I grew up reading Dave Kindred, along with others in The Washington Post -- Ken Denlinger, Thomas Boswell, Bill Gildea, Shirley Povich -- who were sportswriting legends to me, way, way before Kornheiser and Wilbon showed up, good as they may be.I just came across this piece by Kindred about why sports game stories are important -- when they're well done -- even though for a long time, newspapers have operated on the philosophy that game stories might be expendable or not worth much space because everyone already knows the final score.
Kindred points out what he thinks makes a game story good, and it goes way beyond the final score. He includes some tips that I think are great.
I think you can find examples of well-done game stories in our paper. Read Frank Bodani's Penn State game story from last Sunday, particularly the first several grafs. PSU's loss is immediately given a physical texture and put in the context not only of a season but several seasons.
And Frank does one thing I love -- and tried to do when I was covering Virginia Tech -- and that is, he thinks about how the fans are thinking about the game, and incorporates that into his story. It's not that he is a fan; it's that he can think from that perspective. So you get lines like: "The sold-out, whiteout crowd stood and watched, mostly muttering to themselves, trying against odds to urge their heroes on, barely believing what they were seeing." Great stuff.
Any writer on any beat should read some game stories to see the differences in why some are good and some aren't. After all, as Kindred points out, a game story should be a story, not just a recap of play-by-play. And the game is always part of something bigger than just what happens that day.
That kind of approach to any story is going to make you a better reporter and lift up your writing.
Scott,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kindred that game stories can be valuable but one has to look at them in a different sense. A game story has to go deeper into the game. It must reveal something that someone can't find on the Internet, TV or elsewhere. If nothing else, it must answer the question of why in regards to the game.
The traditional game story is no longer effective and meaningful. I think of these new game stories as almost like sidebars themselves. Take an angle and develop it. What's the story behind the kid who makes the key play? What's the story of the key play itself? Why did the coach even call it? Answer those questions and that can provide richer detail on a story that is on a game.
Sports often is viewed as having so much more freedom than news. Thus, that freedom should be used. When the reader finishes a game story (or any story) you should want to leave them thinking, give them something they didn't know or couldn't get anywhere else.
I also agree with Kindred that the game story still serves a purpose -- when it tells a story. As a sports writer, you get access to people, places and information that the average fan does not. I always looked at the game story as an opportunity to show the reader something he or she could not have seen. I think the game story is also an opportunity to provide context. What does the result of the game mean in the context of the season or even (if the game is important enough) the history of the program/franchise?
ReplyDeleteThe writer Kindred references, Chico Harlan, covered Penn State from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the same time I did for the Collegian, and he consistently told actual stories with his game stories. Take a look at this one: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05324/609749-143.stm
I count no more than three graphs of play-by-play. But a lot texture in his description of the celebration after the win, stuff you can't see on TV.
Here's another one: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2004/10/10-25-04tdc/10-25-04dsports-08.asp
As Frank does, Derek Levarse, who covered the team with me, gives a great sense of the disgruntled crowd. He also uses statistics and quotes in a striking way to show just how awful this game was.
Reading these stories again, I can remember what it FELT like being at those games. At the risk of sounding grandiose, they're almost like historical documents. To me, that makes a great game story.
Excellent stories, both. Thanks for posting the links.
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