Sports Journalists: 3 Tips to Write the Best Investigative Piece

The sports world is full of stories waiting to be written. Some storylines nearly write themselves; others require a journalist to research, challenge and agonize over an issue that may be buried layers beneath common knowledge. As a sports journalist in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, I have identified two articles that will help you write a strong investigative sports journalism piece.

In a Ringer article titled The Curious Case of Bryan Colangelo and the Secret Twitter Account, author Ben Detrick examines the numerous Twitter accounts that were linked to now-former Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo. The Ringer received an anonymous tip about the accounts in February. They ran the story in May after months of scrutinizing and examining archived tweets. Detrick had a story on a longtime NBA executive publicly criticizing his past and present players, debating the decisions of his coaching staff, telegraphing a trade and disclosing players' medical information. It would have been easy to hastily run with the storyline instead of risk another media outlet running the story. But Detrick did his due diligence and contacted the 76ers' organization, even receiving a comment from Colangelo himself which is included in the piece. You can draw your own conclusion from the two exchanges: Not only did the Sixers confirm that Colangelo was the owner of one of the five accounts in question, but the three that were not mentioned simultaneously went dark shortly after he was told of The Ringer's inquiry." Detrick presents the information and lets the reader make their own interpretation based on the evidence provided.

                                                                   Source: The Ringer


In an investigative piece for ESPN titled For Kraft, Brady and Belichick, is this the beginning of the end?, Seth Wickersham writes about a growing rift between the trio responsible for bringing five Super Bowls to New England. Wickersham explores a concept unthinkable to most, the vulnerability of a dynasty. He writes about Brady's desire for his potential successor Jimmy Garoppolo to be traded and Bill Belichick's uneasiness at the decision. "For almost two decades, Belichick has managed to subvert the egos of his best player, his boss and himself for the good of the team, yielding historic results. This year, though, the dynamics have been different." Saying this, Wickersham establishes early that the reader should not doubt the topic of his investigative piece. The rift may not be common knowledge, but it has been existent for years.

Based on these two articles and my experiences as a sports journalist at Northwestern University, I have developed three crucial tips to consider when you embark on your own investigative sports journalism piece.

• Conduct extensive research. Readers should not question if you are the authority on the topic. Doing the necessary research - and then some - will ensure your investigative piece will answer questions from every possible angle.

• Relentlessly pursue truth. It is easy to get deterred and discouraged when writing an investigative piece. There will be dead ends and seemingly promising sources will refuse to talk. Keep pushing.

• Be patient. It is better to be second and publish the correct, best story than to be first and leave out information. Investigative pieces take time. Don't rush. The reward will be worth it.

When you begin your next investigative sports journalism story, remember these three tips throughout the entire process. 

Martin Oppegaard is a senior at Northwestern University studying Journalism, Business Institutions and Integrated Marketing Communications. He covers Northwestern athletics for InsideNU and the San Francisco Giants for MLB.com.

You can connect with Martin on Twitter or LinkedIn.