Writing A Good Sports Article Can Help Document History

J. Chad Barnett, Contributing Writer

It's hard to believe that not long ago, there was no Internet, or sports channels available to get up-to-date information on some of America's favorite past-times. Picking up a newspaper, or catching a radio broadcast was about all people had to turn to.

Thanks to the writers of the time, average people could get all of the information they needed. Some of those articles still survive, thankfully, or most of sports history would have been forgotten. For instance, did you know that when Walter Hagan arrived at Sandwich for the 29^th Open Championship in 1922, he was not allowed to change or eat in the clubhouse. Thumbing his nose at British protocol, he hired a stretch limousine, and parked it in front of the clubhouse as his own private RV so to speak. He changed in it, ate in it, and even had a party or two. Hagan went on to beat George Duncan and become the first American-born player to win the Open. Upon receiving his check, he glanced at the amount........ and gave it to his caddie. What a guy!

So what makes a good sports article? Here is a guide that I would use myself when writing a sports article. It's laid out step-by-step, and also has links to other sites to help move you forward into a career as a sports writer.

You may also want to check out Nazvee Careem's article on writing sports reports. In it he explains how to do this in 4 easy steps. A good guide on all accounts.

The main thing to remember is to not get frustrated when writing. It shows in your work. There are many helpful sites, and services available for guidance. If you can't figure something out, just Google it!