Sports news is the area of journalism that covers sports events and the people who participate in them. Sports journalists, often called beat writers, cover teams and players, write game articles and play-by-plays, analyze the performance of athletes, and report on the overall health of the sport. Depending on the type of publication, sports journalists may also write editorial pieces that discuss important issues in the sports world.
Sportswriters are expected to be fans as well as reporters, and to be able to share the passion of the fan base with their readers. It is best for rookie writers to start out by writing about a sport they are familiar with and for which they have an interest. The more a writer knows about the rules, strategy and history of a particular sport, the more they will be able to write about it.
Grass-roots and local sports are some of the most spirited competitions around, and writing about them can be a rewarding experience for any sportswriter. Even if the quality is not up to professional standards, these types of stories give the writer a chance to interact with local people and hear their personal experiences about the sports they love.
While the first sportswriters reported on games after they happened, radio and newspaper coverage of them increased dramatically in the 1920s as baseball became more popular and television was introduced. A straight game story focuses on a specific event, but it is more common for professional sports writers to write feature game stories that spotlight an individual player or coach rather than just retelling what happened in the game.