📖 Introduction
You Know What Sports Writing Is. Now Let's Look Inside It.
Last chapter, you nailed the big rule.
Who won. What was the score. What happened.
And you learned the four values every sports writer lives by — accuracy, fairness, balance, and originality.
Good. Now let's go one level deeper.
Because a sports article isn't just one big block of writing. It has parts. Three of them. And each part has a job.
Miss one part — and the whole story feels off.
📄 The Three Parts
The Three Parts of Every Sports Article
Doesn't matter if it's five sentences or fifteen. Every sports article has the same three parts.
Part 1
The Lead
Your opening sentence. It hits the biggest fact first — who won and what was the score. Think of it as the first thing you'd shout to your friend across the hallway.
"San Isidro won! 25 to 21! Super close!" — That's a lead.
Part 2
The Body
The middle section — the longest part. This is where you tell the whole story: what happened early, the turning point, who stepped up, the key moments. Everything interesting goes here.
Play-by-play, stats, quotes, player highlights — it all lives here.
Part 3
The Ending
Wraps the story up. Short. Clean. Done. It reminds the reader one last time who won — and sometimes what the result means for the team.
One rule: never add new information. The story is told. You're just closing the door.
The ending rule — never forget it! Never add new information in the ending. The story is already told. You're just closing the door cleanly on everything that came before.
🧱 The Six Elements
What Fills the Three Parts?
Three parts. But what fills them? Six things. These are called elements — the building blocks that make a sports article complete.
Element 1
Quotes
The exact words a player or coach said, placed inside quotation marks. Quotes make the story feel real — they let players tell the story in their own words.
"We trained hard for this," said Ziah.
⚠️ A quote must always be the speaker's exact words. Never change them. Never make them up.
Element 2
Statistics
Numbers that show how someone performed — points, goals, rebounds, saves, assists. Numbers prove your story. Always use them when you can.
Ziah scored 12 attack points. Hanna added nine digs.
Element 3
Play-by-Play
Describing specific moments from the game — in the order they happened. You're walking the reader through the game, moment by moment.
Rizal Central led by two points heading into the final set. Then Hanna served three straight aces to flip the game.
Element 4
Historical Background
A fact from the past that makes the current story more meaningful. One sentence about history can make a win feel ten times bigger.
San Isidro hadn't won the volleyball title in three years.
Element 5
Player Performance
What one specific player did during the game. Not just "played well." The actual details. Name. Action. Numbers. That's the formula.
Ziah led all scorers with 12 attack points and two crucial blocks in the final set.
Element 6
Team Effort
What the whole team did together — not just one player. Zoom out. Show the bigger picture of how the team performed as a unit.
San Isidro's defense held Rizal Central to just three points in the deciding set.
🔗 Attribution
Where Do Your Facts Come From? Attribution.
Every fact in your article needs a source — the person or record it came from. Attribution — giving credit to where a fact came from — is what makes your article trustworthy and accurate. Most beginners skip this completely. Don't.
📣 Attributing Quotes — Always name the speaker right after the quote.
✅ "We trained hard for this," said Ziah.
✅ "The girls never panicked," said coach Dela Cruz.
📊 Attributing Statistics — When you use a number, say where it came from.
✅ Ziah finished with 12 attack points, according to the official scoresheet.
✅ Based on tournament records, it was San Isidro's highest-scoring performance of the year.
🎤 Attributing Facts — If you learned something from an interview, say so.
✅ Coach Dela Cruz said the team had practiced the play all week.
Attribution is protection. If someone challenges a fact — you can say exactly where it came from. It's not just good journalism. It's how you prove your story is real.
📊 Quick Recap
Parts at a Glance
| Part | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Lead | Opens the story. Gives the result first. |
| Body | Tells everything that happened. |
| Ending | Wraps it up cleanly. No new info. |
Elements at a Glance
| Element | What It Adds |
|---|---|
| Quote | Real words from a player or coach |
| Statistics | Numbers that prove the story |
| Play-by-Play | The game's key moments in order |
| Historical Background | A past fact that adds meaning |
| Player Performance | What one player specifically did |
| Team Effort | What the whole team did together |
The Full Recipe
Lead
+
Body (6 Elements)
+
Ending
=
🗞️ Complete Article
Use all six elements + proper attribution = the complete, trustworthy sports story every time.
✏️ Practice Time
Apply what you learned. Work through the activities below step by step.
1
Label the Parts! Read the article — then identify each section as Lead, Body, or Ending.
Read the three sections of the sports article below. For each section, click the correct label — Lead, Body, or Ending. Then click Check to see if you got it right.
Sections labeled:
🗞️ San Isidro Elementary Wins Volleyball Crown, 25–21
San Isidro Elementary captured the intramurals volleyball championship by defeating Rizal Central School, 25–21, in a tense deciding set on Friday afternoon.
Rizal Central controlled the first two sets, but San Isidro slowly took over in the third. Ziah powered the champions with 12 attack points and two crucial blocks late in the match. Hanna anchored the defense with nine digs and three straight service aces that turned the game around. "We knew they were going to fight back," said coach Dela Cruz. "But our girls never panicked." San Isidro had not won the volleyball title in three years before Friday's victory.
With the win, San Isidro Elementary claimed its first volleyball championship since 2022 and closed the intramurals without a single loss.
2
Use the Elements Write a sports story using all four facts provided below.
Use the four items below to write a sports story of 4 to 6 sentences. Write each element as its own sentence first — then connect them into a short paragraph with a lead on top.
📌 Here's What You Have to Work With
Game Facts
Quote:"This win is for everyone who believed in us," said James, team captain of Mapagmahal Elementary.
Statistic:James scored 28 points — the highest of any player in this year's intramurals, according to official tournament records.
Play-by-Play:With one minute left, James stole the ball and drove the length of the court for the go-ahead layup.
Historical Background:Mapagmahal Elementary had never won the basketball championship in its 12-year history.
📎 Sample Answer (use as a guide — not a copy)
✅ Sample
Mapagmahal Elementary defeated San Pedro Central, 67–63, in a historic basketball final on Thursday. James led his team with 28 points — the highest individual total of this year's intramurals, according to official tournament records. With one minute left, he stole the ball and drove coast to coast for the go-ahead layup that sealed the win. "This win is for everyone who believed in us," said James after the game. It was Mapagmahal Elementary's first basketball championship in its 12-year history.
Step 1: Write Each Element as One Sentence
💬 Quote Sentence
📊 Statistic Sentence
🎬 Play-by-Play Sentence
📜 Historical Background Sentence
Step 2: Connect All Four into a Full Paragraph
🔍 Self-Check Guide
| What to Check | Done ✅ | Try Again 🔄 |
|---|---|---|
| I included the quote with quotation marks and attribution | ☐ | ☐ |
| I used the statistic with a source | ☐ | ☐ |
| I described the play-by-play moment | ☐ | ☐ |
| I included the historical background fact | ☐ | ☐ |
| I used past tense throughout | ☐ | ☐ |
📊 Simple Rubric
5/5
All six elements are working for you. You're already writing like a journalist! 🗞️
3–4
Almost. Find what's missing and add it.
1–2
Go back to the elements and try again. Use the sample as a guide.
Answers for writing activities will be different for each student. Use the rubric to check your work or ask your teacher for help.
🧠 True or False Blitz
Read each statement. Tap TRUE or FALSE. Move fast — it's a blitz!
0/5
Score
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