Sports Journalism 

While the drumbeat that “newspapers and magazines are dead” goes on, sports journalism is flourishing on both traditional and what we once designated as “alternative media.” In this course we will examine that craft, as well as the cultural canvas upon which it is written, with the goal of producing a game story, a feature story and a more personal essay.  Students will deconstruct stories on a variety of subjects (race, cultural identity, gender politics, learn about interviewing and story organization techniques, and hear (both live and via ZOOM) from several of the writers who produced the pieces we will study.

Meets in Library 230

10:30am-12:30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

                       Class Website 

sites.middlebury.edu/indt1205/

                   Course Expectations

Show up for class unless excused. We’re not here for long, everybody, so we have to get it done. Hand in assignments on time. We’re going to act like journalists for our month together, and deadlines are a major part of journalism.

                     Plagiarism

Here is my definition: “Taking 200 words from one source is plagiarism. Taking 20 words from 10 sources is research.”

                     Course Materials

+ There is no textbook. But you should immediately purchase a WRITER’S NOTEBOOK for your own use during the semester. I don’t care what kind of notebook it is. Nobody else sees it. You don’t hand it in. It doesn’t have to be neat. You can use every shorthand shortcut and every cuss word in the book. But most writers I know have something at their disposal to write down ideas, thoughts and tips. Bring it to class.

+ You can bring your laptop to class. In fact, it’s preferred. But it’s for in-class writing and researching, not surfing.

+ For every writing assignment, you should have dictionary.com and thesaurus.com at your disposal. Your instructor rarely writes anything without consulting these indispensable resources, and you should follow that lead.

+ As often as you can, consult sports-oriented websites and political websites to keep up with the daily drive of events. The Big Lead, The Ringer, SBNation, The Undefeated are some of them. Another good source is fivethirtyeight.com, a statistics-based political site that often delves into sports. All these deal with goings-on both on and off the field. The conventional sites–ESPN, SI, Yahoo, etc.–are also helpful. 

+ Also look at  https://sundaylongread.com This is a compendium of the week’s best longform stories on all subjects, a great reference for aspiring writers. Don’t just read the ones about sports. But for an idea on the best sports stories of last year and other years, check this link: https://longform.org/sections/sports

                                      GRADING

A note about mechanics. You will see them mentioned often. They are important. If you have any questions about spelling, punctuation, grammar, usage, you will find that most answers are findable through Google. And utilize Spell Check programs.

Also, here is an indispensable text: On Writing Well by William Zinsser. It may be available in the library or it cost four bucks on Amazon. The link:

https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548

                               GAME/FEATURE STORY (30%)

                                        10 = A

The writer attended the game live and interviewed the relevant coaches and players afterward, direct-quoting the distinctive things the subject had to say. The writer captured the essence of the action and principal without resorting to excessive play-by-play but also found the appropriate side details–the “long view”–that made it more than a game story.  The writer used interesting language and metaphors without straining. And the mechanics (spelling, grammar, etc.) are perfect.

                                       9 = A-

Has all the qualities of a 10 paper but something minor is lacking—maybe an incorrect word choice, maybe a flawed structure, maybe a missing detail, maybe a quote out of place . But the mechanics are still near-perfect.

                                           8 = B+

The writing isn’t as sharp as a 9 or 10. Sounds too much like a game story, and the big picture of the season isn’t presented as well as in a 9 or 10 paper. Mechanics are flawed but only in a minor way.

                                           7 = B

Mechanical errors bring down a potential B+ paper. But the writing is still above-average to average.

                                          6 = B-

An average paper all the way around. The game action is told too routinely, the word choice is not interesting and the quotes don’t generate much excitement.  Only decent mechanics save it from C territory.

                                         5 = C+

Effort is demonstrated but flawed in execution. Poorly-organized, uninteresting word choices. Some flawed mechanics.

                                        4= C

Mediocre effort. Mediocre mechanics. Mediocre everything.

NO NEED TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING BELOW A 4. WE’LL MAKE IT BETTER.

                                 FEATURE STORY (30%)

10, 9 and 8—Much enterprise is shown on the choice of subject and interview. Subject is covered completely. Structure of the story is sound. It tells a story. The direct quotes are handled adroitly and mixed in well with the paraphrases. The story is complete but not OVERWRITTEN. Mechanics will make the difference between a 10 and an 8.

7 and 6—The interview(s) did not produce an overall compelling story although parts were good. Miscalculations were made on what to quote directly and what to paraphrase. A few mechanical errors brought down the grade, also.

5 and 4—The reader didn’t learn much from the story. Perhaps the interview wasn’t compelling, perhaps the writing wasn’t structured correctly, perhaps both. And, as above, a few mechanical errors brought down the grade, also.

                                 PERSONAL STORY (25%)

10, 9, 8 and 7–The choice of a subject was compelling, not necessarily because it was a big subject but because it meant so much to the writer.  The story had the appropriate level of humor/drama/emotion without going overboard. Show don’t tell.

Again, mechanics and word choice will probably make the difference between a 10 and a 7.

6 and 5—The writer did not produce an overall compelling story although parts were good. Maybe it was the wrong subject, maybe the writer didn’t dig deep enough into his/her own memory banks. A few mechanical errors brought down the grade, also.

                                 CLASS PARTICIPATION (15%)

Were you engaged? Did you ask questions? How did you do when you introduced or interviewed a ZOOM subject? Did you hand in assignments on time? Did you make every class unless excused? Did you stay awake?