--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're a sportswriter, you learn how…" description: "\"When you're a sportswriter, you learn how to use your imagination and to flex your literary muscle, because it's the same game played over and over aga..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/rick-bragg-12837_drag_when-you-re-a-sportswriter-you-learn-how_798450.jpg" --- # When you're a sportswriter, you learn how to use your… ![“When you're a sportswriter, you learn how to use your imagination and to flex your literary muscle, because it's the same game played over and over again. There's nothing unique or marvelous. It's not an earthquake, or a weird mass murder. It's just the same old game played over and over, and you…” quote by Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/rick-bragg-12837_drag_when-you-re-a-sportswriter-you-learn-how_798450.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/rick-bragg-12837_drag_when-you-re-a-sportswriter-you-learn-how_798450.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/rick-bragg-12837_drag_when-you-re-a-sportswriter-you-learn-how_798450.jpg) > “When you're a sportswriter, you learn how to use your imagination and to flex your literary muscle, because it's the same game played over and over again. There's nothing unique or marvelous. It's not an earthquake, or a weird mass murder. It's just the same old game played over and over, and you have to bring out the personalities. You have to drag them kicking and screaming out into the light of day, or you're not a good sportswriter.” [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A sportswriter must use imagination and strong prose to repeatedly reveal athletes' personalities, treating each story as a familiar game. **In simple terms:** Sportswriters need imagination and strong writing to show athletes' personalities. Key Takeaway Use vivid storytelling to highlight character. Themes creativity writing sports journalism Mood reflective determined Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - covering games - profile pieces - feature articles Key Concepts narrative skill character focus Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep recurring sports stories fresh? - What techniques reveal hidden personalities? A Different Perspective Stories can become repetitive without fresh angles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drag/) [Earthquakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthquakes/) [Game Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-play/) [Game Played](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-played/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Good Sportswriter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-sportswriter-6119032/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Kicking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kicking/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Muscles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muscles/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Played Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/played-unique-6119034/) [Sportswriter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sportswriter/) [Sportswriter Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sportswriter-learn-6119033/) [Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unique/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [A game played with serious problems. That's what art is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/a-game-played-with-serious-problems-that-s-what-art-is/) [Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/) > [Golf is a non-violent game played violently from within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-toski/golf-is-a-non-violent-game-played-violently-from-within/) [Bob Toski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-toski/) > [Football is a game played with arms, legs and shoulders but mostly from the neck up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knute-rockne/football-is-a-game-played-with-arms-legs-and-shoulders-but-mostly/) [Knute Rockne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knute-rockne/) > [Time is a game played beautifully by children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/time-is-a-game-played-beautifully-by-children/) [Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/) > [D and D: a role-playing game played only by very cool guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/d-and-d-a-role-playing-game-played-only-by-very-cool-guys/) [Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/) > [“Love is a game played by two where both win -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-gabor/love-is-a-game-played-by-two-where-both-win/) [Eva Gabor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-gabor/) > [I played one game, and one game played me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-taylor/i-played-one-game-and-one-game-played-me/) [Lawrence Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-taylor/) > [There is never been a perfect game played. That's just never happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-flores/there-is-never-been-a-perfect-game-played-that-s-just-never-happened/) [Brian Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-flores/) > [Hockey is a fast, body-contact game played by men with clubs in their hands and knives laced to their feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/hockey-is-a-fast-body-contact-game-played-by-men-with-clubs-in-their/) [Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/) > [History is a game played backwards only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/history-is-a-game-played-backwards-only/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [“Sorry! But I'm not a game played when ever you want to play it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-karablieh/sorry-but-i-m-not-a-game-played-when-ever-you-want-to-play-it/) [Gina Karablieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-karablieh/) > [Divorce is a game played by lawyers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-grant/divorce-is-a-game-played-by-lawyers/) [Cary Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-grant/) > [Mathematics is a game played according to certain simple rules with meaningless marks on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/mathematics-is-a-game-played-according-to-certain-simple-rules-with/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [“(Hockey) It's a slippery game played on ice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punch-imlach/hockey-it-s-a-slippery-game-played-on-ice/) [Punch Imlach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punch-imlach/) > [Life is a game played on us while we are playing other games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/life-is-a-game-played-on-us-while-we-are-playing-other-games/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) ## More by Rick Bragg > [Momma kept a garden, which sounds romantic to people who have never held a hoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/momma-kept-a-garden-which-sounds-romantic-to-people-who-have-never/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [“…dreaming backwards can carry a man through some dark rooms where the walls seem lined with razor blades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/dreaming-backwards-can-carry-a-man-through-some-dark-rooms-where-the/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [But I hope I will never have a life that is not surrounded by books, by books that are bound in paper and cloth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/but-i-hope-i-will-never-have-a-life-that-is-not-surrounded-by-books/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [“On every pack leaned an M16, except Lori’s. Her son was playing soldier with it in the bleachers. There was no clip in it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/on-every-pack-leaned-an-m16-except-lori-s-her-son-was-playing-soldier/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [Passion is something you really don't miss, after it has cooled. It is like looking at an empty bottle on the side of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/passion-is-something-you-really-don-t-miss-after-it-has-cooled-it-is/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [“...because dreaming backwards can carry a man through some dark rooms...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/because-dreaming-backwards-can-carry-a-man-through-some-dark-rooms/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [“I guess it is what you do if you grow up with warnings of damnation ringing from every church door and radio station and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/i-guess-it-is-what-you-do-if-you-grow-up-with-warnings-of-damnation/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [“They, especially, taught me that you can't go through life not liking people because they didn't have to work as hard or come as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/they-especially-taught-me-that-you-can-t-go-through-life-not-liking/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [It is easy to be liked when the world has no jagged edges, when life is electric blankets and peach ice cream. But to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/it-is-easy-to-be-liked-when-the-world-has-no-jagged-edges-when-life/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [“But if she was going to live in a damn jungle, she preferred it be a damn jungle in Georgia, she always said, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/but-if-she-was-going-to-live-in-a-damn-jungle-she-preferred-it-be-a/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [This is home and home is not something you remember, it is something you see every day and every moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/this-is-home-and-home-is-not-something-you-remember-it-is-something/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [I don't think there's a difference between writing for a newspaper or magazine and doing a chapter in a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-difference-between-writing-for-a-newspaper-or/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [It is not unusual to send someone to conduct an interview you don't have time to conduct. It's what we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/it-is-not-unusual-to-send-someone-to-conduct-an-interview-you-don-t/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [“Mama just stepped back on the treadmill of worry and hopeless, and kept walking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/mama-just-stepped-back-on-the-treadmill-of-worry-and-hopeless-and/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [Don’t worry about what people think, because once it’s all over the people who love you will make you what they want you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/don-t-worry-about-what-people-think-because-once-it-s-all-over-the/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) [Explore all 53 Rick Bragg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) ## More Drag quotes > [Some people say that 'Drag Race' is about glory and immortalizing yourself in the Hall of Fame. For me, it's about shaking RuPaul down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trixie-mattel/some-people-say-that-drag-race-is-about-glory-and-immortalizing/) [Trixie Mattel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trixie-mattel/) > [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/) [Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/) > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [Drag has always been an open space where anyone within the LGBT community can express their creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-carrera/drag-has-always-been-an-open-space-where-anyone-within-the-lgbt/) [Carmen Carrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-carrera/) > [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Wish there was something that I could say or do, I can resist anything but the temptation from you. But I'd rather walk alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-harper/wish-there-was-something-that-i-could-say-or-do-i-can-resist-anything/) [Ben Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-harper/) > [A film is a boat which is always on the point of sinking-it always tends to break up as you go along and drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/a-film-is-a-boat-which-is-always-on-the-point-of-sinking-it-always/) [Francois Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/) > [If I was a man, I would be a drag queen. Honestly, I would. I absolutely love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/if-i-was-a-man-i-would-be-a-drag-queen-honestly-i-would-i-absolutely/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [Life will drag us kicking and screaming to our destiny if we try to escape it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/life-will-drag-us-kicking-and-screaming-to-our-destiny-if-we-try-to/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [If you don't have to drag yourself off the field exhausted after 90 minutes, you can't claim to have done your best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nichols/if-you-don-t-have-to-drag-yourself-off-the-field-exhausted-after-90/) [Bill Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nichols/) > [Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/never-keep-up-with-the-joneses-drag-them-down-to-your-level/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-one-holds-command-over-me-no-man-no-god-no-prince-what-is-a-claim/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I want to do something that is not just a pastiche of drag that's come before but is really authentically me. I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-velour/i-want-to-do-something-that-is-not-just-a-pastiche-of-drag-that-s/) [Sasha Velour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-velour/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) [Browse all 1,167 Drag quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drag/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're a sportswriter, you learn how to use your imagination and to flex your literary muscle, because it's the same game played over and over again. There's nothing unique or marvelous. It's not an earthquake, or a weird mass murder. It's just the same old game played over and over, and you have to bring out the personalities. 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