Sports Writing

WORD CUP 2016

SUMMER CAMPUS JOURNALISM TRAINING
AND WORKSHOP OF CHAMPIONS
Ben Gines Jr.

SPORTS LEADS
SUMMARY LEAD
The Cleaveland Cavaliers (WHO) fired a
record-setting 25 three pointers as they (HOW)
pummeled the Atlanta Hawks 123-98 (WHAT) to
seize a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff
series (WHERE) on Wednesday (WHEN)

SPORTS LEADS
BEST PLAYER LEAD
Kevin Durant tied his career playoff high with 41
point as he led the Oaklahoma City Thunder to a
111-97 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on
Sunday that tied the NBA Western Conference
semifinals series at 2-2.

SPORTS LEADS
KEY PLAY LEAD
Joe Johnson (WHO) scored on a tough
fade-away with one second left to tie the
score in regulation and another jumper in
overtime (HOW) to lead the Brooklyn Nets
defeat the Phoenix Suns (WHAT) in the
National Basketball Association game
(WHERE) Sunday (WHEN).

SPORTS LEADS
BEST RUN LEAD
Never say die University of the East wiped
out a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to
snatch a 68-66 victory over La Salle and stay
alive in the race for a Final Four in the UAAP
Season 77 mens basketball tournament at the
Smart Araneta Coliseum, yesterday.

VERB VS ADJECTIVE
Pandiwa vs Panguri (verb vs adjective)
Halimbawa:

- Tumikada sina James Yap at Peter Jun Simon ng pumuputok na tres sa panimula
ng fourth quarter.
- Naglalagablab na palo ang iginanti ni ace striker Maryan Gonzales na tumapos sa
third set, 25-18, pabor sa Ateneo Lady Eagles.
Mas Akma:
- Pumutok ang opensa ni James Yap at Peter Jun Simon sa panimula ng fourth
quarter matapos kumunekta ng apat na sunod na tres
- Naglagablab ang third set sa mainit na opensa ng Lady Eagles sa pangunguna ni
ace striker Maryan Gonzales na magpakawala ng matutulis na hataw, 25-18

Tone down your vocabulary

Resist in digging deep into your well of
vocabulary
Ex. With his portentous butterfly stroke, he
stole the lead from Japan

Phelps bagged his 18th gold medal after

this ravishing swim off.

The game was stupendous

Dont Applaud
Youre a journalist, not a fan. So dont
applaud.
Ex. Good job guys for making it to the top!
Some journalists also forget that they are not
a fan and are prone to make some
congratulatory remarks at the end of their
stories.

These words can come in handy

Below is a list of words sportswriters substitute for defeat in
different situations. Pick those words that you believe are
inappropriate, can be used in close matches or in total dominance.
crush
wreck
trounce
bomb
surprise

rip
ruin
pummel
down
edge
upend
bury wallop
nail
rout
upset
rock
beat up

destroy
poke
devastate
beat
annihilate clobber
punch
put away

Bag, pocket, thwart, foil, rally, come-from-behind, strike, bested,

capture, formidable, determined, hard-fought

These words can come in handy

SYNONYMS OF WALLOP
bludgeon
drub
hammer
maul
paddle pummel
pound rough
thrash thump beat whip
tromp

SPORTS IDIOMS
Fired a record-setting/shattering (then followed
by stats)
Pummeled (the team) to seize the
advantage/lead/crown
Showcased their great scoring blitz
Displayed his brilliant ball-handling skills
Further sank their opponents hope
It seems they have lost their usual
poise/aplomb/composure/confidence

SPORTS IDIOMS

Live up to their top billing

Up against a crack field
Set the stage for a rout
Turned its fortune around
Achieved another milestone
Pulled off a gigantic/huge/biggest upset
Roared back to life/Stepped up their attack
Grope for form/Lapsed into a series of errors

SPORTS IDIOMS

Catapulted to the semifinals/finals/next round

Found his range/touch/rhythm
Prove steadier down the stretch
Saddled with foul trouble
Pounced on (team) early meltdown
Last-ditch rally fizzled out
Started out flat but came to life
Added another feather in its cap

SPORTS IDIOMS
FILIPINO
Nagtala ng bagong record (record breaking
feat)
Sumungkit ng panibagong karangalan (record
breaking)
iniuwi ang korona (lahat ng sports)
Winalis ang karibal (Chess, football or any
game that ends in a sweep)

SPORTS IDIOMS
Tinahak ang matarik na akyatan (Marathon,
cycling race)
Hindi nagpapigil sa pagatake (any sports)
Sinikwat ang titulo/kampeonato/huling
puwesto
Dinomina/Iniuwi/kinopo ang korona (any
sports)
Nabunutan ng tinik sa lalamunan

SPORTS NOVELTY
DJOKOVIC RIPS MURRAY FOR 29TH MASTERS WIN
MADRID A decade after their first match, when they
were a couple of promising teenagers, Novac
Djokovic defeated Andy Murray again in Madrid, this
time to win a record 29th career Masters title.

The top-ranked Djokovic defeated the secondranked Murray , 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the Madrid Open
final on Sunday, ten years after their rivalry started in
the round of 16 of the tournament in Spain.

SPORTS NOVELTY
Clippers' playoff epitaph is written in blood, but
they showed plenty of heart in loss to Portland
Liquid courage oozed from Austin Rivers' face
after a series he would rather forget ended in a
night he'll always remember.
There was the blood that seeped from cuts
above and below his left eye, the result of an
inadvertent elbow that smacked him midway
through the first quarter.

SPORTS NOVELTY
Noah Syndergaard, Mets hammer Dodgers into submission
Bound locks dangling down to his shoulders, blue eyes burning
beneath his cap, he looks like a character plucked from a Norse myth and
clothed with a New York Mets uniform. His fans call him Thor, and Noah
Syndergaard lives his gimmick. He is not a superhero. He merely resembles
one when he steps between the lines of a baseball diamond.
In a 4-3 defeat of the Dodgers on Wednesday night, Syndergaard stilled his
hosts with his arm and stunned them with his bat. He drove in four runs on a
pair of home runs, becoming the first pitcher in nearly a decade to go deep
twice in one night. As a sidebar to the offensive carnage, the right-hander
logged eight innings, struck out six and stymied any Dodgers momentum
created by Tuesday's walk-off victory.

SPORTS NOVELTY
CRAY RIPS PH MARK, BAGS SILVER
Eric Cray is getting better at what he does
best with the Rio De Janeiro Olympics just a few
months away.
The Filipino-American hurdler pocketed the
silver medal in the Seiko Golden Grand Prix at
the Todoroki Stadium in Kawaski, Japan, on
Sunday that reset his own national mark.

REVISE, EDIT AND POLISH

The search for emphatic and strong words should not be
done to sacrifice simple but appropriate words such as
win and defeat.

Ex. Using three consecutive punches, Nonito Donaire, a

slender man from the Philippines ravaged the defenseless
Jorge Arce, a fiery fellow from Mexico via knockout victory
held at Houston, Texas on December 15.
Banking on heavy punches and tricky strategy, Donaire
knocked down Arce three times in three rounds of action
on their tight match.

MODIFIER OVERLOAD
Overwhelming power of Thailand

Thailand exhibited an extra-ordinary skills

against China to clinched the victory in Volleyball
semifinals in Bangkok, Thailand yesterday.
At the start of the astonishing game, Thailand
disported a brain-sucking placing and electrifying strategies
and thats the key to break the defense of China.

They unleashed devastating explosive bomb shots.

REVISE, EDIT AND POLISH

Watch out for Exaggeration

Chris Lutz produced an MVP-like performance as he

unleashed fifteen points and six rebounds to help Petron
Blaze Boosters galvanized Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and
fashioning out a 96-86 squeaker in the Philippine Basketball
Association (PBA) Philippine Cup held at the sold out Smart
Araneta Coliseum on Nov. 14.
Chris Lutz produced 15 points and six rebounds to help
Petron Blaze Boosters beat Rain or Shine Elasto Painters 9686 in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum
yesterday. (also called best player lead)

REVISE, EDIT AND POLISH

It just took a very short time for the Filipino Flash
Nonito Donaire to work it all out as he scored two
knockdowns in the second round to tarnish the
Mexican boxer Jorge Arce and retain his World Boxing
Organization Super Bantamweight crown at the
Toyota Center in Houston, Texas yesterday.
Better: (After eliminating the verbal deadwood)
Nonito the Filipino Flash Donaire scored two
knockdowns in the second round to beat Jorge Arce
and retain his WBO Super Bantamweight crown at the
Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, yesterday.