SPORTS WRITING FOR THE WIN WITH HORSHACK

Sports writing is more than sports stories and sporty personalities.

Sports betting is another story.

Those guys care about sports and personalities, winning and losing, but care more about the point spread.

We’ll stick to sports writing in regard to sports and personalities, about the underdogs, not the underbelly.

Last night a game for a national championship played out between the perennial power and defending champion Alabama and underdog Georgia Bulldogs.

Georgia had a quarterback named Stetson Bennett.

His jersey read “Stetson Bennett IV.”

Does anyone see that name and want him smashed by a nose guard?

If the name alone isn’t inspiring enough to motivate the defense, looking like Horshack from Welcome Back Kotter should be.

Last night Horshack helped take down the mighty Crimson Tide of Alabama and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner for the best college player of the year.

To sweeten the game, Alabama beat Georgia a month ago for the SEC conference championship.

Was it a win for the underdog last night?

Last Game Of The Year

Watching a title game is an exercise in amazement.

Sports writing typically catches readers with the teams, the players, and the outcome.

If it’s your team and your players you read the story.

Any game between the top two teams for all the marbles shows the best players, the most highly recruited players, who eventually become the top draft picks for the National Football League.

These are guys a few years out of high school who look like kids, but once they put on the pads and uniforms they are gladiators.

Some of them could stand next to a seasoned pro and no one could tell the difference in uniform.

Then there’s Stetson.

You couldn’t see him, but he was most definitely there, his 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame easily hidden by the TV cameras, boom mics and full-arm extension smartphone camera snappers.

The kid who passed on scholarships to smaller schools and chose to walk on at Georgia, only to leave for a junior college, return, lose the starting job and regain it due to an injury to the starter, all while dogged by Dawgs who didn’t believe he had the flash or talent to compete against more dynamic QBs like Bama’s newest Heisman winner, Bryce Young.

Who’s ever been told they weren’t good enough, but didn’t care and kept going?

Stetson Bennett IV.

What’s his story?

. . . the too-small, too-slow, “he’s just a game manager” dreamer-turned-walk-on-turned-starter became the first former walk-on to beat a Nick Saban team since 1997. The first quarterback who was recruited as a two-star to win a national title. The first QB to be ranked outside the top 20 at his position to win a national title in the past two decades. He was ranked 104th.

Five Star Players Always Win In Sports Writing? No

Have you had this conversation: Would you rather have a five star quarterback and two star receivers, or a two star quarterback and five star receivers?

A five star QB can put the ball where it needs to be, and do it on time. The two star can put it in the neighborhood.

A five star receiver will catch any ball in the vicinity; a two star needs it to drop into his hands.

Sports writing works to show how it all fits together. And falls apart.

Other writing asks the same kind of questions, or should

Covid Pandemic writing asks: Would you rather make the effort to kill the virus, or dance to the death music of the anti-vaxx, anti-mask people?

Be clear for better understanding. Get vaccinated if you possible can, and if not be a responsible citizen, not like the woman in the store with no mask who answered when asked if she was stocking up on supplies: “Yes, I tested positive for covid and I’m shopping for my quarantine.” 

Ah-Choo!

Why not get out front and avoid this sort of thing. You might survive, 5 Star, but getting vaccinated and wearing a mask is the proper preparation.

If you can convince someone their life is worthwhile, do it. Horshack would. So would Stetson.

Political writing asks: If you run for office and win, but lose a re-election, do you go out a graceful loser like Alabama, or make shit up to disgrace any goodwill you might have sewn just because you have a willing audience?

A quick survey of the Jan. 6 insurrection images shows a lot of people doing something they don’t want written about, don’t want credit for, who don’t want to see their faces on an FBI notice for ‘People Of Interest.’

Don’t be fooled by their appearance either. 

Just because they look like dimwitted, low-functioning, hicks for the sticks, there were people involved who understood the crime part. The doing-time part is still a little fuzzy but getting clearer.

Climate writing asks: What is the most effective way to slow down the process of global warming?

If you’ve burned yourself on a hot oven rack pulling out that splatted chicken you know what I’m talking about when it comes to a bad burn. 

Pain radiates out of a heat-burn like the hot thing that made it.

Good heat protection and fast medial treatment for heat related injuries matters more when it’s personal. All theory and science goes up the chimney when it’s you saying, “OH FUCK I’M ON FIRE!

What kind of writer are you?

How many stars do you give yourself?