The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Sense to be a local sportswriter
Brian Cox
PUBLISHED: April 10, 2008
Jerry is married.
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He's on his honeymoon right now, on a ship somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico wearing sunglasses and tanning his pale white legs. That's why his mug is not above as it has been ever since his first Fun & Games column appeared in the Aug. 10, 2006, editions of The Milan News-Leader and The Saline Reporter.
By my count, that's more than 80 columns, and I may have missed one or two here or there.
That's a lot of words. Easily more than 60,000 — almost a book.
It takes a little something special to be a good sportswriter for a small-town paper, I've concluded. You've got to have a sense for it. In fact, you've got to have more than one sense for it. You need all five.
You have to have:
1. An eye for the positive
Most high school sports programs go through peaks and valleys of success. As a sportswriter, it's fun to climb and chronicle the conference crowns, the district wins, the state title runs, but you also have to give accounts of the lows. You can't just turn a blind eye on the tough seasons. You have to suffer through them right along with the coaches, the players and the parents. It's only fair.
You have to have an eye sharp enough to find the positive in what otherwise might be a dismal time. You have to be able to isolate and note the players' efforts outside of the final results.
It's a little bit like standing out in a downpour and thinking, "Well, it's warm at least."
And then, when writing about the weather, focusing on the warm temperature instead of griping about the rain.
You've got to be able to find the good, no matter how bad the storm.
Jerry, I think, has a hawk's eye for the positive.
2. A nose for stories
Writing about sports isn't giving a blow-by-blow account of a game. There is inherent drama in sports and in every game there is a story. Every season is an epic. A good sportswriter has to be able to identify central dramatic moments and sniff the story in the air. Maybe it's a runner's personal best time; maybe it's a goalie's critical save; maybe it's a key pass. You have to be able to find the moment and the people that turn a game from a contest into a story.
I could take a jab here at Jerry's nose, but I won't (though it wouldn't be hard to miss).
3. An ear for language
To be a good sportswriter, you have to have a keen ear for the written word. You are, after all, attempting to immerse readers into the drama of the sport. There must be a spark to the writing. A cadence. A voice.
In short, it's got to have style, man.
I challenge anyone to compare Jerry's columns and stories with any other sportswriter. His work stands out. Maybe it's because he's from Alabama. I don't know, but when I read his column, I can hear his voice in my head, which I will admit is sometimes disturbing. Nonetheless, that's what makes good sports writing. It's what makes any writing good.
4. A touch of compassion
Not unlike coaches and players, to be a good sportswriter, you have to have passion for what you do. You have to love sports. You have to be a fan. You have to love watching sports and talking sports. But as a writer covering high school sports, you also have to have compassion. You have to care how the kids do. You have to feel as if you are on the season's journey with them.
A good sportswriter has to care.
5. Eclectic taste
There are sportswriters who concentrate on one sport. The sportswriter at a small, community newspaper has no such luxury. You must cover and find engaging the whole wide world of high school sports. You may have a particular interest in football or soccer or track, but you must bring the full force of your senses to all the sports programs.
Jerry covers the entire gambit. He has embraced water polo and lacrosse. He has learned the lingo of wrestling and tennis. No matter the sport, he appreciates the competition and the effort, commitment and passion the athletes showcase.
Jerry carries a heavy workload. We're lucky to have a sportswriter of his caliber.
I know. Because I'm covering for him while he's gone, and I'll be glad when he's back.
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or bcox@heritage.com.
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