Ten Top Tips for Ten Top Tips for Tiptop Sports WritingTiptop Sports Writing

How to make your sports section the How to make your sports section the best-read, most-meaningful portion of best-read, most-meaningful portion of

your high school newspaper.your high school newspaper.

Hemal JhaveriHemal Jhaveri

Top 10 Tips Top 10 Tips for Tip-Top Sports Writingfor Tip-Top Sports Writing

So, do you get the So, do you get the experience that people experience that people aren’t studying your aren’t studying your activities section? Is your activities section? Is your activities protection taken activities protection taken over by old activity over by old activity experiences and cliché-experiences and cliché-filled features?filled features?

These 10 guidelines can These 10 guidelines can go far to enhancing your go far to enhancing your activities protection – and activities protection – and your audience of the your audience of the whole paper.whole paper.

1.1. Reporting ComesReporting ComesBefore WritingBefore Writing

You MUST do the effort You MUST do the effort of confirming before you of confirming before you sit down to create a storysit down to create a story

Remember, activities is Remember, activities is one of the most statistics- one of the most statistics- and facts-heavy topics out and facts-heavy topics out there – you have to have there – you have to have those on hand to create those on hand to create excellent activities excellent activities experiences. That indicates experiences. That indicates you have to discover out you have to discover out who has them, or keep a who has them, or keep a record of them yourself.record of them yourself.

2. Don’t Try to Do Too Much2. Don’t Try to Do Too Much Discover a SINGLE Discover a SINGLE

FOCUS and keep with it!FOCUS and keep with it! Don’t try to tell someone’s Don’t try to tell someone’s

lifestyle storylifestyle story It’s difficult to tell more It’s difficult to tell more

than one person’s tale at a than one person’s tale at a moment, so stay away from moment, so stay away from the enticement to tell the the enticement to tell the tale of whole groups. tale of whole groups. Choose a gamer or two, not Choose a gamer or two, not the whole violation or the whole violation or protection.protection.

3. Show, Don’t Tell3. Show, Don’t Tell OK, so this is perhaps OK, so this is perhaps

a bit of a cliché, but a bit of a cliché, but it’s essential realize it’s essential realize what it indicates – what it indicates – you have to put you have to put visitors in the tale.visitors in the tale.

Some examples:Some examples: Use DESCRIPTION Use DESCRIPTION

and get the and get the DETAILS!DETAILS!

How? DO YOUR How? DO YOUR REPORTING!REPORTING!

4. Don’t Do Game Stories * 4. Don’t Do Game Stories * Most secondary school Most secondary school

magazines spread roughly magazines spread roughly every three or four several every three or four several weeks. Unless you spread weeks. Unless you spread more often than once a 7 more often than once a 7 days, keep the activity days, keep the activity experiences to the experiences to the everyday magazines.everyday magazines.

Exceptions? When you Exceptions? When you can get a big activity tale can get a big activity tale into your document less into your document less than a 7 days after the than a 7 days after the activity is finished. activity is finished.

* Only do game stories for your * Only do game stories for your regularly updated ONLINE regularly updated ONLINE

EDITIONS EDITIONS Get them up THE Get them up THE

NIGHT/DAY they NIGHT/DAY they happen! happen!

Get the outcomes in the Get the outcomes in the initial grafs.initial grafs.

Add at least a quotation or Add at least a quotation or two.two.

Team information (overall Team information (overall and league) should be in and league) should be in the tale.the tale.

Report some mathematical Report some mathematical features. features.

5. Avoid Cliches Like the Plague5. Avoid Cliches Like the Plague If you’ve observed it If you’ve observed it

before, see how to say it before, see how to say it another way.another way.

An example: He took it to An example: He took it to the outlet in a gut-check the outlet in a gut-check activity. “It’s all about the activity. “It’s all about the group,” Cruz said. “There group,” Cruz said. “There isn’t any ‘I’ in TEAM, so isn’t any ‘I’ in TEAM, so I performed my own I performed my own activity and took it up and activity and took it up and down the ground at 110 down the ground at 110 %, and then let the Ws and %, and then let the Ws and Ls deal with themselves.”Ls deal with themselves.”

6. Avoid ‘Jock Talk’6. Avoid ‘Jock Talk’ With all-ESPN all the With all-ESPN all the

time, this is a pernicious, time, this is a pernicious, challenging problem to challenging problem to prevent, but you must try prevent, but you must try to only use brilliant, to only use brilliant, significant quotations.significant quotations.

Suggestions – 1. Some Suggestions – 1. Some trainers and sportsmen will trainers and sportsmen will complete SILENCE with complete SILENCE with more innovative more innovative comments, so figure out comments, so figure out how to WAIT for better how to WAIT for better solutions. 2. Don’t ask solutions. 2. Don’t ask cliché concerns.cliché concerns.

7. Use Dramatic Story-Telling 7. Use Dramatic Story-Telling Devices to Tell Your StoriesDevices to Tell Your Stories

Use the dilemma of Use the dilemma of activities to create more activities to create more impressive experiences.impressive experiences.

Consider fictional gadgets Consider fictional gadgets like foreshadowing, etc.like foreshadowing, etc.

Consider story-telling Consider story-telling methods like italics to set methods like italics to set off activities in a different off activities in a different time or position, etc.time or position, etc.

Try methods like the Try methods like the Walls St. Publication Walls St. Publication function technique.function technique.

8. Don’t Always Write8. Don’t Always WriteThe Obvious StoryThe Obvious Story

Look for the little-Look for the little-known, unmined known, unmined blocks on your blocks on your university. university.

Look for the Look for the experiences that experiences that individuals don’t know individuals don’t know about. Those are the about. Those are the experiences experiences individuals will want individuals will want to learn. to learn.

9. Sports Is Also News9. Sports Is Also News Just because it’s going Just because it’s going

in the activities area in the activities area doesn’t mean it needs doesn’t mean it needs to be smooth and to be smooth and smooth and smooth and interesting. Even on interesting. Even on secondary university secondary university grounds, activities has grounds, activities has its discuss of hard-its discuss of hard-news experiences that news experiences that are asking to learn.are asking to learn.

Some examples:Some examples:

10. Read Good Sportswriting!10. Read Good Sportswriting! There will do of bad There will do of bad

sportswriting out there. sportswriting out there. Prevent it.Prevent it.

Find the good items and Find the good items and use it as one for use it as one for confirming and story-confirming and story-telling methods.telling methods.

Examples: The Best Examples: The Best Activities Composing of Activities Composing of the Season, Activities the Season, Activities Shown, ESPN playboy, Shown, ESPN playboy, the L.A. Periods, the the L.A. Periods, the Birkenstock boston World Birkenstock boston World and many others.and many others.

Thanks for Listening!Thanks for Listening!

Hemal JhaveriHemal Jhaveri Senior Social Media Senior Social Media

EditorEditor Media, Sports, U.S.Media, Sports, U.S. hemaljhaveri2@gmail.hemaljhaveri2@gmail.

com com https://angel.co/https://angel.co/

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