Sports Reporting Class: September 5, 2012
Quote
for the Day: “For when the One Great Scorer comes
to write against your name, He marks not that you won or lost but how you
played the game.” – Grantland Rice
Quick
fun fact: Can someone tell me who Grantland Rice was?
Attendance:
Reminder of attendance policy.
Assignments:
For
tonight: Article critique #1 is due. Please hand in at the
beginning of class
For
next week: Event coverage schedule is DUE. This is crucial to the
planning of the rest of the semester for class. Do not wait till the LAST
MINUTE to do this!
Main
topic for tonight’s class: The art of the interview.
Preparing
for the next class:
For
next week: Event coverage schedule is DUE. This is crucial to the
planning of the rest of the semester for class. Do not wait till the LAST
MINUTE to do this!
In-class
press conference: Marist College
just promoted long-time men’s cross country and track coach Pete Colaizzo from
a part-time coaching position to the full-time Director of Track/Cross Country
position. This press conference is set to announce this promotion. Your job is
to prepare at least 3 (or more) pertinent questions to ask Coach Pete in the
press conference. Bring in your 3 (or more) questions in printed form and ready
to be handed in.
Discussion
of real-life sports column from five years ago:
Read a sports column that was published in December 2007. Be prepared to discuss
three (or more) things that you liked about it and three or more things that
you think can be improved about it.
Topic
for tonight’s class: The art of the interview. How can a
young and aspiring sports reporter prepare himself/herself to do a great job of
interviewing athletes, coaches, etc?
Overview:
Before we discuss the HOW, first we must discuss the WHY.
Excellent
preparation = great interviews
Lazy
or shoddy preparation = weak interviews
Interviews,
and the quotes you get from the interviews, are CRUCIAL ELEMENTS to Sports
Reporting and the stories you will write for this class or for any publication
Excellent
reporting = great stories
Lazy
or shoddy reporting = weak stories
THIS
COUNTS FOR COLUMNS, TOO
To
excel as a sportswriter, first you must be a great reporter
To
excel as a writer, first you must be a great reporter
Tips
to becoming a skilled, proficient reporter and interviewer
Be
“there,” wherever “there” is: David Marrannis and the Green Bay
story (I will relate this story to you in class). Don’t be
lazy. Grab a notebook and a recorder and GO THERE. Don’t do the phone unless
there is no other alternative.
Have
eyes in the back of your head: Notice, notice, notice … little
details that someone else is not noticing. Watch the game, but look for other
subtle details surrounding the game. Check the coach on the sideline. But also
check the coach’s wife or family freaking out in the stands.
Real
life example: Let’s say you are covering the road
race on campus this weekend. You are interviewing a runner. You notice that
runner is wearing Vibram 5 Fingers shoes. Or, a runner is wearing an “In Memory
Of … ” shirt. Bingo! There’s a unique angle for you …
Think
outside the box: ESPN columnist and author Ian
O’Connor makes a living by making the less-than-obvious phone call on an
obvious story. If he can do it, so can you. It is what separates him from the
pack. You just have to THINK HARD and then DO IT.
When
you cover an event or a game, be an active viewer and not a passive viewer:
How can you do this? By taking notes on what you see. By taking statistics. By
listening with bionic ears.
Details,
details, details: Watch and look for them, in obvious
and less-than-obvious places.
How
important are statistics: What do YOU think? They do not need to
crowd your story, but statistics and numbers can be excellent tools when going
to your sources to ask questions.
As
you cover an event or a game, think in advance what question or questions you
will ask your sources: DO NOT ASK OBVIOUS QUESTIONS. UNLESS
YOU WANT OBVIOUS ANSWERS.
Asking
the difficult questions: The importance of having the courage
to do this? But what if you are too close to your subject? What if it is your
BEAT?
No
cheering in the press box: Can you root for the team you are
covering? What does that do to your ability to effectively cover that event, do
your interviews and write your stories?
Pet
peeve questions: “Tell me about …” “How did it feel
when …” “Were you happy/upset about your team’s performance?”
Think
outside the box, part 2: Be original with secondary sources.
Make your story stand out. Interview the pitching coach, the bullpen catcher,
the clubhouse attendant …
The
types of interviews and settings:
1-The one-on-one interview: Perhaps the most intimidating
but ultimately most effective
2-The post-game interview, one-on-one (best, if you can do
it)
3-The post-game interview, press conference setting
4-The post-game interview, microphones in the face setting
(piggy back on the pet peeve!)
5-The telephone interview: Only if you have to
6-The e-mail interview: Major advantages and disadvantages
Based
on this discussion and your experience, give some tips on how to prepare for
interviews:
