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Good Sports Journalist


The following article is taken from the U.S. Department of State publication, Handbook of Independent Journalism.)
By Deborah Potter

Sports reporters do some of the best writing in journalism. Their stories naturally involve drama, emotions, and outsized personalities, says former TV sports reporter Bill Schwanbeck, who now teaches at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Good sportswriters do much more than report the score of a game or the results of an athletic competition. They provide the basics, of course, but they also provide perspective and context that the audience can’t get from being at the game or watching it on television. Sportswriters explain the why and how of what happened, not just the who and the what. They also report on the business of sports, and write feature stories about athletes, team owners, and fans.

But sports reporters still have to start with the fundamentals. They need to be knowledgeable about all sports, understand the rules of the game or sport they are covering, and how the score is determined. They work on very tight deadlines, especially when covering night games. They have to keep score and make notes at the same time, not an easy task during a fast-moving game. Most importantly, they need to find a theme for each story and build the details around it.

In many cases, the best story is not on the field. Sportswriters probe for what’s happening behind the scenes, the atmosphere in the locker room, or the tension between two players that might be affecting the entire team. They treat players and managers with respect, but they do not engage in hero-worship. They often enjoy the sports they cover, but they are not fans or boosters of any one team. Like all journalists, they should be fair and independent observers of the stories they cover.


Just as business and science reporters avoid economic and business jargon, sportswriters should avoid terms that only the most ardent fan or coach would know. “Keep it simple,” says former sports reporter Mike Reilley, now publisher of the online site The Journalist’s ToolBox. “Don’t get cute.” He also warns young journalists to expect some interviews with athletes and coaches to be confrontational, especially after a loss. Many professional athletes thrive on intimidation, Reilley says, so be prepared to stand your ground.



Deborah Potter is a veteran journalism trainer, reporter and writer. She is a contributing correspondent to Religion and Ethics Newsweekly on PBS and a columnist for American Journalism Review. Since 1998, Deborah has been executive director of NewsLab, a non-profit journalism resource in Washington, D.C.

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