Journalism 295

Sports Reporting and Writing

R.J. de Maria

demariab@wlu.edu

 

  . . Sportswriting has always been disparaged. It is, surely the only form of literature wherein the worst of the genre is accepted as representative of the whole. Any well-written article or book about sports is invariably praised by serious, patronizing critics as “not really about sports” or “different from sportswriting” Sportswriting is assumed to be second-rate, and, therefore, if any sportswriting is not second-rate, then, ergo, it must not be Sportswriting.

--Frank DeFord. The World’s Tallest Midget

 

 

Course Description

This course is a survey of representative works of contemporary in-depth sports reporting and writing in on-line, print and broadcast media.

Books

Bissinger, H. G. Friday Night Lights  New York: Da Capo Press, 2000

Halberstam, David, ed. The Best American Sportswriting of the Century

            New York: Houghton Mifflinn  Company. 1999

Morris, Willie  The Courting of Marcus DuPree   Jackson, MS University Press, 1992

Reynolds, Bill.  Fall River Dreams.  New York: St. Martin’s Press. 1995.

Wilstein, Steve  Associated Press Sportswriting Handbook.  New York:

McGraw-Hill. 2002.

 

COMPETENCIES:

          At the end of this class, you should be able to:

·        Think critically and independently

·        Demonstrate an understanding of groups in a global society in relationship to Journalism Literature

·        Conduct research and evaluate methods appropriate to the communications professions, audiences and the purposes they serve

·        In this class, you should be presented with opportunities to self-test your knowledge of 11 values and competencies identified by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications and embraced by this department. Many of  these values and competencies have been identified and addressed in previous courses in the department. The list is available at: I:\public_html\Curriculum\ACEJMCvalues.html

Calendar

          Week One

          Course Overview

                             Role of the Sports Writer/Reporter in today’s media

                             Broadcast vs. Print Media

          Beat Reporter

                                    Reading        

                   Fall River Dreams pages 1-152.

                                                Willstein pages 1-41

                                                Halberstam – 131-190                       

                                    Assignment

                                                Willstein pg. 41 Assignments # 2

                                                                          Assignment # 3 (use the Roanoke Times)

            Week Two                Amateur Athletics (College & High School)

                   The Role of the Hero

                                    Fall River Dreams (Complete)

                                                Willstein pages 43-99           

                                    Halberstam pp 3-130

                                    Assignment

                                         Willstein page 99 Assignment 1                                                                                                        Enterprise proposal due! (3000 words)

            Week Three                                  

Professional Sports

                                    Reading

                                                Willstein – 101 ff:                                                                                                                              Halberstam – 699-762

                                       Assignment – Event Story Due Friday Noon

                                                                        Submit Draft Outline

            Week Four

                             ESPN:  a Boon or a Villain? – Television and Sports Reporting:

Sports Center v Sports Illustrated v Daily Newspaper and local TV news.

Halberstam -  574-698

Assignment – 750 wd. comparison of story on ESPN, in

          Sports Illustrated and in Daily Newspaper

            Submit first draft

            Second Draft Conference

            Week Five

                                      Halberstam – 191-317

                                      Assignment – Final Draft Conferences

          Week Six

                                      Halberstam – 451-573

                                                Assignment Due

          Week Seven

                                       Morris chapters 1-8 (pp 11-125)

            Week Eight

                                                Morris chapters 9-17 (pp126-305)

            Week Nine

                                                Complete Morris

            Week Ten

                                                Reynolds

            Week Eleven

                                                Reynolds Complete

            Week Twelve

                                                Overview

 

Grading

                        Wilstein Assignments                         15                        

                   Comparison Piece                               15

                   Class Participation                             15

                   Class Attendance                                  5

                   Final Story                                         50

 

            ENDNOTES

Assignments are deadline sensitive! All assignments are due the Friday of the following week. This is a journalism course; factual errors of any kind will not be tolerated and will be given the grade of F