Miniproject Descriptions and Schedule

Instructions: Unless otherwise indicated, you will write a short (500 words or so) story for each of the miniprojects described below.

All miniproject stories should be posted here on the MSWG blog (www.mswg.blogspot.com). They must come complete with headlines - don't just write "Week 6 miniproject" - and bylines (by Ron Bishop, MSWG)

Week 1
Write a story that describes your most compelling sports memory. It doesn’t have to come from your participation in sports – it could be a memorable game you attended or watched on TV, or the love a relative has for a particular team, or even just a particularly memorable game of catch you had with a sibling, parent, or friend.

Tell me (and your reader) about what makes this moment so memorable. Consider what we typically believe is so memorable about participation in sports today.


Week 2
Watch a game, meet, or match on television (even though as a reporter you actually should be there), and do your best to cover it as though you were a reporter. Obtain as much information as possible beforehand about the teams or participants; this can usually be accomplished by visiting their websites.

As you watch, look for strong and compelling (and not so strong and compelling) individual performances. Carefully observe the flow and pace of the game. Does one team jump out to an early lead? Does the other make a strong comeback? What’s the weather like? Is the crowd a factor in the game? Are they quiet or loud?

Observe the players carefully for signs that they are either on or off of their games. Look for behavioral quirks (see Nomar Garciaparra’s pre-at bat ritual). Watch the players’ behavior – are there signs of weakness, fatigue, nervousness, elation? Check out their range of emotions.

When you’re done, stick around for the post-match interview; the quotes from these can be used in your game story.


Week 3
Here, try your hand at a story about how to do something sports-related: throw a football in a tight spiral, swing a golf club correctly, cradle a lacrosse ball, throw a curve ball. It can come from any sport, so you cricket fans out there – have at it!

Write as though you are introducing the action to your reader; assume they’ve never seen or tried the action before. Ask an athlete for help as a source; quote the athlete in your story.

Week 4
Contact, either via phone or email, a working sports journalist – print, broadcast, cable, online, community newspaper. Conduct a short interview with them in which you discuss the most significant challenge(s) they face in doing their job. Is it dealing with recalcitrant athletes? Trying to make their editors believe that sports is still an important part of the news hole? Write the story based on your interview.


Week 5
Conduct a short interview with someone who has been a longtime (at least a decade or more) fan of a professional or collegiate sports team or of an athlete. Find out what drew them to that team/person, and what keeps them so devoted.

Then conduct the same interview with a young (your age or slightly older or younger) of a team or athlete – ask them roughly the same questions.

What strikes you as the most significant similarities and differences in their approach to being a fan? In the level of their dedication to the team/athlete?


Week 6
Now that we’ve explored the mechanics of sports writing, it’s your turn to play professor. Obtain a sports-related story from a news organization; the story must deal with a significant issue; no game stories allowed. You can use a segment from Real Sports or Outside the Lines for this miniproject.

Using the tools we’ve been discussing, write a review of the article – what are the strengths and weaknesses? Any missing information? Any glaring stereotypes evident in the language or description? Any unfounded or unsupported assertions? Does the story flow well? Do the quotes sound canned or are they compelling?


Week 7
Did you and your friends ever prevent someone from playing a sport with you for no real reason? Maybe the person was a girl, or overweight, or of a different race than the rest of you, or too tall. Maybe you were targeted for exclusion that day for some reason.

Locate the person who either excluded you or who you excluded and conduct a short interview (phone or email) with them. The interview should revolve around this question (although you’re free to add others): How did that incident of exclusion change their view of/love of sports?

Week 8
What gets your vote for the most bizarre/involved pre-game or in-game athlete ritual? Ask several athletes (any level – we have lots of very kind folks on our teams here) before declaring a winner. Focus on why the winning athlete engages in that ritual.

Week 9
Conduct a short interview with a child who competes in one or more sports. Make sure you obtain the permission of the child’s parent before conducting the interview.

What do they get out of participating in sports? Why do they do it – are they truly into the sport, or are they taking part for other reasons? Then, interview one or both parents. Do the reasons/motivations match up, or are there significant discrepancies?

Week 10
Your final mission: write a short column on the three changes (and only three) changes you would make in how the worlds of sports and journalism intersect.

Remember: only three.