It’s time to bring back Sports Lingos

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The Sports Rant by Karol Mabazza

I have been a Campus Journalist and Sports Writer for over 5 years now and my writing style have changed from time to time. In this post, I will be discussing how sports lingos can help you impress a reader.

I mostly write news about boxing, basketball and tennis. Other sports such as sumo is one of the hardest topics I have covered. But I only watch fights and matches on a computer or a phone.

Sometimes, contests only allows you to cover a live match. RSPC or the Regional Schools Press Conference is the highest stage I stepped on to. I have won 3 times since 2016, small number huh?

Lingo, is the special language used for a particular activity or by a particular group of people. – Merriam Webster Dictionary

Sports lingo and terminology is the language used by people to refer to certain sports concepts. These terms can be placed on the headline or intro of an article. Make your intro brief and they should answer the 5W’s or Who, What, Where, When, Why and also add How.

Here’s the Top 3 Sports Lingos I used:

The headlines and examples in this section are from my 2017-2018 articles from my elementary days of campus journalism so it’s a bit old. This is what I used and are given/taught by my Coach and AP Teacher Sir Art, may he rest in peace.

1. King of the Ring

Used in Boxing to describe the winner as the best in the sport. I mostly used this phrase in boxing matches that best suit a certain event, like a knockout win.

Examples:

“King of the Ring”, yan ang pinatunayan ni Manny Pacquiao matapos pabagsakin si Keith Thurman.

“King of the Ring”, this was proved to be true by Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao, after he gave his victorious left hook to knockout Ricky Hatton, 2006.

Lenox Lewis defeats Evander Holyfield via unanimous decision in the World Heavyweight title at Britania, September 30, as he shows who is the real “King of the Ring”.

You can also use this phrase in the body of the story.

2. Seasoned by time

This lingo is used as a phrase when a player has a comeback win after a long time. It can be used if an older player is defeated by a younger opponent. You can use seasoned to describe a person who has a lot of experience of something.

Related words: experienced, mature, practised

Example: Akil Khan, proves to be seasoned by time, as he defeats Johnny Arcilla during the Davis Cup Tournament, 3-2, in BNP Paribas, Philippines, 2001.

3. Grabbed the limelight

A winning moment should be celebrated, that is why you should too. As the writer, give the headline a bit of a luxury. But don’t be too fancy with words. Some judges on Press Conferences don’t like extravagant and complicated sentences so be straight to the point.

A good headline should be elaborate, give as much details as possible. Be kind on words when needed.

Example: Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia grabbed the limelight as he wins the Axiata Cup against Filipino Antonio Gadi, at Kepala Gading, Jakarta, yesterday.

Honorable Mention

I have more terms, so here is a honorable mention and a special pick for this post.

Suntok sa buwan

I used this in my sports column, also for boxing. The exact translation is “a punch to the moon”. An act which expects no good outcome. (Idiomatic). A Filipino phrase meaning something impossible or unattainable.

You can also use this as a title for a piece that revolves around something impossible to do or have been done.

Hindi mo ba alam
Damdamin ko’y pinagtakpan
Makasama ka’y suntok sa buwan
– Suntok Sa Buwan, 2004 by sessiOnroad

As I said, my writing techniques changed over the past 5 years. The Sports Lingos were a thing back then when it was fun to read it. Some judges don’t prefer those now. I think sports lingos are still cool. It helped me reach where I am now. Different writer have different styles of writing.

While I no longer write reports with lingos, I still find a way to keep readers entertained while being informed at the same time. It keeps your paragraphs fun and easy to read. Headlines are much more exciting to write when there are exotic phrases.

Some are still keeping the way they write and others like me evolved to a new style. Well I am still writing Sports so I might use them in other topics. Sports Lingos are a good addition to your sentences and can improve your headline structure.

I started with Sports Lingos and I will end with them. It’s time to bring back Sports Lingos!

Disclaimer: The Examples in this posts are based on my early written articles (2017-2018). Names and Places may be changed. Tips and headlines are raw and given by the author, some definitions can be taken from online sources, mainly dictionaries.