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Need help taking NFL stats.

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by cwhs33, Dec 7, 2009.

  1. cwhs33

    cwhs33 New Member

    All of your posts are helping so much. And 93devil, pasting that AP article will really help me with the whole setup of the gamer. I'm waiting for the College Football bowl games. I'm thinking about doing a scoring summary for most games, then come back and write a game recap to go with it.
     
  2. Herbert Anchovy

    Herbert Anchovy Active Member

    I can remember some powertool, I won't name him by name, who got his start in paper football by keeping field goal accuracy stats for the rest of the fourth grade.
     
  3. Hank_Scorpio

    Hank_Scorpio Active Member

    When you're watching the game, do a play by play summary on a legal pad (while you're keeping stats).

    Can be rather simple: (down, distance, yardline, player action and yards gained)
    1-10 24 22 run 8 yds
    2-2 32 3 pass to 84 6 yards FD PASS
    1-10 38 22 19 run FD RUSH



    Like others have said, it's harder to do off TV because you get the replays. If you're at a game, you can see the ref put the ball down and figure stats and such that way.

    But doing a pbp/stats off the TV can give you the same frantic feeling, trying to make sure you don't miss a play.



    And if you start getting behind, you can catch up on stats sheet during timeouts. Just make sure to get the play by play down.
     
  4. cwhs33

    cwhs33 New Member

    Play-by-play is way too hard to do while watching a game on TV. I tried to start doing it for one NFL game, and I got lost after 3 plays.
     
  5. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    Like Devil said, the most important stuff should go first.
    Another good tip for a beginner is, the first 6-7 paragraphs should be able to stand as their own story. In that space, you need to tell the reader what the score was; what the biggest play or trend was (like Rondo having 13 assists and nine rebounds in the example); ideally, a quote or two; and what this win or loss means in the grand scheme of things.
    As you're watching a game, be on the lookout for those types of things.
     
  6. Hank_Scorpio

    Hank_Scorpio Active Member

    See, I think that would be easy. You already get down and distance on the score bar across the screen.

    Then you just write numbers down of who does what. run or pass.


    It's a lot harder on a high school field that only has lines every five yards.


    But, again, everyone is different and keeps stats in different ways. You have to figure out the best way for you, in a way that you can understand quickly.
     
  7. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    When I was getting started, I also studied stories in the paper, not only for what happened in the game, but how the were structured. The biggest thing I think I learned was to find out why things happened (yes, the old 5w's and 1h), since in most cases -- and especially now when I work for a pm'er -- the reader already knows Podunk U. won and who did the scoring. But why Podunk was able to shut down Directional State's star running back may tell a better story.
     
  8. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    But writing good leads (like the Rondo one above) is a gift.
     
  9. spud

    spud Member

    Doing it on a tight deadline makes it even more impressive.
     
  10. PopeDirkBenedict

    PopeDirkBenedict Active Member

    You want to recreate the experience of covering a professional or D1 college game as much as possible?

    Pick a bowl game that you have no rooting interest in. In the days leading up to the game, read every single article from the hometown papers of the schools. Learn as much about the teams as you possibly can. Think of possible storylines (Are both teams young and on the rise? Do the coaches have a history of coaching against the other? Are there 2010 Heisman hopefuls playing?).

    Watch the game and take notes. You don't want your story to turn into play by play (...Notre Dame ran a fullback draw on the first play, but threw an incompletion on second down...), but be thinking of key plays. Was there a key penalty or breakdown defensively? You want to keep play by play, but not for stats. You'll get those off the team websites after the game. You want it so you have a quick reference on deadline and so you can add your own notes (pass inc, intended for 82. 82 slipped on wet grass -- 14 threw where 82 would have been). Don't cheat and use Tivo -- write stuff down as you see it. Be thinking about your possible storylines and winnowing them down. But be prepared to throw all of them out the window because the game might surprise you.

    (To really get the full experience, you should probably be eating a half cooked hotdog, a bag of Lays chips and a Coke while you do this, just so you get used to writing while you have indigestion).

    After taking your notes throughout the game, wait until any video/audio of the postgame press conference or interviews is posted online (the school sites are the best place to look. The bowl website may even have a transcript). Gather up as many quotes as possible. Then sit down and give yourself an hour to write a story. Use the quotes. Stay away from pure play by play. Think of a lead. Stop at 57 minutes to spell check and re-read. At one hour, email it to yourself in whatever state it is in. Then wait a day, open the email, re-read it and study it to see what you would change if you had the time. One of the most terrifying feelings as a writer is sitting in a press box and hitting send. You send it to the editor, knowing that if you had 10 more minutes, you could make the story 2x as good. And you send it, knowing that you have no control over what happens to it from now until it is in tomorrow's paper.


    If you do all of this and love it, you might be cut out of this crazy business.
     
  11. cwhs33

    cwhs33 New Member

    This is great man! The first bowl game is the New Mexico between Fresno State and Wyoming, and I don't know much about these teams. I'm going to take your advice and study these teams by reading articles. I can't wait to try this out! And I might even write a gamer for the Army-Navy game this weekend.
     
  12. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    Oh, never try to be funny in gamers or in leads.

    The above Rondo lead is about as close to cute as you want to be.
     
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