Dr. Oscar John Ma has had a long and fascinating career that has taken many detours. For example, Dr. O John Ma was a sportswriter for several years and is still an avid sports fan. He understands that it can be challenging to transition to this career and has collected some of the top tips he has taken advantage of over the years to improve his writing and provide better sports journalism.
The Best Tips Dr. Oscar John Ma Can Provide for New Sportswriters
The first thing Dr. O John Ma says that a new sportswriter should do is to get a local newspaper subscription and read every sports section story. It doesn’t matter if you get a paper or digital edition: just read, read, read! Even if a story isn’t interesting, it is essential to read every story to learn what the best and most professional sports journalists include in their stories.
For example, you need to include the names of the teams involved in an event, the final outcome, where it was played, and the game’s highlights. It is also good to highlight why this game mattered or how its results could impact the sports scene. That may vary depending on the story, such as a struggling team trying to correct their troubles and get into the playoffs.
That’s something that Dr. Oscar John Ma particularly emphasizes: each story should have a point. It’s not enough to discuss what happened in the game but showcase why it matters and what story it tells about a team. Talk to multiple players and coaches from each team after the game to get their insights. Building this relationship will make creating better and more exciting stories easier.
Furthermore, Dr. O John Ma also suggests following the top sports reporters on Twitter and reading as many articles by them as possible. Some worth following is Tom Withers of the Associated Press, Gregg Bell at The News Tribune, Dana Jacobson of CBS, Lindsay Czarniak at Fox Sports, and Carolina Guillen of ESPN.
Seeing what these writers cover and emulating their voices is an excellent way to develop your own. Don’t copy their style but pay attention to how they phrase things, structure their content, and what information they focus on in each story. Dr. Oscar John Ma started his career this way and eventually created an exciting voice that made his copy easy to identify.
Lastly, it is important to vary the stories you write and understand how and when to use each type. For example, a straight-lead story is the most common type and highlights games, who won, who lost, and how it affects each team. However, you’ll also be doing feature stories highlighting important games, profiles on specific players, season preview/wrap-up stories, and columns. Each has its use, with columns giving you more room to express your opinion and profiles creating a more human side to sports.