Sports Writing 101

Alex Seo
Sep 2
7 min read

Sports writing is one of the most dynamic storytelling genres in journalism. Read this guide to learn everything about the sports beat, from play-by-play writing to sports lingo.

Content

As a sports journalist, you should find the right content to tell a cohesive story of a single tournament. Writers should attend the tournament they are writing about for a vivid understanding of what happened during the game.

Try to prioritize these angles:

Injury
Player or coach ejected from game
Bad referee
Issues in scheduling
Achieving first place

This content mostly consists of conflicts that happened in-game or throughout the tournament, which elevates the intensity of the article. However, these events do not occur day-to-day.

If none of the angles above appear, look for these alternative angles:

Entering the podium
A victory against an opponent the team struggled to win in previous years (Yes, this requires interviews on the team’s past performance!)
Bad sportsmanship
A game that stood out to the reporter

Structure

In sports news, maintaining chronological order is crucial, as mixing it up will confuse the reader. When two or more teams are participating in the tournament, write about one team, then move on to the next one.

For example:

Don’t:

GAME 1 Varsity
GAME 1 JV
GAME 3 Varsity
GAME 2 JV
Awards Ceremony

Do:

GAME 1 Varsity
GAME 2 Varsity
GAME 1 JV
GAME 2 JV
Awards Ceremony

Play-by-play

When covering sports games, the article might get repetitive, especially when there aren’t any conflicts or interesting events. Rather than merely parroting results, write your articles in a “play-by-play” style –use vivid descriptions and emphasize key players in every game.

For example:

Don’t: The Jets faced off against the BFS Sharks in the final match. While the Jets struggled against the Sharks, they managed to bounce back and beat the Sharks (26:15).

Do: 1) The starting crew steps onto the court like the 2016 Warriors for the finale of the day. Without hesitation, the centers crash for the jump ball. 2) Alex Seo (number 12) blasts the match with a mid-range jumper from Kim’s killer pass.

3) After transition defense, the Sharks leap for a shot, but William Seo snags the rebound and lobs a pass to McAteer. 4) He dribbles through the defense and bounces passes right to the palms of Henry Kwak (number 25). 5) One two, Kwak stomps in, makes a layup, and one.

This sentence opens with a catchy phrase that brings the reader’s attention to the final match. Metaphorical comparisons to the “2016 Warriors” and word-choices like “crash” add emphasis to the situation.
The following sentence mentions a player's mid-range jumper that opened up the first point of the game (play-by-play writing). This also allows the reader to know what happened after the “crash” during the jump ball.
This sentence directly mentions certain players’ names and also adds specific game plays executed during the game. Verbs like “snags” and “lobs” make the article sound more sport-professional.
This sentence further elaborates on what happened after the previous scene. This makes the readers curious about what will happen next.
This last sentence concludes the explanations and scenes from sentence 3) and 4).

Writers should illustrate one or two significant moments of the game and avoid choosing unnecessary moments.

Interview

Readers want to hear from the players more than they want to hear from you. Find interviews from opponents, especially those who showed outstanding performance against your team. Interviews with coaches can also help evaluate how the team performed throughout the tournament for the readers.

Use this list of questions:

For Players:

What is your name and position? Please spell out your name.
Do you consent to being recorded? The recording will not be shared publicly, and will only be used for documentation purposes during the writing process.
How did you prepare for this final match? Any special training or strategies?
What were the key highlights of the game? How did it impact the final outcome?
Were there any bad calls by the referee? How did it make the team feel?
Who was the most challenging team or player you went up against?
What do you feel has been the strengths and weaknesses of the team this game/season?
How do you think the team has grown compared to last season/game? How do you think the team can improve?
What changes would you make if you could replay the game/season?
How has the support from your coach and staff contributed to the team’s performance?
What personal sacrifices did you or your teammates make to reach this point in the season?
Who else can I talk to, and what are your last words?

Questions for Stories on Championship Games

What did the final match look like? What were the key highlights of the game?
What happened right after the game was over? How did you and your team feel, and how did you celebrate?

For Coaches:

What is your name and position? Please spell out your name.
Do you consent to being recorded? The recording will not be shared publicly, and will only be used for documentation purposes during the writing process.
What made this team easy to coach? What challenges did you experience in building the team?
How does this team differ from those in the past few years?
Can you describe what a standard practice looks like?
How did the team perform in practices leading up to the game? Was their play better or worse during the tournament, and why do you think so?
How do you ensure each player feels valued and motivated?
How do you manage players who have different skill levels and experience?
How do you incorporate feedback from players into your coaching methods?
How do you build team spirit and morale before and after a tough game?
How do you prepare the team for matches against particularly strong opponents?
Were there any unexpected barriers during the game that caught you off guard? If so, what were they?
What do you wish the team would’ve done better in the game?
What are some changes you plan to make to the coaching regimen next game/season?
What’s the most rewarding part of coaching this team?
Who else can I talk to, and what are your last words?

For Players from Other Teams:

What is your name and position? Please spell out your name.
Do you consent to being recorded? The recording will not be shared publicly and will only be used for documentation purposes during the writing process.
How did you feel going into the game against DIS?
What were some of the most memorable moments for you in the game against DIS?
What were the key strengths and weaknesses you observed in DIS's team?
How did DIS' players challenge you during the game?
Who do you think was the most challenging player you went up against from DIS, and why?
How did your team strategize specifically for the game against DIS?
Can you describe a turning point in the game against DIS that significantly affected the outcome?
What was your reaction to any key plays or moments made by DIS's team?
If you could replay the game against DIS, what would you do differently?
Who else can I talk to, and what are your last words?

Sports Lingo:

Sports lingo elevates your writing and gives it a professional touch. This is some popular lingo used by sports journalists.

Volleyball:

Float serve: used when a player’s serve has no spin
Dig: A defensive movement to save the ball
Tip: Used when a player “tips” the ball instead of spiking it (mostly for smart plays)
Minus, First, Second, Third + tempo attack: used to describe different types of attack
Tool: When a hitter intentionally hits the ball off the blocker's hands and out of bounds.
Ace: A serve that earns a point with no contact or return by the opponent team
Kill: A successful attack hit
Setter Dump: A surprise, second-touch attack by the setter instead of setting the ball
Overpass: A pass or dig that goes over the net, leading to an easy kill
Joust: a ball contact above the net by opposing players, often a battle of strength.

Basketball:

And-one: When a player scores a basket and gets fouled, earning a free throw.
Buzzer-beater: a shot made right before the shot clock expires
Fastbreak: A quick transition from defense to offense
Isolation: A play where one player goes one-on-one against a defender.
Dime: Slang for an assist, especially when it stands out
Brick: A badly missed shot, often clanging off the rim or backboard.
Box out: Positioning your body between an opponent and the basket to grab a rebound.
In the paint: Refers to the key area near the basket (a rectangular shape)
Coast-to-coast: When a player brings the ball from one side to the other and scores
Putback: scoring right after grabbing an offensive rebound

Soccer:

Brace: When a player scores two goals in a match
Hat trick: when a player scores three goals in a match
Clean sheet: When a team finishes without conceding a goal
Offside: a violation where an attacker is ahead of the last defender when receiving the ball.
Nutmeg: passing or dribbling the ball through an opponent’s legs
Killer pass: an outstanding pass that slices through the defense and creates goal-scoring opportunities
Bolley: an acrobatic shot taken when the ball is still up in the air
Pitch: another phrase for a soccer field
Box-to-box: a midfielder who plays both defense and offense outstandingly
Set piece: a planned play from a corner kick, free kick, throw-in, etc.

These are some general terms that are used in most sports:

Clutch: Performing exceptionally under pressured situations or critical moments
Momentum: The shift in energy during a game, especially psychological
Underdog: A team/player expected to lose but may pull off an unexpected win
Comeback: When a team/player recovers from a losing position
Blowout: a game where a team wins by a very large margin
Tiebreaker: a method used to determine the winner when teams are tied
Crunch time: the most significant moments near the end of a close game
Hustle: Intense effort by a player
Game changer: a player or moment that shifted the momentum to another
Seed: Refers to the team’s ranking in a round-robin formatted tournament

Caption Writing in Sports:

Due to the dynamic nature of sports photos, most readers jump into scrolling around photos. Captions play a huge role in describing the action of the photo, the play, what the players are doing, background information, etc.

Always remember to use the ABC (Action, Background, and Context), or even until AB (Action, Background). This format will help develop better caption qualities.

Here’s an example of a sports caption:

Nick Sward (number 12) dribbles past the opposing defender with quick speed. 2) His changes in acceleration and technique leave the defender clueless about his next move. 3) After dribbling up to the corner flag, he crosses the ball to his teammate, yelling, “Heads!”

This sentence describes what is going on during the scene of the photo directly to the readers.
This adds in further description and dynamics to the scene, helping the readers understand the game even more.
Then, the last sentence provides information about what happened after the photo was taken, raising the intensity of the game description.