New Sports writer would like advice

I'm not trying to crap in your parade route here, but I am curious about something.

Are you an employee or stringer? If you've been hired at a 20,000-circ newspaper, you must be very promising or they're not picky if they're hiring JUCO freshmen with no prior experience.

I guess I'm asking if the industry is at the point where newspapers are hiring anyone with a pulse or if this is a unique situation.

Best of luck. It may seem like you're drinking from a fire hose Tuesday night, but you'll be fine at the game. Let us know how it goes.

 

Waylon: This is the beauty of this board. The same question can yield various answers. Someone just starting out needs to soak in as much learning as they can, and figure out their own way to approach their job.

I've developed my approach over time, and I find that a hard-and-fast rule about getting quotes from players often yields meaningless quotes from players. We have a very early deadline (11 p.m. during the week) so I prefer to give my writers the flexibility to not waste valuable time getting quotes I'll just end up cutting.

But I certainly respect your thoughts, too. I just don't think it's a good idea as an absolute rule.

 

Get a legal pad

draw two lines straight down the middle on four pages. this is your score column
Put teams on either side of columns

This is how you track major runs during game, scoreless droughts, or if one player is lighting it up during a particular stretch

Note changes in defensive schemes

don't get too bogged down with tracking every rebound, assist, steal, or turnover.
Makes notes on those things, especially if they have some kind of direct impact on the outcome (ie....johnny rebounded with six seconds left, drove the length of the floor and found peter for the game-winning alley oop)

I use a simple system for scoring....player #, js (jumper), 3pt, or lu (lay up) and make sure you note time after each

write down the final score of the game when it is over. I cannot emphasize this enough

have fun

 

kuballer is a college kid trying to learn the ropes...he has nothing to gain by not getting quotes, even if they turn out to be meaningless. The exercise of having to seek out players, formulate questions, and work the quotes into the story is the most valuable experience he can get right now.

 

Expanding on that: I do something similar. 3 for 3-pointer, J for jumper, L for layup, F for floater, T for tip, R for runner.

Anything that helps you save time and focus on the game. Basketball moves soo fast... especially the boys' game.

 

I see your point. Well taken.

 

Remember, you're a reporter, not a cheerleader. We had a guy who when he first started said he was going to really promote the team he was covering. Uh, no. That's not your job. Limit your play-by-play to one or two paragraphs. The absolute key part of the game. If it's a blowout, no need for any play-by-play. Don't compare high school kids to NBA players. (I still remember my first gamer where I said one point guard was in the mold of Isiah Thomas. Ouch!) Read some gamers from your paper or online from bigger papers to see how the pros do it. And don't show up to the game wearing your favorite team's hat or shirt or anything like that. You want to look like a pro, not a fan boy.

 

AP Stylebook is a must.

 

The OP has a nice side business if the newspaper gig falls through.

 

If a person was not there, tell them what happened. If they were there, try to tell them something they did not know when they left the gym.

There should be no more than 31 words in the lede.

The reader should know who played, the score, where and when it was played in the first three paragraphs or the first 100 words.

 

First score mentioned should be final score. If Team A came back from 40-10 down to win and you mention that before the final score, make sure you say Team A rebounded from a 30-point deficit.