Moises Molina

Writing 2
14 October 2015
How Many Ways Can you Talk about Pigskin?
Sunday, more commonly known as NFL SUNDAY for football fans, is filled
with heartbreaks, cheers, pizza, wings, face painting, and endless trash talking. But what
do you do if you missed the game? There are many ways one can get updated on the
games because of their high popularity. So whether its to try and gain some fantasy
football points, learn about your team's standing, or participate in some friendly trash
talk, there are many sources one can go to get updated on a game. ESPN, Sports
Illustrated, and USA Today in their articles for the Browns vs. Ravens game are effective
at producing a post-game reviews because they use many of the previously used and
successful conventions as a guide to creating their articles. Similarities in conventions
such as title, statistics, and depth of analysis between the three articles prove they are part
of the same genre: post-game reviews.
When reading a post-game review, or any piece of writing, the first thing that
catches the readers eye is the title. Sports networks such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and
USA Today all manipulate their titles to catch readers interest. In one of the most
entertaining games of Week 5, the Browns win in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens.
So in order to make the article stand out to readers the author Pat McManamon for ESPN
chooses to title the post game article Josh McCowns record game helps Browns beat
Ravens in OT. Similarly, the Sports Illustrated article chooses to include overtime and
titled it, Coons' FG in OT gives Browns 33-30 win over Ravens. If one characteristic

was clear, each title found something unique in the game and found a way to put it in the
title whether it is a record being broken, an injury, an ESPN top 10 play, or simply a
blowout, each title found a way to catch the reader's eye. Both articles decide to include
overtime in their title to appeal to the readers, which proves that conventions and genres
develop because of their success in the past (Dirk) and so with more than one source
using overtime in the title it is fair to say this convention has been successful in the past
and so it is constantly repeated.
Another notable convention of a post game online article is the use of statistics of
the game and sometimes even previous games to analyze a player or teams performance.
For example, the ESPN article by McManamon declares, McCown has thrown for 300
yards in each of his past startsright now he is the most dependable productive player on
the Browns defense. Rather than simply stating that McCown was the best player on the
offense, which could be arguable, he decides to use some statistics from not only this
record breaking game, but also the last three games.
USA Today also chose to note McCowns performance using statistics, albeit
different ones, stating, McCown completed 36 of 51 passes with two touchdowns and
broke the team record of 444 yards passing. Both sources choose to include different
statistics and records of the game to claim that Josh McCown is having an unbelievable
season and is productive and dependent. The reason for the statistics in these reviews
is to give readers concrete evidence to back up their claims. The audience of sportsrelated literature is also a factor when authors decide what to include in their writing.
Since the audience of post-game reviews is most likely to be people who closely follow

sports, they would be more interested in the technical aspects of football games and
players, so authors include statistics to appeal to this audience.
ESPN gave an overview of the game by presenting key plays and using it as a
prediction for future games, but Sports Illustrated and USA Today used a much different
approach that could be seen as more similar to the live game experience. The article
details key plays that decided the game; for example, A personal foul against Donte
Whitner on a third-and-6 incompletion led to a 32-yard pass from Flacco to Forsett,
which was clearly important because that penalty essentially lost the Browns a whole
possession which could have changed the outcome of the game. Sports Illustrated did this
with the six key plays that most people would agree to be game-changing penalties,
plays, or decisions. USA Today also used some of these key plays. One key play it
detailed was when McCown connected with Isaiah Crowell on a 22-yard touchdown
pass with 3:03 remaining, and the 2-point conversion left the Ravens needing a field goal
to tie, which showed the intensity of the final second of the game by describing a late
game touchdown by the Browns with three minutes left. The use of this play-by-play
description is a different convention used to describe the overview of the game. This
approach definitely appeals to readers that want more than just end game statistics and
more of as if I was watching it on TV feel.
Sports Illustrated and USA Todays articles include specific game-changing plays
to make them effective, while ESPN chooses not to include that convention and still
remains a reputable post-game online review source. So how is it that ESPN stills
remains reputable? Well, genre is often misunderstood for form and writing in a
particular genre [is] seen as simply a matter of filling in the blanks. However, this is not

true; each source has the freedom to manipulate the conventions they use to create a
unique review and attract readers. As Kerry Dirk wrote, two texts that might fit into the
same genre might also look extremely different. An example of a unique convention
ESPN uses that the others do not would be the choice to label sections in the articles
titled, What it means, A reason to be excited, and Fantasy Watch. The use of this
different format by ESPN is unique from the other two sources, showing how one source
can still be unique and not simply fill in the blanks. Instead, it continues to fit under the
same genre while adding a touch of SportsCenter in its article, ultimately allowing it to
stand out.
Essentially, we know differences exist, but for each source to be credible there
needs to exist a variety of conventions that fit the online post-game review genre in order
for one to produce an effective review. It is important as a writer to produce an effective
piece using these conventions to fit the expectations of the probable audience. Within the
genre online post game sports reviews, articles are different in the way they choose to
write about the Sunday Night Football Game, Browns vs. Ravens, but they still (in their
unique way) effectively produce a great game review.

Works Cited
Ap. "Ravens Fall in OT 33-30 to Browns, Dropping to 1-4." USA Today. Gannett, 11 Oct.
2015.

W Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

"Coons' FG in OT Gives Browns 33-30 Win over Ravens." SI.com. Sports Illustrated, 11
Oct. 20 2015. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.
Dirk, Kerry. "Navigating Genres." Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. By Charles
Lowe and Pa Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 1. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor, 2010. N. pag. Print.
McManamon, Pat. "Josh McCown's Record Game Helps Browns Beat Ravens in OT."
ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 11 Oct. 2015. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.