Oakland University
College of Arts and Sciences
Communications and Journalism Department
Sports writing 314 • Winter 2012
Updated 1.12.2012
Class schedule: Thursdays, 6:30-9:50 p.m.
Room: 105 Vandenberg Hall
Instructor: Joanne C. Gerstner
Contact info
Phone: 586.779.0317
Email: gerstner@oakland.edu
Office hours: meetings available upon request.
Required Reading
- AP Stylebook (most should already have one from previous classes)
- A Season on the Brink, John Feinstein (2011 version)
- Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger
- Daily newspapers, websites, TV/radio, Twitter, Facebook
Overview
Students will learn techniques, tips and tricks to be a modern sports print journalist,
able to successfully handle several modalities of stories under deadlines. Online
sports journalism will also be a large emphasis, along with traditional print
(newspaper, magazine) coverage.
Goals
• Understanding of the terms, types of stories in sports journalism. Working
understanding of the rules, terminology of sports.
• Understanding of print and online forms of sports journalism.
• Being able to have the skills to work successfully as sports journalist.
• Being exposed to the different jobs in sports media and the skill-sets required.
Requirements
1. This class is like the real world. Show up. Be on time. Be ready to go.
2. Excuses are lame. Be accountable. Do your work to the best of your ability. If
something is troubling you, please see me privately so we can discuss it.
3. Be a consumer of media. You need to know what is going on in the world.
Read newspapers, blogs, Twitter, watch TV, listen to radio.
4. Respect for all in the classroom and outside of it on the field trip is
mandatory. Diversity is always encouraged and welcomed in all forms.
5. Use AP style consistently. Avoid factual errors. Check and re-check names.
6. There is a strict no tolerance policy for plagiarism, cheating or other forms of
academic or intellectual fraud. Violators will be held to OU’s honor code.
7. All devices, such as cellular phones, iPads, smart phones, etc. will be turned
off during class out of respect to the learning environment. Computers will be
used for classwork only. No Facebook, IM’ing, YouTube, buying rare Steve
Yzerman rookie cards on eBay is allowed.
8. Check my website, www.joannecgerstner, weekly for new readings and stuff.
9. Be responsible for what you report and write. Errors, no matter how
innocent, destroy your credibility and harm your reputation.
10. I will be checking up on Twitter, beat logs, etc. So don’t get lazy. You never
know when or where I am lurking. 
Grading system
Class participation/attendance: 100 points (can earn up to 50 additional points
for exceptional class contributions)
Quizzes/in-class assignments/beat files: 150 points (50 each)
Midterm exam: 200 points
Final Paper: 300 points
Grading Scale:
770-800 points (3.6-4.0)
740-769 (3.0-3.5)
710-239 (2.0-2.9)
less than 710 points (1.0-1.9)
Who am I?
I’ve been an award-winning sports journalist for nearly 20 years, with my writing
and editing work appearing regularly in the New York Times, Detroit News,
NPR.com, USA Today and ESPN.com. I have covered two Olympics (Sydney and
Beijing), three World Cups, the World Series, Ryder Cup, U.S. Open (tennis), Stanley
Cup, NBA Finals, NCAA Finals, the Super Bowl, the Pistons, Lions, Tigers and Red
Wings, Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State football and basketball. I have four
sports children’s books currently in print. I received my Bachelor’s degree from
Oakland University and my Master’s degree from Northwestern University. And yes,
I worked at the Oakland Post during the dark ages. 
Important things to remember:
Grades are based on the final product, not the amount of time or effort put into
assignments. Listed below are measures used for evaluating student story
assignments and computing a final grade.
For example, if a story assignment is worth 10 points, the grade will be assigned as
follows:
• 10 points (4.0): Story could be published virtually as is. Shows superior command
of the facts, news judgment, story organization, reporting and writing.
• 9 points (3.6): Could be published with very minor revisions. Generally wellwritten, accurate copy containing all relevant information, but some editing is
necessary for maximum precision and clarity.
• 8 points (3.0): Better-than-average story. Handled assignment well. Copy needs
additional rewriting and polishing before it could be published.
• 7 points (2.0): Average job. Not a story most in the audience would read unless
they really needed the information. Some basic reporting, organization or writing
problems.
• 6 points (1.0): A poor story. Lacks news judgment. Lacks fundamental reporting
and writing skills. Omission of important facts. Needs substantial rethinking.
• Anything lower than 6 (0.0): Story is late or failed to receive professor’s approval.
Story is misleading or lacks any news judgment. Organization or writing flaws that
make the story incoherent.
Question to ask yourself before turning something in:
(adapted from the School of Journalism at Indiana University)
- Does the story have a clear focus or theme that holds it together?
- Does the lead reflect the story theme in a clear, creative way?
- Does the story include appropriate multiple sources for fairness?
- Will your reader have no basic factual questions left unanswered after reading the
story?
- Has the writer attributed information in the story to sources?
- Have you tailored the story to its intended audience?
- Is the story well organized? Is it developed logically?
- Does each paragraph develop a single idea?
- Is the information accurate? Have you double-checked all the facts?
- Have you corrected for spelling, grammar and punctuation, and triple-checked the
spelling of all proper names?
- Is the writing clear and concise?
- A major error, such as misspelling a name, or a significant factual error, will
automatically result in a grade of 0 on an assignment.
Remember, mastery of grammar, spelling and AP style is critical. All such errors in
stories will result in deductions, beginning with the first.
Class schedule
January 5, 2012
First class
• syllabus/class expectations covered
• what is sports writing?
• examination of the origins of sports writing, the people and traditions
• assignment of beats, and discussion on how to maintain beat files.
Homework for Jan. 12: start reading Friday Night Lights, chapters 1-3; get to know
your beat, start file.
Beat files: establishing a Twitter handle for class use only, posting to it twice per
week; having three websites (or more) you’d check for news; and any clips you find
in newspapers or magazines.
January 12, 2012
• review of beat files, see where everybody is at.
• Learning the basics: the gamer, runner, write-through, notebook, feature,
column, blog and Tweets. Please go to my website: joannecgerstner.com to look at
examples of everything in class. Print out what you need on your own time.
• Reading play-by-play and stats. Know thy abbreviations.
Homework for Jan 19: Read Friday Night Lights, Chapters 4-6; maintain beat file.
January 19, 2012
• Review of beat files.
• Discussion of the rules of the game. You can’t write what you don’t know.
• How to act professionally in the field.
• In-class assignment.
Homework for Jan. 26: Read Friday Night Lights, Chapters 7-10; maintain beat file,
come to next class prepared to report.
January 26, 2012
 Class field trip: Oakland men’s basketball game, South Dakota State, at
O’Rena, game at 7. We leave promptly at 6:35 to walk over together. We will
be watching the game as if we are reporters and attend the post-game press
conference. PLEASE BE ON TIME TO CLASS.
Homework for Feb. 2: Read Friday Night Lights, Chapters 11-13; maintain beat file;
500-word game story due on OU basketball game at the start of next class.
February 2, 2012
• In-class guest: Angelique Chengelis of the Detroit News. She covers the
Michigan football program, auto racing and does features.
• Review of beat files
• Crime reporting 101 for sports writers
(and yes, you’re going to need this, really)
• Other legal stuff you need to know, libel, slander, and other fun stuff that
can drag you into court.
• in-class assignment.
Homework for Feb. 9: Read Friday Night Lights, Chapters 14-16, epilogue and
afterward; maintain beat file.
February 9, 2012
• Ouch 101: writing well about injuries when you’ve only watched Grey’s
Anatomy.
• Review for Midterm, questions/answers?
• Beat file checks.
Homework for Feb. 16: study for Midterm exam; maintain beat file.
February 16, 2012
MIDTERM EXAM.
February 23, 2012
NO CLASS – OU WINTER BREAK
March 2, 2012
• Them vs. Us. Teams are increasingly wanting to be reporters/news outlets
themselves. Who do you trust?
• Guest speaker: Michael Happy, Managing Editor, FoxSportsDetroit.com
Homework for March 9: start reading Season on the Brink; continue beat file;
bring in two examples of what you consider to be reliable sports media, and two
that are not.
March 9, 2012
• Newsgathering techniques. How do you get what you need?
• What is reliable information, and what is not?
• In-class assignment
Homework for March 16: read Season on the Brink, Chapters 3-5; maintain beat
file.
March 16, 2012
• Sports interviewing. Can be challenging dealing with emotional people on a
tight deadline. How do you win the game. How to get people to open up and trust
you. And when is off the record really on the record?
• Discussion of sports features, why they define the good sports writers from
the average.
• quiz on AP style/sports terms.
Homework for March 23: conceptualize/develop three feature story ideas for your
final paper; read Season on the Brink; maintain beat file.
March 23, 2012
• Story ideas for final paper to be discussed and MUST BE APPROVED
BEFORE YOU CAN GO AHEAD.
• discussion of what makes a good feature.
• construction of features, thinking of scene-setters.
• In-class assignment.
Homework for March 30: Read and finish Season on Brink Chapters 10-13;
maintain beat file; start working on feature – schedule interviews and do research
on topic.
March 30, 2012
• discussion on Season on the Brink – essay quiz on the book.
• Discussion of features, progress, issues, questions.
• How to write with emotion, clarity. Tips and tricks.
Homework for April 5: Finish Season on the Brink; final updates to beat file; start
working on writing your draft for the feature.
April 5, 2012
• End of beat file. Discuss what went right, what you learned.
• class time devoted to working on paper, discussing structure, transitions,
which quotes to use, how to know you’re on the right track.
Homework for April 12: write rough draft of final feature piece – get it as close as
can to being complete.
April 12, 2012
• Peer editing session, and also one on ones with instructor to review your
final draft. This is your opportunity to work all the kinks out and get it right. TAKE
ADVANTAGE!!!!!!
Homework for April 19: FINAL PAPER DUE!!!!!!!!!
April 19, 2012
FINAL PAPER DUE, by 7 p.m., via email.
2,000 words. No more. No less.
Do not be late. No exceptions.