How best to turn yourself from sports fan to professional sports journalist? Quickly moving beyond general guidance about sports writing, Joe Gisondi focuses on the nitty-gritty, with hands-on, practical advice on covering 20 specific sports. From auto racing to wrestling, you'll find tips on the seemingly straightforward-where to stand on the sideline and how to identify a key player-along with the more specialized-figuring out shot selection in lacrosse and understanding a coxswain's call for a harder stroke in rowing. The new edition adds a new section on sports reporting across multimedia platforms with new chapters on social media, mobile media, visual storytelling, writing for television, and writing for radio, along with a new chapter on sabermetrics. Fully revised with new examples and updated information to prepare you for just about any game, match, meet, race, regatta or tournament you're likely to cover, Field Guide to Covering Sports, Second Edition is the ideal go-to resource to have on hand as you master the beat.
Joe Gisondi covered sports and worked as a sports copy editor for more than 20 years at several newspapers in Florida, including the Fort Myers News-Press, Clearwater Sun, Florida Today and Orlando Sentinel. He started writing for a weekly sports publication in Coral Springs, Fla., at age 15. He's been hooked on sports journalism ever since. He is now associate professor and faculty adviser to the Daily Eastern News at Eastern Illinois University where he teaches courses on newswriting, advanced editing, sports and the media, and sports writing.
Foreword Preface Acknowledgments PART I. GETTING STARTED 1. From Sports Fan to Sports Reporter There's No Cheering in the Press Box 3 5 6 Where Do You Start? Clerking Is a Great Way to Learn Reporting Is Essential in New Media Landscape 2. Writing Game Stories Leads Organization Context and Analysis Key Plays Statistics Quotations Language 3. Getting the Most Out of an Interview Journalism Is Not Stenography Prepare Watch Ask And Keep Asking Sack the Cliched Responses 4. Developing and Writing Features Reporting Is Vital Learn Storytelling Techniques 5. Developing Sports Columns 6. Blogging: Finding a Unique Perspective Blogs Are Here to Stay Carving a Niche Tips for Blogging Sports 7. Using Advanced Statistical Metrics Advanced Metrics Glossary PART II. MULTIMEDIA 8. Social Media: Using Twitter as a Reporting Tool 9. Writing for Mobile Devices Tips for Mobile 10. Visual Storytelling Quick Tips for Improving Your Sports Photograph 11. Broadcasting Games on Radio 12. Writing for TV PART III. COVERING A BEAT Auto Racing Baseball Basketball Bowling Cross Country Field Hockey Football Golf Ice Hockey Lacrosse Rowing Rugby Soccer Softball Swimming & Diving Tennis Track and Field Triathalons Volleyball Wrestling PART IV. EXPLORING FURTHER Primer A: Ethics: Sports Writers Can't Act Like Fans Primer B: Covering Fantasy Sports Primer C: Covering a College Beat Primer D: High School Sports Primer E: Avoiding Cliches Appendix: Assignment Desk AP Style Sports Quizzes Notes Index About the Author
