Guidelines in Sports News Writing

• Be familiar with the event. Understand the rules and other mechanics like scoring.
• Give prominent position to the score, preferably in the first paragraph. The winning score is indicated first, example: The Juniors defeated the Freshmen, 71-60. In the case of athletics and swimming, make sure you include clocking, height or distance.
• Indicate the significance of the game.
• Depict audience behavior in the game.
• Take note of the weather, particularly if it is in an outdoor event. It could be a good picture or scenic lead of a sports feature.
• Be particular with statistics, like how many steals or rebounds a key player did.
• Take note of the time element, like how many seconds were left when a crucial point was made. Time is important in some events, like chess, like how long the match lasted and how many moves were made.
• Provide background information on the team or players.
• Observe key plays, like who scored a homerun, or who delivered the major spikes.
• Identify the key players, especially those responsible for a team's win.
• Include post-game interviews with both winners and losers.

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