Sports journalism textbook

I teach a spring semester college class in sports reporting. I have used the AP Sports Writing Handbook as my text in past years, but the examples are becoming too dated for college-age students (McGwire? Sosa? Andro? What was that about?)

I would appreciate any ideas for a new textbook. Thanks in advance.

 

Not a sports journalism "how-to" textbook per se, but this anthology has numerous examples of great journalism and feature writing, some of it about sports:

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fact-Historical-Anthology-Journalism/dp/0684846306

 

Not sure about this year, but why don't you and me get together at some point and write our own text book that we could have published and used not only in your class, but across the country? Then like a lot of other profs, you make extra cash on the side for each book sold for your class and by other schools.

 

What about Strunk and White's Elements of Style?

 

While I applaud your initiative to find current material — and love the idea of writing a text (can I get a cut?) — if references to McGwire and Sosa are really over anyone's heads, I'd have to wonder what they're doing in a sports reporting class.

 

Mr Canuck,

You can ask that question of most in any journalism class. Knowledge of current events never mind past ones ...

I'm guessing but based on my experience ... The kids who want to get into the field will know McG and Sosa but administrators realize that's probably 20 percent of your class and course material is targeted at the median or slightly below. You have to teach sports-j to people who'll end up in corporate pr or something along those lines. Effectively you're not teaching sports-j (or any other specific j discipline) to people who aspire to do it but rather to those who might learn some broader lessons that they can apply elsewhere. Not saying it's right, just saying it's so.

YHS, etc

 

In my class this semester, we're using Field Guide to Covering Sports by Joe Gisondi. It's a small spiral-bound book with chapters on covering pretty much every sport you can think of. And it costs $24.95, a bunch less than other textbooks I explored before choosing this one.

 

Moddy brought up a great point on another thread.

Are you just teaching about straight gamers and features? Or are you adding new mediums (internet, video) to your curriculum as well?

 

It's nearly a decade old now, but certain advice never stops being timely. And I would take this man's advice on anything journalism-related. And on just about anything else, for that matter, apart perhaps from tips on eyebrow control.

http://www.amazon.com/Sportswriting-Lively-Conrad-C-Fink/dp/0813822467

 

Give them a textbook for another major.

 

I still say a group of us work together to do an SportsJournalists.com sports journalism textbook.

We make it modern with a chapter on web-based reporting (blogs, twitter, ect.).

Who wants in on this project? With the we>, we can work on it over email and regional in-person meetings.

 

I'd have them read: Pond scum and Vultures, Red Smith's autobiography and a collection of work by Dan Jenkins or Frank DeFord.