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Saturday Games in Monday Papers

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by SoSueMe, May 6, 2007.

  1. SoSueMe

    SoSueMe Active Member

    Just wondering how some of you at six-day-a-week papers handle Saturday games.

    With no paper Sunday, chances are "fans" of the team were at the game or have checked league or team sites well before their paper lands on their doorsteps Monday.

    I usually try to turn out a feature-ish piece on a player who had a big part in the win or loss, merely mentioning game details and performances of other players (i.e. two paragraphs on the actual game).

    Also, I don't mind bumping the final score down a few paragraphs as opposed to getting it in the first three paragraphs like I would in a typical gamer.

    As an aside, what do you do if the team plays Saturday at home and Sunday on the road, and you don't travel to the game because you have something to cover "at home" Sunday?
     
  2. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Newest news first. Saturday's game is 48 hours old in Monday's paper, so Sunday gets the attention, not Saturday. If its' something spectacular, that's different.
    Featurish idea is a good one, but still -- new news is better news. Dont ramble and it really doesnt deserve -- again, unless it's a rare circumstance -- major attention.
     
  3. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    What slappy said. The readers will understand, too.
     
  4. Slappy is a wise, wise man
     
  5. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    He is indeed.



    Slappy who?
     
  6. accguy

    accguy Member

    If you write a gamer from Saturday for the Monday paper, to me you need to answer these questions: How did win/loss happen? And what does it mean?

    Both are infinitely more important than the who, what and where.
     
  7. 2underpar

    2underpar Active Member

    slappy is not wise, and he does not play poker very well, either.
    but he did offer good advice.
     
  8. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Am sure he'll find a way to take your money in two weeks
     
  9. Lloyd Carr sucks!
     
  10. ogre

    ogre Member

    I agree about changing the focus from 'how it happened' to 'what it means' in the big picture.

    Certainly a column is a great way to do it.

    Use it as a time to do a notes package, with Saturday's game being the lead item.

    I like the feature idea for Monday. Im not sold on using what happened in the game as the focus of that featue. Do a big story on someone with the focus being nothing to do with the game.

    Dont forget that in a small town, some people only find out 'how it happened' from your paper. So I guess that means find a balance.
     
  11. timesup

    timesup New Member

    I used to work for a Monday-Friday paper. Since it was a small town, people may have already known the score by the time Monday rolled around but they didn't know the game story. I'd try to throw in a feature or a side bar every Monday, though. Especially when things got "high tech" and the games were being broadcast on the radio.
     
  12. Clerk Typist

    Clerk Typist Guest

    I'm with ogre. At the least, use the story as a look ahead to what's next for old State Tech U. (or Tech High, as appropriate.)
     
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