a more symbiotic relationship than sports and journalism. They need one another to thrive. News stories create fans who attend games and buy merchandise, and sports help sell many, many copies in print (and send many more to a paper's online site.)

Yet, some sports organizations don't get it. That is forcing news agencies to fight back. The world's top news agencies won a very important battle yesterday in Paris, a day before rugby's world cup was set to begin. The sport's international governing body had tried to control coverage of the event, much like the NCAA had tried to prevent blogging in last spring's college world series.

This is another example of a sports governing body believing it can control everything, including a free press. These sports bodies forget how they found success, through free media coverage. Without media coverage, a sport will lose fans. Without fans, a sport will lose advertisers. Without advertisers, the sport will go out of business. There's really only one reason these things happen: Greed. Pure desire to squeeze every last penny out of their ventures.

In this case, the IRB tried to limit the number of photos a news agency could post on its site to 20 per half, or 40 overall. That would be like the NFL limiting the number of photos a news agency could post on its website. (The NFL has prevented newspapers from running video longer than 45 seconds.) So the news agencies responded by boycotting all events sponsored by the IRB, including a news conference staged by Visa International. The empty room was too much for the event's prime sponsor, which forced the IRB to negotiate.

The IRB is probably concerned that news agencies and papers will usurp its own web sites by posting dozens and dozens of pictures of the matches. They are fearful they will lose control of the sports. But, in reality, sports are really owned by fans -- who should be able to receive their news from as many places as possible. The IRB would like fans to flock to its own website, not to L'Equippe, France's leading sports magazine, or to publications served by the Associated Press, Reuters and the Agence France-Presse. But that's the price of business. This additional coverage will create more fans who, in turn, will watch the sport and respond to advertisers. More may even go the IRB website. That's the way of the sports world.

How important is media exposure? Ask the beleaguered NHL, a league fighting obscurity after some lengthy labor disputes. The league's ratings (and national media coverage) are barely discernible. The league is doing whatever it can to create interest, even allowing Google Video to put them on YouTube.

"When web users are searching for diverse video content, Google Video is the first place they go, just as NHL.com is the first place hockey fans go when they want NHL video," Keith Ritter, President of NHL ICE said last winter. "The combination of our content and Google's massive reach is a terrific pairing, and we're excited to add fan-generated content to the mix."

The NFL, on the other hand, forced Google to remove thousands of video clips last winter. Earlier this summer, the NFL also told news agencies online game video can be no longer than 45 seconds and cannot be archived, reduced sideline credential by 20 percent, and tried to require all photographers to wear vests with advertising logos.

Success dims one's memory, or so it seems.

In any case, we need to fight against the greedy nature of organizations like the IRB, who are glad to get coverage when it serves them, and equally glad to push aside other news agencies when the going gets good. (Any ad exec will tell you that a company should advertise even more when business is good to play off its name recognition. I don't see McDonald's or Coca-Cola cutting back on advertising. The same goes for media coverage.)

So, bravo, to those news agencies who battled for freedom of the press. Fans (and journalists) across the globe thank you.

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This NCAA rule makes no sense

2007-09-06T10:34:00.001-04:00

Ron Dayne ran for 7,125 yards in his days as a bruiser in Wisconsin's back field. But the NCAA counts only 6,397 of them. That's because the NCAA did not count yardage from bowl games in its total when Dayne played, meaning the Badgers runner loses out on the 738 yards in four games. Dayne rushed for more than 200 yards four times. (Still, Dayne's total is the most ever by a Division I-A back.)

A few years ago, the NCAA changed its rules to include bowl yardage. But the yardage is not included retroactively. So Dayne's yards do not count for the overall record. This makes no sense. The NCAA does a terrific job organizing, marketing and assisting thousands of college athletes across the country. Few organizations do more for athletics in this country. But rules like this flabbergast fans and journalists alike. Andy Baggot, a sports reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal, says his temples are pinging over this rule. He revealed the ridiculous nature of this rule in a story published a few days ago.

You also might want to re-evaluate football records at your school, seeing if some records might be broken now that the rule is in effect. Either way, keep checking the NCAA web site for new (and occasionally bizarre) rule changes.

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