Competition Story Blog Directions: 1. For this assignment, you will read at least three sport blogs on professional or college team websites. Include the URL for these three sites at the end of your paper. These are not for you to copy but for you to get examples of how to write a sport blog.

2. You will assume the role of a professional working in a sports athletic department or public relations department for your favorite team. You work with the sports information director who has asked you to develop a competition story blog that will be released on your team's website. Each student will develop one blog. You may attend a game of your choice in person or watch the game on TV. Word Count: 500-600 words Note that competition stories provide an avenue for the sport public relations professional to deliver the results of a competition in the most positive manner possible. Always emphasize the positive aspects of competitions even if you lose (Stoldt, Dittmore, & Branvold, 2012). Remember to develop a headline for your blog. Develop a good lead paragraph and then use the inverted pyramid writing style for the body of your blog (see below). They do not need to be lengthy but should be long enough to explain the facts of what happened, provide some details of key moments or plays, and quote key participants or coaches. It is a good idea to update any records which may have been set along with individual or team win-loss records. An effective way to close is by previewing what is ahead for the team. They are written immediately after the competition. Finally, don't forget to consider who, what, where, when, why and how (i.e. five W's and one H). Categories of Leads (Anderson as cited in Pedersen et al., 2007) -Summary sport leads present the most important information within the first paragraph -Narrative sport leads provide a picture of the scene for the reader -Descriptive sports leads put the reader into the action immediately -Contrast or comparison sports leads establish relationships among news angles, issues, or timeframes -Background sport leads give a little background information before developing the story -Staccato sport leads provide short bursts of information -Direct address sport leads put the reader in the lead -Question sport leads pose a question - Quotation sport leads begin with a quote captures the general idea of the story -Literary sport leads refer to literature Grading criteria Quality of the writing (grammar, spelling, punctuation, flow, no plagiarism) Relevance: information is relevant if it relates to the subject under investigation. Accuracy: information is accurate if it is factually correct Clarity: information is clear if it is well written Brevity: information is brief if it is succinct and to-the-point Depth/detail: information is detailed if sufficient information is provided to give the reader a clear understanding of the subject matter.