How to Write a Sports Article

Kori Morgan

Sports writing can take the form of a news piece that reports on a recent game or a feature article that profiles a
team or player. By appealing to both sports fans and other readers, sports articles capture emotions and action
through interviews and descriptions while also presenting objective statistics about the subject. Regardless of the
topic, good sports writing combines strong research with vivid detail to bring the personalities and drama of athletics
to life.

Craft an Eyecatching Opening

Your lead paragraph should grab the audience's attention and reveal the article's genre to readers. If you're writing a
feature article about a team or player, you might open with a sentence that reveals something about the subject's
accomplishments or personality. For example, you can give a physical description of the person, use a quote from the
coach or player or paint a picture of what it's like to watch the team play. By contrast, a news article about a sporting
event might use the inverted pyramid structure, where the piece opens by telling readers who won the game, then
gives highlights and details in subsequent paragraphs.

Find the Story

While the majority of your readers probably will be sports fans, a good sports article offers a human interest link that
will draw in other readers as well. Look for a narrative that will appeal to readers' emotions. If the team you're profiling
is experiencing their first season after the loss of a star player, for example, the story might be how they're forging a
new identity for themselves. Similarly, a news article about a game might use vivid detail to describe the most
significant moments. Although readers may know key pieces of information, such as who won and why the star
player left, clear description and emotion will nonetheless hook readers' interests.

Use Direct Quotes

Some of the most important research you'll do for your sports article will be the interviews you conduct with the
players and coaches. Poignant, well-placed quotes from a variety of sources can create a fuller, richer portrait of the
team and illustrate their personalities for readers. To gain specific, detailed responses rather than brief answers, ask
your subject questions that begin or end with "why," such as why the coach called a particular play, or why he believes
his team is better than last season. Building trust and rapport with your interview subjects also is vital to gaining
honest responses. Try holding the interview in a quiet place where you can have a one-on-one conversation rather
than around other players or coaches.

Avoid Cliches
Using cliche expressions instead of original, vivid language can drain a powerful sports story of its energy and lose
readers' interests. Rather than resorting to tired expressions like "gave it their all, "blazing speed" and words like
"athleticism," come up with fresh ways to showcase the team's perseverance and skill. The use of certain verbs also
can be cliche in sports writing, such as "slam-dunk" for basketball and "scored" for soccer. Instead of using the action
words readers expect, bring new life to your piece by finding verbs that vividly capture the game's activity.
Give Statistics
While audiences read sports articles for the inside story behind a game or the details of a player's life, they'll also
expect concrete data about their favorite teams' scores and records. If you're writing a feature article about a soccer
player, for example, you'll want to present the average number of goals he scores per game, while a recap of a track
meet might include the winners as well as their racing times. At the same time, avoid using complex jargon related to
a particular sport that might confuse readers who aren't well-versed in its vocabulary. Be as specific as possible while
still making the information accessible to all readers.

MODULE 4: HOW TO WRITE AN

ENGAGING SPORTS ARTICLE

Your sports
organization is filled with powerful stories. Some of these will end up in newspapers
or on television. The bulk of your organization’s news, however, will never reach a
journalist. You will have to write it yourself. (If you’re having trouble, identifying
newsworthy stories, check out module 3 to learn more.)

This module will teach you the nuts and bolts of writing an eff ective article, whether it
will be published in a newsletter, on a website or in a media kit. In the next module,
we’ll narrow our focus to writing for the web.

But first…did you know that bad writing kills?

It’s true. Many scholars believe that poorly written memos were partially responsible
for the 1986 Challenger disaster, and that unclear writing has led to several
dangerous automotive defects. While your writing will likely never turn deadly, poor
communication can be costly to your organization. An unclear article about a program
or league might lead to a decrease in registration. News outlets might not read a news
release if they can’t easily fi nd the hook. You might not get a grant if you can’t
communicate your organization’s purpose in an eff ective manner.

That’s why plain language is important.

IN MODULE 4 YOU WILL FIND:

 What is plain language?

 The two types of articles
 Writing hard news articles
 Writing soft news articles

What is plain language?  

According to communications scholar Richard Wydick, plain language is “clear, concise
and correct” communication. It avoids jargon and delivers its message simply but
eff ectively so that the reader gets the message as quickly as possible.

Above all, however, plain language is about meeting your readers’ needs, so you need
to identify what you know about them. How much detail do they want? Are they busy
or will they be browsing your article for pleasure? How much knowledge do they have
about your sport and/or your subject matter?

Once you know your audience, use both the content of your article and its structure
to deliver your message. Here are some simple ways to make your writing meet plain
language standards:

 Use headings, short sections and short sentences to make your writing easy
to digest.
 Use active voice whenever possible. (Example: “Bob walked the dog” not
“The dog was walked by Bob.”)
  Edit each sentence to get rid of excess words. Sometimes it helps to set a
goal of cutting 25 or 50 words or staying under a certain word count.
 Use precise, specifi c language. Concrete words are better than abstract
ones. For example, say “Jane has a 41% shooting percentage” instead of
“Jane is a great shooter.”
 Get rid of jargon. In some sports this is unavoidable, so if you must use
jargon try to convey its meaning through the context.
 Use bullet points to highlight information.
 Get rid of sports clichés.
 Try reading your piece out loud. If you stumble over a sentence or fi nd
yourself out of breath at the end of a paragraph, some editing is likely
needed.

The two types of articles  

Every journalism student quickly learns the diff erence

between hard news and soft news. Hard news is factual and relies on timeliness. Its
purpose is to inform the reader. Soft news, however, does not need to be timely. Its
purpose is to entertain the reader or give advice. For example, an article about the
Chesterville Cheetahs winning the high school championships would be a hard news
story. A profi le about the Chesterville Cheetahs’ star player, whose mother and
grandmother also won the same title, would be a soft news story.

Writing hard news articles

Hard news is read quickly, so the most important facts must come fi rst. In journalism
school, they call this the “inverted pyramid”. The fi rst paragraph contains the most
important information (who, what, where, when, why, how) and the following
paragraphs add an increasing level of detail. The reader could read just the fi rst
paragraph and come away with a good idea of what happened.
 
The lede, or fi rst sentence, is the most crucial part of the article. Your lede should
concisely tell the reader who, what, where, when, why and how. For example, “The
Chesterville Cheetahs beat the Brownville Bruins 54-52 to win the 2015 Bob Smith
Memorial Basketball Championship yesterday.” Your lede should feel complete but
not crowded, so it’s okay to split your lede into two sentences to ensure that it fl ows
nicely.

If your lede is eff ective, writing the rest of the article will come easily. Keep building
details and background information, including quotes, until you have succinctly
summarized the event. Make sure to keep your paragraphs short for maximum
readability.

Writing soft news articles

In the soft news article, you are not bound by the traditional rules of journalism.
While a hard news story is meant to be read quickly, a soft news story is in no such
hurry. Many sports writers use the form to step back and examine a trend or a larger
issue within the sport or delve deep into an interesting person’s life. When done well,
soft news articles can inspire, motivate and teach.

Soft stories are usually longer and sometimes even use techniques found in fi ction. If
creative writing isn’t one of your skills, however, don’t worry. In the sports world, a
soft news piece could be a simple interview with an athlete, an opinion piece about a
rule change, or a how-to article on how to select the best piece of equipment. It could
even be a Buzzfeed-style list.

Often, the success of the soft news article rests on how interesting your “characters”
are, so a good story starts with a good interview. For tips on how to conduct an
interview, read our toolkit module on sports interviews. For an example of a good use
of quotes, check out this article on wheelchair rugby’s Zak Madell by Vancouver Sun
journalist Gary Kingston. He uses Madell and his mother’s own words to tell the story,
but shapes the narrative with his personal insights.

Here are some tips to help you write a strong soft article:

 Identify the “so what” of the piece. Why is this person or topic interesting to
the reader?
 Make sure to do your research. The more you know about the subject, the
richer the story will be.
 Soft news is a great way to get out your organization’s key messages. Does
an athlete, coach or volunteer have a story that illustrates the good work
your organization is doing?
 Read newspapers and magazines to fi nd examples of great soft news
writing.
 While it’s okay to use some stylistic fl ourishes in certain types of soft news
articles, make sure to use good plain language techniques.
 If you’re having trouble fi nding a structure for your article, try pretending
that you are telling it to a friend.
 As with a hard news article, remember to consider your audience. If your
audience includes people outside of your community, consider how much
these readers might know about your sport.
NBA: Anthony Davis, LeBron James lead
Lakers rally past Pacers
Agence France-Presse / 02:13 PM February 03, 2023

Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers attempts a shot while being
guarded by Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers in the fourth quarter
at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 02, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dylan Buell/Getty Images/AFP

LeBron James continued to close in on the NBA’s all-time scoring record

as the Los Angeles Lakers pulled out a thrilling 112-111 victory over
Indiana on Thursday.

James, who entered the game needing 89 points to pass Kareem Abdul-
Jabbar as the league’s all-time leading scorer, put up 26 points.
ADVERTISEMENT

He now needs 63 to surpass Abdul-Jabbar — who has held the record

since before James was born.

The Lakers had trailed all night when James’s three-pointer gave them
their first lead of the contest with 2:35 to play. Teammate Anthony Davis
put them up 112-111 with 35.3 seconds remaining and followed up with a
big block on Tyrese Haliburton as the Lakers escaped with the win.

The Lakers looked headed for another disappointing defeat until a 21-10
run to open the fourth quarter.

Davis led the Lakers with 31 points and 14 rebounds.

Haliburton, back in action after a three-week injury absence, led the Pacers with 26
points and 12 assists.
But his drive to the basket with 16.5 seconds left was thwarted by Davis, who swatted
the ball away.
“I just tried to stay on his body and make him shoot over the top,” Davis said. “I saw
when he left the ground, he had to shoot it so I just timed it.”
Lakers coach Darvin Ham wasn’t surprised, saying that when Davis is playing pain
free he’s “one of the more elite defenders in our league.”
But there’s no doubt the spotlight now is on James. Averaging more than 30 points
per game, James is likely to break Abdul-Jabbar’s mark sometime next week. The
Lakers close out their road trip Saturday at New Orleans then host Oklahoma City on
Tuesday and the Milwaukee Bucks next Thursday.
He said a 63-point game wasn’t out of the question, although he made no promises or
predictions for Saturday.
Whenever the record does fall, James is acutely aware of the significance.
“I grew up being a historian of all sports,” James said, adding that while Abdul-
Jabbar’s total of 38,387 points hasn’t been a number that stuck in his head “I know
it’s been Kareem my whole life.
“It’s pretty cool,” he added of a record he likened in importance to the career home
run record in baseball.
“I think it’s one of the greatest records in sports in general,” James said. “It’s one of
those records you don’t ever think will be broken.”