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Covering a sport you know nothing about

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Cullen9, Jan 20, 2011.

  1. Schottey

    Schottey Guest

    In college, a friend and I started a "sports radio network" for our school--a small DIV III college in Southern MN. Originally, we wanted to do football, basketball, and baseball. However, our AD's wife was the volleyball coach, so we were "asked" to do that as well.

    My friend had been doing H.S. volleyball events for a while for the local radio station, so he knew how to handle the play-by-play...however, I was being asked to do color commentary for a sport I knew nothing about.

    Thankfully, the coach sat down with me and gave me plenty of jargon to use and watched some tape with me to tighten up how I talked about different events. In two 30-minute sessions, I was a volleyball "wiz."

    Still, the second the network grew, I dropped volleyball like a hot rock and gave it to two of our other kids.
     
  2. Bamadog

    Bamadog Well-Known Member

    The best way is to admit your ignorance to the coach and warn them they might get some stupid-sounding questions at times about the game. Most of the time, they'll go out of their way to help you and explain things. I covered volleyball as the beat writer at my college paper and the coach was terrific explaining the ins and outs of volleyball. By the end of the season, I learned a lot and my gamers and features reflected it.
     
  3. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    I have always found that a frank admission of ignorance is an excellent way of getting coaches and players to talk in detail about their sport and eschew the SportCenter sound bites they assume is how they should answer questions.
     
  4. Stitch

    Stitch Active Member

    What's a down?
     
  5. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    The running them of this thread seems to be a revelation of how easy it is to cover a sport you don't know the first thing about.
     
  6. CA_journo

    CA_journo Member

    Funny, that was me last night, covering wrestling. You did a great job, writing EVERYTHING down... that was how I started with volleyball.

    Start general. Maybe call the coach a day or two in advance and find out who the team's top wrestlers are. In CA, there's a website - www.thecaliforniawrestler.com - that ranks teams and individuals. Try to focus on those matches.

    Also, take cues from the crowd. Odds are, they're parents/family/girlfriends who know more than you. If there's a ton of cheering when a certain wrestler steps in, that's a match to watch.

    And as others said, don't be afraid to plead ignorance. I've found that coaches are more than happy to break things down if you ask. It's their career, and something they've probably done most of their life. They understand that wrestling doesn't have the mass appeal of football, basketball, etc. and that not everyone knows what's going on all the time.
     
  7. TrooperBari

    TrooperBari Well-Known Member

    Covering rodeo was an educational experience, but the most I've ever felt out of my element was covering MMA. It was pretty big in the community as one of the locals made it big in UFC and a local organizer held events every few months or so. Our SE refused to cover it in person, though, and our other writer was asked not to attend after he made a bunch of disparaging remarks about the sport and the competitors in his story on the previous event. It fell to me by default.

    I'd never watched MMA before and didn't much care for the sport — still don't, in fact. However, thanks to meticulous note-taking and being surrounded by some patient, knowledgeable people, I managed to knock out an article that people seemed to enjoy. My biggest complaint was my ears ringing for almost a day after the event since I was seated right next to some massive speakers.

    Like others have said, there's no shame in not being versed in every sport under the sun — just don't revel in or flaunt that ignorance.
     
  8. Schottey

    Schottey Guest

    I caught the opposite. Most of the comments talk about ways to get to learn that sport before, during and after the event...and how to make sure what you saw is communicated correctly and clearly in your writing.

    I don't think it's easy, it's just possible if you're willing to put in a little extra work.
     
  9. BillyT

    BillyT Active Member

    Dan: I taught there, and I remember a tournament there at one point!

    Passst: Don't tell anyone, but I am not a "hockey guy."
     
  10. BillyT

    BillyT Active Member

    Cullen: Sounds like you handled it really well.

    I agree with Bama and Michael: Never fake it. Just ask for help.

    I love covering the non-traditional sports and honestly when I am at horse events or crew or something like that, I feel more appreciated.

    For me, auto racing was the big one. I knew nothing at the start, but I was able to learn.

    You gotta love a sport where wall is a verb.
     
  11. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    IMO, that nails it on the head. Don't feel like you have to cram all 82 terms specific to that sport into your first 12-inch story covering that sport. If you quickly pick up on what some key terms are, make sure you talk with the coach or someone else knowledgeable and make sure you understand the term and are using it right. If you're not sure and you realize that on deadline, don't just make an uneducated guess.
    Cullen, good on you for stepping out of your comfort zone. To me, that's gotta be about the most intimidatng things about being a sports writer. My biggest step out was covering a hockey game once. Fortunately, the PA announcer/radio guy/team PR guy was extremely patient and let me sit next to him. Before talking to players after the game, he gave me stats and I made sure I had the proper terms.
     
  12. holy bull

    holy bull Active Member

    What is it with wrestling? I just got done spending 45 minutes researching for a match I have to cover tonight for a colleague who's out of commission. My plan is to get there early, introduce myself to both coaches, and then afterward, I expect a few questions to begin with, "Forgive my ignorance, but can you just clarify ..." for anything really technical.

    I've found that people usually appreciate that honesty, and I get what I'm looking for. Other than that, I'll rely on the eyes and ears (the nose can go ahead and take the night off).
     
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