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COM 305/605 – Mythmakers, Storytellers, Wannabes, and Groupies:
An Introduction to Sports Journalism
Instructor:Dr. Ron Bishop
Office:PSA Building, Room 324
Office Hours:T and TH 12:30-2 or by appointment
Office Phone:215-895-1823
Class Location:PSRC 111
Email:rcbsam@comcast,net
Ron’s Website: rcbsam.com
Group FB Page:COM 305 Sports Journalism Spring 13-14
NOTE: friend me ASAP and I’ll add you!
Why We’re Here:To gain a deeper appreciation for and understanding of the meaning-making power of sports journalism. This branch of the field is often dismissed as cliché-ridden, and its practitioners star-struck, but its impact on us and on society is significant and worthy of study.
Text:Dave Zirin, Game Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down. New York: The New Press, 2013.
I urge you to please consult your favorite online or brick and mortar bookseller to obtain the books (half.com, ecampus.com, powells.com, alibris.com) as soon as possible. Better still: head to and use their store locator to explore the area’s independent booksellers. It’s less of a sure thing that they’ll have these books, but does Amazon really need more money?
Also presented for your dining and dancing pleasure:
RealSports With Bryant Gumbel, HBO’s award-winning sports journalism program. New episodes premiere during the last week of every month. It isthe best sports journalism newsmagazine out there – maybe the best newsmagazine out there, period. Please watch each new episode that airs during our time together. Real Sports is available through HBO On Demand. Check to see if your cable system provides that service. I’ll also be showing selected Real Sports clips during class.
Almost as good is ESPN’s Outside the Lines, hosted by Bob Ley. Audio podcasts and video segments are available on ESPN’s website. A veteran journalist, Ley takes a look at some of the issues that the sports establishment – and many sports journalists – would rather leave alone.
The new kid on the block (ask your parents about the 1980s boy band) is 60 Minutes Sports. It’s so far a little personality- and scandal-heavy, but shows promise. Check out a segment or two.
Get into the habit of regularly reading Sports Illustrated or a similar publication (ESPN: The Magazine works for this purpose, although their approaches to covering sports are decidedly different) and scoping the various sports blogs out there – Will Leitch’s deadspin.com is a good, if somewhat superficial and sensational at times, starting point.
Check out Edge of Sports, the website (and radio program/podcast) run by sportswriter Dave Zirin, who explores the rarely touched on (by mainstream sports reporters anyway) intersection between politics and sports. I’m working on having Dave join us at some point during our journey.
And finally, pay regular visits to the National Sports Journalism Center’s website. Housed at Indiana University, this is the sports journalism program ours will be when it grows up. Lots of great readings and resources here.
Projects: You’ll write two stories (each between 1,000 and 1,500 words – that’s 3-5 pages) during our journey together this term. They must include relevant digital photos and/or sound bytes captured to enhance the story:
1)The Impact of Sports on the Community story: pick a community, any community – maybe even the one you’re from. Did an athlete or a team recently bring the community together – or does the life of a community revolve around a particular sport, team, or athlete? Or did a sport divide the community, or have not such a positive impact on it? Write a story about it – interview residents (current and former), coaches, players, and anyone else who can speak to the impact of the team on the community and its residents.
Due Thursday of week 4.
2)The Game Story story: you will attend a sporting event (any sport, any level, anywhere) and cover it as if you were a professional sportswriter. This means conducting pre- and post-game interviews, following the action carefully, and keeping score (which we’ll review in class).
You’re responsible for contacting the media relations people for the team or organization to secure press credentials for the game.
You’ll also write an advance story, in which you’ll preview some aspect of the game for the reader.
Advance is due Thursday of Week 6; Game story due Thursday of Week 8.
I have made arrangements for press credentials with several very kind and talented PR and sports information folks for professional sports teams in and near Philadelphia:
- Mike Barone, Camden Riversharks (Atlantic League baseball)
- Aimee Cicero, Philadelphia Union (MLS)
- Bill Cook, Trenton Thunder (Eastern League (AA) baseball)
- Rebecca Goodman, Director of PR, Comcast-Spectacor; Philadelphia Wings (MLL indoor lacrosse)
- Eric Scarcella, Reading Fightins’ (formerly the Reading Phillies; Eastern League (AA) baseball)
- Joe Siville, Philadelphia Flyers
- Mike Tuberosa, Drexel’s sports information director
Please make sure that you consult the team’s schedule (found on their websites) during the first week or so of the term, in order to make sure that you have enough time to attend the game and write the story before the deadline.
Leave enough time for you to write your advance story and put together a rough draft of the game story (which I’ll be happy to take a look at) before the official deadline. Make contact with your sources and set up interviews and visits as soon as possible.
Final Project: For the whole gang:
You’ll write what for lack of a better name I’m calling the Missed Opportunity story. We read a lot about LeBron “taking his talents to South Beach,” Manti Te’o, steroids and PEDs, bench-clearing brawls, and whether Chip Kelly can bring a Super Bowl title to Philadelphia, but plenty of significant (often politically flavored) stories go poorly covered or uncovered by the nation’s sports journalists.
This happens for many reasons – I’ll mention just a few here: what sports editors believe we want to read, their queasiness at covering stories that might be controversial (the NFL’s unwillingness until very recently to admit that repeated blows to the head causes players to suffer from depression and dementia, for example), and their unwillingness to anger teams, leagues, and players on whom they depend for a steady stream of mini-dramas.
So this is your chance to fill this gap: Using Dave Zirin’s excellent book Game Over as your guide, pick an issue that you believe merits more extensive coverage, and write a feature-length (6-8 pages) story about it. It should include interviews with folks close to the issue as well as photos/videos and an audio clip or two. I’ll be happy to suggest possibilities for you, so don’t be afraid to ask!
And there’s even more fun for our graduate student friends:
Staying with the issue you’re writing about, obtain between 10 and 20 stories from a variety of news outlets (print, broadcast, online, or cable) about the issue. The Lexis-Nexis database is a great help here.
Read or watch the articles carefully, looking for the themes that recur through the coverage. How is the issue framed by these reporters? What take on the situation (the “preferred reading” for you cultural studies fans out there) do they ask us to endorse? Who is quoted most frequently? Who isn’t? What stereotypes and assumptions are at work in the coverage? Are they well written? Is there ample supportive evidence?
The paper should run between 7-10 pages, and should be accompanied by a complete bibliography. If you have questions about how to complete a bibliography, please ask me – I’ll be happy to help. The paper is due during our last class meeting.
Policies
AttendanceI totally understand if you have to miss a class or two – just let me know as far in advance as possible. Make sure you check in with one of your colleagues about what we discussed. I’ll only take attendance if being here becomes an issue.
DeadlinesI could insert a timeworn chestnut about journalism being all about deadlines, but the concept is so fluid today; journalists have several each day – each hour. Anyway: I’m flexible about it, but let’s try to meet those deadlines.
DiscussionsI value and encourage open, free, raucous, pleasant, and sometimes messy discussion. Not only is robust debate (not the O’Reilly Factor kind, by the way) the very heart of democracy, it’s a hell of a lot more fun than being picked on by a frustrated professor who’s losing his hair and has run out of impressions done badly in order to get folks to pipe up.
I love sports, and I love sportswriting (in a past life, I practiced the craft) – although some sportswriters and some of the “boo-ya” yahoos on ESPN, not so much (in the immortal words of Paul Reiser). This does not mean, however, that we will spend endless amounts of time on the infield fly rule and the decision-making abilities of Mets executives – OK, we might, but if I wander too far off into “fan-land,” feel free to reel me in. We’re here to talk about how sportswriters communicate the significance of sports and how we make meaning about sports from their work.
GradingI work with a 100-point scale – and most of the time without a net: Story 1 is worth 25 points; the advance for Story 2 is worth 10 points, and the game story 15 points; the final project is worth 30 points. You can earn 1 point for each mini-project and reading reaction (described later).
The additional grad project is worth up to 20 points (so your grades will be based on a possible total score of 120 points).
Guest SpeakersSeveral very significant, very nice people from the world of sports journalism/sports information will join us during the term. I’ll keep you posted on exact dates, as their schedules are quite full.
Mini-ProjectsJust to keep things interesting, I’ll assign a short mini-project every week-ish. These will be short (500 words) stories or analyses on a topic of discussion. We’ll work on some of them in class.
Email me your mini-projects by Friday at 5 p.m. Please also post them on our FB page.
Plagiarism Rather than add further wind and angst to this issue, let me sum my policy up this way: If it isn’t your work, and I figure out isn’t your work, you will receive no points for the project in question. I act only when I suspect there’s trouble. And you get one shot at redemption. We’ll keep things between the two of us if there’s a problem. A second misstep, though, means a trip to see Wolverine from the X-Men.
Portfolio Once I’ve gotten comments back to you on the mini-projects and the first two stories, you’ll have the chance to revise them and pick up additional points. We’ll work on the revisions (mostly via email, although I’ll be happy to set up a time to meet) together during the term.
Then, at the end of week 10, you’ll submit a complete portfolio of your stories (including the earlier versions) and the mini-projects. You can submit the portfolio the old-fashioned way (in print) or via email.
Reading ReactionsDon’t be too alarmed by the sheer volume of readings listed each week for your perusal and contemplation. What I’d like you to do is pick one of the sports writing examples (current or “From the Archives”), read it carefully, and then, in a paragraph posted on our FB page, tell me what you think about it.
In each post, list three things about the piece that work for you and three that don’t. Then pick out one quote or passage that you found compelling and one that you felt needs work or was of dubious quality. Overall, what do you think of the writer’s approach and technique? Be specific and descriptive – remember these words: “show don’t tell!”
Rough DraftsPlease feel free to either email me and/or post a rough draft of any ofyour stories or mini-projects. I’ll be happy to look it over and make comments before you officially submit it.
Posting to the FB page will enable your colleagues to offer criticism (of the helpful variety), additional information, and sources.
SubmissionsHard copy and email are both fine and dandy – one request, though: if you email me, attach your work (story, photos, audio/video) as separate documents; don’t jam it all into an email.
Discussion and Reading Schedule (subject to change and prevailing winds)
Week 1:The importance of sports; the meaning(s) we derive, take, and make from sports; sportswriting’s emergence as a part of journalism; how sportswriters guide the aforementioned meaning making.
This week and beyond: A look at the basics and mechanics of sports writing.
Readings:Zirin, pre-game and Chapter 1.
Robert Lipsyte, “Jock Culture,” Columbia Journalism Review, July/August 2006 (rcbsam.com); “Jocks v. Pukes,”The Nation.
Jeff MacGregor, “Indecent Overexposure,”Sports Illustrated, April 5, 1999.
Steve Rushin, “Waiting for Latrell,”Sports Illustrated, October 25, 1999.
Steve Rushin, “Cliches Aren’t Everything,”Sports Illustrated, October 16, 2000. Oh yeah? Just ask former MLB pitcher Don Carman.
From the Archives:Grantland Rice, Alumnus Football and Game Called.
Week 2:Understanding the structure of sports. How journalism (and TV) has changed sports and vice versa – besides HDTV, ESPN, and the TV timeout, of course. Have blogs like Deadspinand Grantlandhad the same impact? Are they the work of journalists – and does the distinction matter anymore?
Basics and mechanics, continued.
Readings:Zirin, Chapter 2
Selection from Bruce Evensen,When Dempsey Fought Tunney.
The Only Game in Town: The Death of Sportswriting, Philadelphia Magazine, July 2007.
From the Archives:Ring Lardner, Sport and Play, You Know Me Al, and Alibi Ike.
Week 3:How journalists approach sports – and athletes. Do they get too close? Are they just in it for the tickets and the chance to hang with celebrities? Is this line crossing a new thing? (Short answer: not by a long shot).
Reading: Zirin, Chapter 3
From the Archives: Jimmy Cannon, Sundown in Brooklyn (rcbsam.com); other Cannon selections at Alex Belth’s blog; W.C. Heinz, Death of a Racehorse; W.C. Heinz’ obit in the Washington Post; Jeff McGregor of Sports Illustrated remembers Heinz.
Week 4:The economics of sports, or why new stadiums are not the solution to a city’s economic problems; the role of PR and sports information folks in our little play.
Readings:Zirin, Chapter 4
Taylor Branch, The Shame of College Sports.
Jeanne Marie Laskas, The People v. Football.
Bishop, paper from Journalism Studies(rcbsam.com).
Selection from Leonard Koppett,The Rise and Fall of the Press Box(rcbsam.com).
Selection from Michael Oriard,Reading Football (rcbsam.com).
From the Archives:Paul Gallico, Farewell to the Babe and Gene Tunney – Then and Now (rcbsam.com); Thomas Boswell, Why Is Baseball So Much Better Than Football?; Red Smith, Miracle of Coogan’s Bluff and Under the Lights; Gerald Holland, Mr. Rickey and the Game.
Week 5:How sportswriters write about race and gender; lack of coverage of women’s sports, Title IX, and the slowly growing number of female sports journalists.
Readings: Zirin, Chapter 5.
Bishop, “The Transcendent Metrosexual,” Journal of Sports Media (rcbsam.com).
Selection from William Rhoden, Forty Million Dollar Slaves (rcbsam.com).
Selections from Ron Rapaport, A Kind of Grace (rcbsam.com).
Selection from Mariah Burton Nelson, The Stronger Women Get, The More Women Love Football (rcbsam.com).
Alison Glock, At The Corner of Love and Basketball
Sherry Ricchiardi, Offensive Interference.
Christina Kahrl, Get Used To It: Women Cover Sports.
Columnist Christine Brennan on the Manti Te’o hoaxand on Lance Armstrong;
Alexander Wolff, Ground Breakers.
Video: Playing Unfair: The Media Image of the Female Athlete.
From the Archives:George Plimpton, Medora Goes to the Game; Gary Smith, The Secret Life of Mia Hamm.
Week 6:The intersection of sports and politics; violence in sports as explained by sports journalists.
Readings: Bishop, “The Wayward Child,” Journalism Studies (rcbsam.com).
Selection from David Remnick, King of the World.
Mark Kram, Lawdy, Lawdy, He’s Great.
Jack McCallum, The Ugliest Game.
Michael Farber, The Fighting Duck
Gary Smith, Why Don’t More Athletes Take a Stand?
Segment from Outside the Lines, “Anger Management.”
From the Archives:Jim Murray, Veni, Vidi, Vincie and Bolt Gave Golf Its Deserts; John Updike, Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu; Gay Talese, The Silent Season of a Hero; Tom Wolfe, The Last American Hero; Frank Deford, The Rabbit Hunter; David Remnick, Back in Play.