How to...write a sports article
The basics When writing a sports piece the first thing to remember is that not everybody is fully aware of university sports, so you need to make sure that the readers know the context of the match played. It may seem obvious, but it’s surprising just how many writers forget to state even these basic facts. (A crash-course for the uninitiated on what this all means follows): • Who was playing (also which teams were playing – was it the firsts? seconds? Etc etc) • Where they were playing • The competition the match was part of (see below) • Which division the teams are in and whether it was a cup or league game You can put this information at the beginning of the article for it to go in an info box. Competitions As a general rule there are three main competitions which teams from King’s participate in. These are as follows: • The British Universities Sporting Association (BUSA) provides the framework for national competition in many sports. Their website is regularly updated with news, fixtures and results – www.busa.org.uk. • The University of London Union (ULU) hosts various competitions at a local level between the various London colleges, and is where King’s teams face some of their fiercest rivals (UCL, Imperial, etc). This is probably where the best stories will lie. More info can be found on www.ulusport.org.uk. • The Macadam Cup is an annual contest between the various teams of KCLMS and KCL. It’s a veritable festival of sport, and is a great showcase for sporting talent at King’s. This, for Roar at least, is probably the most important sporting event of the year. For more info email sa@kclsu.org. Basic bits’n’pieces • One of the most basic mistakes that can be made is by writing in the first person. Avoid the use of “us”, “we” and other such words. It’s just unprofessional and lazy. It also lacks impartiality. • Although we need our writers to remain as impartial as possible it obviously goes without saying that you shouldn’t write an article based around shockingly bad a King’s team is. It’s just a tad unnecessary. Sports writing is about finding a balance between supporting the teams, being impartial and not being overly fanatical. • One of the best ways to learn and practice is by starting off by using the writing of others as a guide. Even copy their use of language if need be, until you develop a niche and a style that you are happy and confident with. Check out Oliver Holt, Sports Editor of the Daily Mirror (who is a great analytical writer), Amy Lawrence and Eddie Butler of the Observer or the staff writers at www.football365.com who write about sports with a particular emphasis on humour. • Unlike news articles, your interpretation of a sporting event cannot be “wrong”. When reading reports of major events or matches in national newspapers, you’ll realise that the views expressed in various publications can vary markedly (e.g. who played well, or were key decisions made by the referee during the course of the game correct?) Thus with sports you can afford to put a greater emphasis on the quality of writing than on factual accuracy.
• Roar is a magazine. As such, your articles should aim to be fairly dramatic in their tone. This will help bring the sporting action to life. Use of literary devices such as onomatopoeia (words that imitate sounds or actions e.g. “thestriker’s shot fizzed past the post” or “both sides put an emphasis on strong defence – the attackers were constantlythwarted by crunching tackles”) • Alliteration (the use of the same letter at the start of every word (e.g. the well drilled defence dominated their opponents) Structuring your article Once you know what you’re writing about, the logical step is then writing it up. As you can probably tell from the articles in the pages of Roar, if done well a sports piece can tell the tale of a truly legendary tale of battles between sporting greats, or it can be a piece that is dull and poorly structured, and probably read only by those who participated. Here’s how to make your articles a bit more David Beckham, and a bit less David Bellion… • I was told by someone at the Daily Telegraph that the most readers only read the first third of an article. This means that you need to get as much of the key information as possible into this all important first third. If you do this, even if the reader doesn’t finish the entire article, they’ll at least be able to assimilate the key facts of the game. • Of course though, we want the reader to read the whole article. The best way to do this is to hook the reader with a killer first paragraph. The opening paragraph is the most important in any article. It must grab the reader’s attention. It should therefore be • Short; usually no more than two sentences • Clear and concise; no need for long words or complicated syntax • It must convey the angle of the story, which should be the most interesting, or preferably dramatic, part of the story. For example: “A dramatic last minute goal from “super-sub” Peter Ellender snatched the Macadam Cup for KCL from the grasp of bitter rivals KCLMS. His stunning overhead kick secured a 2-1 victory in the Men’s Football, which meant King’s won the cup for the first time.” That would then be followed by a brief synopsis of the major incidents of the match: “KCLMS took the lead early on when Bob Murray scored after just ten minutes, bundling home a free kick from the right wing. KCL responded quickly, Mark MacShane and Dave Whelan combined for Jeremy Peace to equalise. As stoppage time ticked away, a draw seemed inevitable until Ellender struck in spectacular fashion from Whelan’s pin-point cross.” Then you’d flesh out the article with the details of the match, and the opinions of those who participated to give a fuller picture of events. Final thoughts • The main difficulty with sports is not writing the articles, but finding the time and funds to attend matches. Keep your ears to the ground for details of important fixtures - look on www.kclsu.org or email sa@kclsu.org. • The main thing is to keep plugging away. If you’re ever in doubt talk to your Editor or Sports Editor for more help and advice.