Sports Journalism – truth or hype?

There is a thin line between truth and hype. Sportspeople receive both good press and bad press. This can sometimes be superficial and hype them up into something they’re not or at worst continual bad or inaccurate press can affect or destroy a career (which I will look into later.)Inaccurate press can lead to wrong impressions, clouding the truth. Forget claims such as ‘don’t let the facts ruin a good story.’ Ignoring the facts can ruin a career.

Sports Journalism has many strengths and qualities. You are writing about something you are passionate about and there is the socialising side of it as well. To write a great match report and then get an incisive interview with a star player afterwards – and get paid for it is obviously a real buzz. Watching two teams play out a game in a sporting arena that could turn into one of the best memories or pay days in your life. If you are quick of thought and sharp of tongue you will surprise yourself about who you can meet. As a professional watcher and writer of sport, your views and opinions will become valued.

The match should be accurately watched and covered ‘watch the ball and everyone else on the pitch’ – which is difficult. There is the possibility you may miss key moments in the match meaning the report won’t be as genuine or accurate. It is important to have the right facts in the right order and it needs to be in on time to be published. Picking out the best bits of the match will make for a more interesting read. It is important that any quotes made by managers or players are accurate and relate directly to the incident mentioned in the copy. Likewise, an interesting fact or snippet of information that was previously unknown can add delight and pleasure to the reading experience of the piece. And the quality and accuracy of the copy will build the journalists name up as a result. A good intro can sell a poor story and a poor intro can kill a good story and the reader’s interest is lost.

If whilst you are covering a match, an incident is missed such as a swing by the striker at the goalkeeper which someone else sees, you should not include it in the copy because you haven’t seen it yourself nor can you trust the person who claims they have seen it. You should check with one of the players later to check that it really happened. Names of managers or players should be accurate. The then Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear recently landed in hot water when he mispronounced the name of one of his foreign players during an after match interview. Facts should not be ignored. From checking the spelling of names to ensuring the subject matter of the story is correct, getting things right is a must before any story is published.

Controversy always sells a story well – like arguing or a brawl during a match or a row on the touchline between linesman and manager. When Dutch striker Pierre Van Hooijdonk went on strike and refused to play for Nottingham Forest a few years ago, it was a big story filling plenty of column inches and was an interesting read but it didn’t do Van Hooijdonk’s English football career any favours. Another Nottingham Forest player Jason Lee was continually ribbed in the press about his ‘pineapple’ hairstyle which led to a loss of form and a change of club. It also affected him personally, ‘getting to him.’ Manager-wise, the Graham Taylor ‘turnip head’ and Steve McClaren ‘wally with the brolly’ tags also spring to mind. Although Steve McClaren has managed to resurrect his career in Holland with FC Twente (and receive praise from Johan Cruyff,) following a disastrous England Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and some stinging criticism from the press, Graham Taylor was never the same manager again after the goading could be considered to have lowered his reputation and disparaged him.

Also ‘overspinning’ a story or incident can also lead to problems and ruin relationships with contacts. At worst, it could lead to your best contact ignoring you for ever which in the Journalism business would be a disaster as in it, you live and die by your contacts. But used correctly, it can liven a story up and aid it’s selling potential.

Being too pushy trying to interview sports stars can also lead to embarrassing situations or being too rude or personal. The sportsperson may not want, for example, the failure of his marriage blasted across a paper in massive headlines. This can lead to journalists being snubbed and thus not getting the work. Friendships can be damaged, relationships can be damaged, careers can be damaged. Other downsides to journalism include stress and problems with copy payments, accounts and invoices. Stress can lead to heart attacks and nervous breakdowns. You can be snubbed by sportspeople or sports-playing friends who don’t agree with what you’ve written. A female journalist once told a certain football manager that his team played dull football-and he told her to stick to knitting!

‘You can never trust a journalist a far as I’m concerned,’ remarked former England midfielder Paul Ince. ‘Obviously there are some you can give fuller answers to than others but I don’t trust many people. That comes from the fact I know a lot of journalists ask questions just so they can get a headline from me. I might say one line, and it is completely blown out of context to make a headline. That really annoys me and I find myself having to think what I’m going to say before I say before I say it. I got caught out that way a lot of times in my younger days, so I’m all for the young pros attending seminars where they are taught how to deal with the media.

But you still have to talk to the media to get through to our fans. It is hard because I find that the media is always against you. If I’ve played badly, then I’m man enough to take it, but sometimes they write rubbish for the sake of it, just to keep themselves in a job or make a headline and that really winds me up. They’re always trying to put players down instead of backing us.’

The language used for the write-up is also important. Using too many clichés can be tedious and isn’t advisable. There is a saying that ‘the pen is mightier than the sword.’ Words can do damage and if the mark is over-stepped pieces can be written that can be painful and damaging to the careers of professional people. Once facts appear in print, people believe them. Calling Graham Taylor ‘turnip head’ was a defamatory statement. Polish goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski was labelled ‘a clown’ by Brian Clough during a 1974 World Cup qualifier against Poland (which they failed to win and thus didn’t qualify for the 1974 finals.) This was a controversial and memorable statement at the time. Managers that are not successful at their clubs and don’t win many matches (such as Paul Jewell at Derby recently- 11 league points all season,) can be called bad (or worse) managers. To some, it can be seen as fair comment after poor, disappointing season but it can also be seen as disparaging them in their profession which could lead to libel, court, suing etc. Use of innuendo (like references to World Wars and German bombers) when England have played Germany in World Cups and Euro Championships can also be damaging and leave a bad aftertaste. To avoid any libel problems, you should really check all the points in the copy and if one is not accurate or correct leave it out of the final piece. Also, lifting large sections of quotes from other media is not a wise thing to do-this can lead to trouble and may upset other journalists that you are making money off. You may have to work with these people in the future.

By Steve Billingham

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