Sports journalism: history, practice, and contemporary issues

Basketball Game Coverage

Sports

If I were to imagine myself as a sports journalist covering a basketball game, I would want to provide coverage for games that take place during "March Madness," a term used to describe a competition among NCAA universities for champion standing. March Madness is an annual event that is as much of a sports tradition as it is a media and journalism tradition.

Covering a game in NCAA March Madness was very exciting and required substantial preparations. It was necessary for me to acquire a press pass. I had to get permission or the "go ahead" from my supervisor to proceed with covering the game. I had to prepare a proposal for travel and hotel expenses. I additionally needed to borrow or purchase or otherwise acquire (legally) the materials I needed to write the story. I covered a Division I Men's Basketball game between Syracuse and Ohio State. I continued my preparation of game coverage by researching each team and their histories. I watched as much as game and practice footage I could locate. I read a lot of background information in print, online, and through other media sources. I also consulted with fans and fan forums to add some perspective and excitement to the coverage.

I was not the only journalist by a long short to cover this game. My preparation would have to serve me well to compose an article about the game that would stand out among all the press of March Madness and this specific game. I did not sleep much while out on assignment for this article. This was all right with me. I slept when I could and because I was getting so little sleep, whenever I did sleep, I slept really well. I got up early every day to go the stadium. I brought plenty of supplies such as batteries and memory carts. I brought a notebook and an iPad. I also brought with me a digital recorder.

Because of my preparedness, I was in great position to cover the game. I also saw parts of the game from the press box. I got a few interviews from key players, alone and as part of a group of other journalists. I used the adrenaline from the game to energize me to compose a superlative article. I wrote a draft immediately. After sleeping, I awoke and began revisions. I completed three revisions before submitting it to my editor. I made the deadline, but it was very close. Sometimes I turn something in with plenty of time to spare, but mostly I turn in assignments near the deadline. The pressure motivates me somehow.

The research I did helped me meet my deadline. I had so much information swimming around in my head that when it came to do the writing, I had sufficient contextual information to inform the descriptions of the game. Having a deadline in general is a motivation for me. It is important for me to set goals and meet them. Therefore, having a specific deadline by which to submit my article helped me get the article done. I take my deadlines quite seriously. There is also satisfaction in knowing that one can and does meet all deadlines. There was some professional camaraderie, but there was also some competition among the other sports journalists covering the game. Competition can both hinder and facilitate meeting deadlines. In this case, it did not serve as a hindrance.

The greatest pressures to meet the deadline came from within myself. When a deadline is set, I do my best to meet it. There were some factors that were out of my control, such as waiting for petty cash, or procedures for reimbursement, or approval for travel costs, etc. The pressure to meet the deadline also comes from my editor, and my news organization. Tardiness is not tolerated or excused, or is done so with prejudice and rarely. There was pressure from other news organizations and the journalists representing them for this game. There is also pressure within the game itself. As part of the writing, I commented and described the various pressures in the game -- from coaches, to players, to statistics, to the shot clock. One of the things I appreciate about sports journalism is the epic nature of sports. Sports coverage is very dramatic, and intense. It is one of the reasons why I enjoy the Olympics so much. It is one of the greatest stages for sports in the world and in modern human history. Everything about the Olympics is epic -- from the classical music theme song, to the ornate opening and closing ceremonies, as well as all the backstories of the athletes, teams, and countries participating. This is the kind of energy I brought to writing about basketball games. In a way, I felt pressure to bring a high level of dynamism to the writing, too.