Sports Writing & Reporting

News gathering for sports

In this assignment, students will learn what sources and research are essential to sports writing and practice using those resources. This is a flexible lesson that teachers may fit to program needs by requiring students to gather information for one or more types of sports stories, including an advance, a game report, a season recap and/or a sports news feature. Students will gather information on a particular team and use that information to write the story or stories they are assigned.

• Students will develop background knowledge on the team they are covering and the sport itself.

• Students will collect and analyze data of the team both prior and following a game.

• Students will locate sources to retrieve background information and statistics (season and game).

• Students will identify and arrange timely interviews with significant sources (coaches, team leaders, prominent players and opposing team members).

• Students will gather relevant information to compose one or more sports stories.

• Students will demonstrate observation skills by noting event highlights.

• Students will transcribe copy-ready quotes and be ready to compose a story within 24 hours before and 24 hours after the game.