Sports news often requires a more concrete, factual approach to reporting. Readers expect to be provided with a wide range of information, from a player’s average number of goals scored per game to the winners of a track meet.
A strong lead is the key to a successful sports article. It should grab readers’ attention by creating an interesting scene or using a quote.
CBS Sports
CBS Sports, the sports division of CBS Corporation, is responsible for the broadcasting and production of the National Football League (NFL), Southeastern Conference (SEC) football, NCAA Division I college basketball and men’s and women’s baseball and other college sports. The network also holds the rights to PGA Tour golf and UEFA Champions League soccer. Its studio shows are produced at the CBS Broadcast Center in Midtown Manhattan, and most of its live events are televised from the Chelsea Piers in New York City.
The network’s collegiate sports coverage includes every major college conference, and the channel also carries the rights to Mountain West, Atlantic 10 and Conference USA football, as well as Army-Navy, Cure and Arizona bowl games. Its college sports coverage also includes a variety of other sports, including lacrosse and hockey. Its college sports talk shows include The Jim Rome Show, Boomer and Gio, We Need to Talk and Tiki and Tierney. It also carries the exclusive television rights to the NFL Draft. Its digital offerings include the CBS Sports app and March Madness on Demand.
ESPN
ESPN is the world’s premier sports media network. Its critically acclaimed documentary series 30 for 30 tells stories about inspirational and unique people in sports history. Its daily studio shows provide commentary and analysis on a wide variety of sports. Popular programs include Pardon the Interruption and In the Crease.
In addition to regular studio shows, ESPN also broadcasts live sporting events. The company’s flagship news program, SportsCenter, airs on most days and features a rotating cast of commentators. It is available on cable and satellite television providers. It also has a mobile application that provides breaking sports news and information.
The cable network’s first big step came when it signed large contracts with the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball. It later expanded its coverage to other major sports events, including college football and basketball. In 1984, the company was sold to ABC, Inc., which allowed it to compete with major networks in signing big sports event rights.
ESPNews is the overflow channel for ESPN and ESPN2. The channel formerly featured an enhanced BottomLine ticker that was more in-depth than the one used on the other ESPN channels. It also simulcasted ESPN Deportes’ coverage of the 2018 Supercopa de Espana. It is now simulcast with the standard BottomLine ticker and screen presentation of ESPN’s other channels.
The New York Times
The New York Times is one of the most famous newspapers in the world, and for good reason. It has won 112 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization in history. The newspaper was founded in 1851 and continues to be published daily. Its founders eschewed sensationalism and wrote the paper to appeal to a cultured, intellectual audience. They coined the famous slogan “All the news that’s fit to print.” In the early 1900s, Adolph Simon Ochs bought the Times and turned it into a worldwide powerhouse. He hired top-flight writers, emphasized reporting and research over editorial opinions, eliminated fiction, kept its eight-column format when most papers went to six, introduced color photography, and began to expand to international markets.
In the modern era, the newspaper’s reputation has been tarnished several times by political controversy. For example, a New York Times editorial criticized Sarah Palin and was later sued by the former Alaska governor. In response, the newspaper’s top editor accepted full responsibility for the article and apologized to the public.
The newspaper’s current publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, has tried to preserve the paper’s integrity by emphasizing the importance of ethics and quality journalism. He has also taken steps to adapt the newspaper for the digital age, including limiting free content and charging for online subscriptions. The New York Times has an AllSides Media Bias Rating of Left, which means that it leans toward liberal or progressive thought and/or policy agendas.
Sports Illustrated
For decades, Sports Illustrated was a defining part of America’s sporting culture. Millions of readers eagerly awaited the biweekly issue to tell them what happened in the sports world. It was like the Rolex of magazines, and an event wasn’t really a sports story until it had been ratified in SI.
But it was only a matter of time before the magazine was eclipsed by the exploding popularity of ESPN and digital news. SI has never been the same since, but it still has an important role to play. If it can find a new owner that understands this, it will remain an essential part of the sports media landscape.
In the early days of the magazine, its stories ranged from puff pieces on the Duke of Edinburgh to a piece on poison ivy written by a doctor who speculated that the plant’s leaves might make an excellent salad dressing. But when Luce’s successor, seasoned reporter Andre Laguerre, took over as managing editor in 1960, the focus began to shift toward large-scale spectator sports such as football, which were becoming incredibly popular thanks to television coverage.
Laguerre also introduced the swimsuit issue, which is still one of the best-selling issues of the magazine to this day. But he also emphasized the importance of superior writing and storytelling, which has become the hallmark of SI’s reputation. This legacy endures today with long-form articles in the magazine and short-from, snackable content on The Spun and the roughly 120 fan-centric FanNation sites.
