Category Archives: Sportswriting

Writing is not a mystery, even if you binge-watch ‘Bosch’

Posted on October 12, 2018 by

Writing is not a mystery, except when it is. If you’ve written a great deal, you know what I mean. If you have not, the previous sentence reads like awful haiku. Advertisements

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Did Sports Illustrated senior writer reveal a bias to hire women? Isn’t it really about time for all sports media to do so?

Posted on June 18, 2018 by

There is a fascinating discussion on gender bias taking place on Twitter among several talented sports writers. No shocker: social media sees this as a black-and-white issue, but there are several gray areas as well. Is it OK to hire … Continue reading →

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Advice from veteran sports writer Tommy Deas

Posted on July 17, 2017 by

 Tommy Deas, executive sports editor at The Tuscaloosa News and former president of the Associated Press Sports Editors, offered terrific advice to students attending the College Media Mega Workshop here in Minneapolis. Deas regularly mentors young students, which was evident … Continue reading →

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What questions do sports journalism students want answered?

Posted on July 14, 2017 by

So what do journalism students know, and, further, what do they want to learn? That’s a primary concern for most educators like myself. So I set out to ask students attending this week’s College Media Mega Workshop in Minneapolis that … Continue reading →

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Bring your ‘A-Game:’ Avoid using cliches in sports writing

Posted on April 28, 2016 by

Cliches still plague sports writing. I suspect that’s because younger sport writers, by and large, watch more sports than read about them, which is a shame because there are so many amazing sports books out there.

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Sports features don’t need to be written so neutrally

Posted on April 21, 2016 by

I don’t know about you, but I get bored pretty damned easily, which is evident by the scant number of posts I’ve planted here during the past few years, by the constant changes to my classes, and by the way I constantly … Continue reading →

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Test students for sports terms, style

Posted on February 11, 2013 by

Students are always going to stumble over coverage of sports events, especially on deadline, such as finding the best angles, selecting appropriate quotes, structuring stories effectively, asking probing questions, and determining key trends and plays. That’s part of the learning … Continue reading →

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