The two keys to success as a sportswriter are: 1) A blind…
““The two keys to success as a sportswriter are: 1) A blind willingness to believe anything you're told by the coaches, flacks, hustlers and other "official spokesmen" for the team-owners who provide the free booze ... and: 2) A Roget's Thesaurus, in order to avoid using the same verbs and adjectives twice in the same paragraph. Even a sports editor, for instance, might notice something wrong with a lead that said: "The precision-jack-hammer attack of the Miami Dolphins stomped the balls off the Washington Redskins today by stomping and hammering with one precise jack-thrust after another up the middle, mixed with pinpoint-precision passes into the flat and numerous hammer-jack stomps around both ends…””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Success in sportswriting relies on gullibility toward official narratives and a rich vocabulary to avoid repetition.
In simple terms: Believe sources and use varied language.
Key Takeaway
Balance trust with creative expression.
Themes
journalism
sports
language
creativity
Mood
cynical
playful
Type
satirical
instructional
When to use this quote
- reporting a sports events
- editing articles
- media criticism
Key Concepts
credibility
lexicon
writing style
Questions to Reflect On
- How can writers verify information without bias?
- What strategies keep prose fresh?
A Different Perspective
Over‑reliance on sources can compromise truth.