Sport's Writing Tips

Tips for Sports Reporting From Phil Jasner

Here are some tips for conducting all kinds of sports interviews -- pregame, postgame, off-days, in-person, telephone or teleconference.

• Do your homework. Be as prepared as possible by reading clips, newspapers, magazines, etc. and by paying attention to TV, radio and cyberspace. Don't count on the interviewee filling in the blanks.
• Despite what you might hear some people in the profession say, do NOT treat sports as if it were the toy department. Given the salaries of the players and coaches, the prices of tickets for fans, concessions, parking, etc., you have a responsibility to take sports very seriously. I was taught that part of your job is to give the readers enough information to determine whether it is worth the investment of their time, money and loyalty.
• Treat your subject with respect. There's no place here for hero worship or being a fan. You're doing a job.
• Block out your prejudices about a player, coach, manager or executive. You're the conduit between the subject and the readers. If you're writing a column or opinion piece, you can approach it differently.
• Don't be afraid to ask the hard, pointed questions. In many cases, the better the question, the better the answer. But don't be confrontational. Try to make the subject feel at ease, to feel that you really care.
• Be specific.
• Remember that in today's world of cable, cyberspace, etc., game detail and scores are readily available many places. You can explain why and how things happened, how they developed, whether they involved situations that were covered in practices or meetings or timeout huddles.
• Don't hesitate to ask for additional explanations or details. The more you know and understand, the better you can relay it to a reader.
  Remember--who, what, where, why, when and how.
• Thank the subject for his or her time and patience (if that's appropriate).
• If it's a situation where you can, call back to clarify facts, names, spellings, etc. And always get both sides of a story--sometimes there are several sides.
  
• An editor I had early on always said, "Keep it light, bright, tight and right."
  

From Phil Jasner Sports Reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News
Phil Jasner covers the Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA for the Philadelphia Daily News. In his 26 years with the newspaper he's covered high schools, the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL, the Stanley Cup finals, professional soccer, various college sports, and the 1992 Olympics in Spain. He is a former president of the Pro Basketball Writers Association and will be inducted in May into the Overbrook High Hall Of Fame.