Field Guide to Covering Sports. Joe Gisondi

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       ▸ Follow up. Let’s say a tennis player tells you she served well. You might ask follow-up questions like these: What about the serves felt particularly good? Had she been concerned about serves before the match? If a player says her opponent played better, ask for details. She played better in what way? With returns, footwork, serves? Whatever answer she gives, follow up by asking for more information on that specific area.

       ▸ Then follow up some more. Coaches say their pitchers threw perfectly, their runners were fatigued, and their team was stale. What do all these adjectives mean? Did the pitcher mix it up better by throwing more off-speed pitches on 1–2 counts? Check with the catcher as well. Were the cross-country runners tired because several were up late with an illness or because they ran three races in 10 days? Find out the reasons behind the statements. Follow-up questions usually yield more specific information and interesting stories. You won’t be far into your sports-writing career before you’ll read or see in another journalist’s story a great detail missing from yours. If you ask the source why he didn’t tell you that, here’s the answer you’ll almost always get: “Because you didn’t ask.”

       ▸ Speak with opposing teams. A forward can discuss the play of a goalie. A midfielder can assess the play of an opposing forward or midfielder. How does the other team’s linebacker rate this team’s running back? How nasty is your school’s softball pitcher’s riser? Get these other points of view.

       ▸ Ask sources to define unfamiliar terms. If you don’t know what Fartlek training is, ask the cross-country coach to explain. If you don’t know what a nickel package is, ask the football coach. They may appreciate that you want to understand the topic in more detail—and you’ll be spared the embarrassment of having an error turn up under your byline. Of course, the more research you do in advance, the less likely you’ll have to bother an interviewee with basic questions.

       ▸ Check and recheck. You’re not a stenographer, mindlessly scribbling down whatever anybody says. Question anything that is unclear, unfamiliar, or unverified. Start with the basics, like the spelling of names. John or Jon? Sarah or Sara? Before the game starts, ask team managers or assistant coaches to review the program to ensure names are spelled correctly. Often, particularly at high school and youth sports events, they are not.

       ▸ Play fair. If someone makes an accusation about another player or coach, go directly to that other person to get a response. People should get the opportunity to defend themselves—immediately, not days later.

       ▸ Build trust. If someone tells you in advance that a statement is off the record and you agree, keep your word. Don’t report it. Ever. Even if someone doesn’t stop to say “off the record,” you don’t have to report every foul-mouthed comment made by frustrated coaches or players after a game. Allow athletes who’ve just spent hours competing to have their cathartic moments. Usually these don’t have real news value anyway. In time, if you show judgment and discretion, coaches will trust you more, knowing they can speak more candidly about more important issues.

       ▸ Talk with people in person. Kate Harman, who writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer’s @RallyPhilly high school sports section, prefers to sit and talk with people featured in longer pieces for at least 20 to 30 minutes. She doesn’t like to interview through text messaging.

       ▸ Balance the usual with the unusual. Every team has go-to sources, players, or coaches who are usually ready with a lively quote or colorful sound bite. When you’re pressed for time and desperate for info, it’s important to know who these people are. But look, too, for the quiet types, the ones who analyze intelligently but need more encouragement to speak. The best players are not always the best talkers.

       ▸ “We are extremely eager to get back at them, to avenge our first loss of the season.” What specifically about the loss has upset this person? Teams lose all the time, so why does a loss need to be “avenged”?

       ▸ “We have a lot of chemistry,” she said. “One would think it would have been difficult to develop with more new players than returning players on the team. But I actually think it’s turned out better. We all get along great and are definitely ready to start the season. We have a lot of confidence.” Ask for examples that reveal this chemistry. In what ways are the players getting along? Ask for a story or two about specific players or plays.

       ▸ “My bat isn’t as hot as it was a couple weeks ago, but I’m just focusing on staying consistent day in and day out. If I keep bringing energy every day, I think it will only [help] continue my success.” How is this baseball player trying to stay focused? Is he doing yoga or reading hitting tips from Yogi Berra? Is this player taking an extra 30 minutes or 100 pitches each day? Ask for the details.

       ▸ “I think it’s going to give us some good momentum going into conference.” This is as clichéd as it gets; the person is saying nothing. How does a victory or good performance help a team in its next game? Is this team now confident it can rally from behind in the fourth quarter? Did a point guard start making some tough passes inside? Ask for particular details so people can understand how this one game might assist the team in the future.