Would Anyone Read my Sports Articles?

Over the past fortnight I've been writing some sports articles as practice for (hopefully) a future career in sports journalism. If I were to publish them up here would people read it?

Jesse Dart said:

Over the past fortnight I've been writing some sports articles as practice for (hopefully) a future career in sports journalism. If I were to publish them up here would people read it?

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I would! Maybe publish one at time, give people a few days to read them and give you feedback.

Matty76 said:

I would! Maybe publish one at time, give people a few days to read them and give you feedback.

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Yeah I think I will, tomorrow I will post my thoughts on the Manchester United dilemma, I appreciate the advice.

I would definitely! Sports journalism is something I'm interested in as well; in fact, I'm going to take some units in journalism at uni this year to see if it's something I'd like to pursue more seriously. So I'd love to see what you come up with

I'd be reading these, especially if you did NBA, NFL & Soccer.

I probably won't. Unless, that is, you want some critiquing from someone with BA in Professional writing.

I'll have a look. If it's on Man Utd, keep it interesting. I don't want to fall asleep like I do when I watch them play

More than happy to be a part of the Test Audience. @rishgoon , yeah you can join me and Scholesy in a snooze fest.

I would definitely like to read your articles. What sports would you cover?

0kramrajnoc said:

I would definitely like to read your articles. What sports would you cover?

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Pretty much most ball sports, but mainly AFL, Cricket, basketball and soccer with a bit of others

rishgoon said:

I'll have a look. If it's on Man Utd, keep it interesting. I don't want to fall asleep like I do when I watch them play

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Haha that's brilliant

It's a couple of weeks old, but I think it's a good 'first taste' of my writings, so I present to you...




Death By Three (Humiliating) Losses
LVG looks certain to lose his job

The mantra, 'anything can happen in sports' is often quoted, and the theme of almost every sports movie ever. It's true, upsets happen. But for one of the proudest clubs of any sport in the world, it's been pretty upsetting lately. Manchester United have been in poor form over the last couple of months, but the particular focus today is the last three weeks. I know for a fact some United fans snickered at the prospect of playing Bournemouth, Norwich and Stoke City in a row. Sadly for them, things did not go to plan. One of the best corners I have ever seen curled past Untied Goalkeeper David DeGea, without anyone else contributing. Another goal, despite United scoring one themselves, condemned them to what some supporters called 'the worst loss in the clubs history'.

The following week, 75000 fans packed Old Trafford to watch their team take on Norwich City, a team I have supported for about 5 years. I will never forget what I saw that day. United dominated possession, and conversely dominated the first half. Out of nowhere, Cameron Jerome shakes a defender, jinks past another one and hammers it past DeGea, and puts Norwich on the board shortly before half time. Ten minutes after the break, Jerome spots up Alex Tettey, not your usual goalscorer, and he drills one in the bottom left to send the Norwich supporters there into a frenzy, as well as the United fans, only their frenzy was abusing their own players. Martial broke his goal drought, and Juan Mata had the chance to tie the game with a free kick, but new number one goalkeeper Declan Rudd denied it, giving Norwich their first win at Old Trafford since 1989.

Stoke was the next team on United's list, for a Boxing Day clash. With fans already calling for LVG's head, Van Gaal desperately needed a win, as did United, who were beginning to free fall down the ladder. The Potters were up to the challenge, and two first half goals sealed the fate of United.

Social Media has not been United's friend, with numerous posts about how bad the club is, along with some pretty funny captioned photos, commonly referred to as 'memes'. Since the loss to Wolfsburg just before Bournemouth, which kicked United out of the Champions League, fans have requested Van Gaal be sacked. The rumour mill has been spinning non stop, with Ryan Giggs being the name thrown out there the most frequently. Van Gaal has been mocked on social media for his 250 million pound transfer tab, which can't get them over Norwich. He has also been crucified for the players he has sold, with numerous United 'rejects' playing very well elsewhere.

For Van Gaal, the hourglass has almost run out, and it would be wise for him to start applying for other managerial jobs, seeing as he looks to be keeping the seat warm for someone else.

Published on December 28 2015 at 10:11am

I like it
Maybe make a blog for these as well as on OZCT?

Hey again, hope everyone is well. Just a quick piece I whipped up whilst on the train, not to long but hopefully worth your while.

95.85
George Bailey's incredible stat line against India

He first caught our eye by wearing that bright yellow hat at the WACA. But 33 year old George Bailey has let his batting do the talking against India this series, and indeed across his career. Bailey has again found a way to prove his career is not dead in the water, and has done so in emphatic fashion against his favourite team to verse.

He very easily could have, and perhaps should have, been in the sheds for zero in Tuesday's match at the WACA, but the umpire did not judge him out, and since India have asked for no referral system in the series, could not challenge the call. Bailey certainly made up for his shaky start, belting the Indian attack in tandem with Steve Smith for a brilliant hundred. That knock, along with Smith's 149, set Australia up for the highest successful ODI chase at the ground. Thanks to this knock, Bailey now had a century in 25% of his ODI matches against the Indians.

Again, Australia needed someone to bail them out after giving up 308 at the GABBA. And again, George Bailey was the knight in shining armour for the Aussies, again frustrating and at points humiliating the Indian bowlers, this time smashing them for 76 runs, an innings which no doubt set the Australians up for a victory when they needed it.

But how has he fared against the Indians before? Does two good innings prove he feels comfortable against their attack? Only one of his four half centuries, and one of his two centuries have come in this series, a sign that he has always enjoyed playing them, whether it be at home or abroad. All but three of his innings have gone on to be better than 50, and he's gone out to bat against them 9 times. He has tallied 671 runs against them, which (when not out is factored in, which he has finished twice out of his nine batting attempts) comes out to be an average of 95.85. That is the highest batting average of anyone to have scored more than 500 runs against the Indian team in 50 over cricket.

With more games between the sides still to come, one can only hope that Bailey will be able to continue his stellar form. At the moment he scores 50 or better in every 1.5 games against India, let's see if this remarkable record continues over the summer.

Published on January 16 2016 at 4:24pm
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Back again, it's been a little while but finally got my act together and wrote up a piece. Arsenal and Chelsea fans this is for you.

What Might Have Been
Chelsea stole more than just a goalkeeper from Arsenal

He holds the record for the most Premier League clean sheets. He was a Chelsea icon for the better part of the decade. And he is a national hero. Petr Cech is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of soccer in England, and made his name at Stamford Bridge, before recently moving to Arsenal. But the Gunners could have had him a lot earlier.

The prospect from the Czech Republic was ready for a move into one of the biggest leagues in the world, and immediately Arsenal showed an interest. At this point in history, the Gunners already had one of the best keepers in the world, the German superstar Jens Lehmann. Cech was seen as someone who could eventually succeed Lehmann for the starting goalkeeper role, but in the short term would be playing second fiddle. Rumour has it that Arsenal had a deal agreed and Petr was set to join the team, but at the eleventh hour another suitor stole him away. The recently cashed-up Chelsea, who had there own goalkeeping star in recent memory, Carlos Cuducini, made there own attempt to get Cech, and they managed to secure his signature.

From then on until the July 2015 transfer window, Cech had cemented himself as a Chelsea legend. He had won trophies, appeared in Champions League finals, and earned captaincy for his country. To make matters worse for the Gunners, they have a terrible record against the Blues in recent memory, something that was contributed to by Cech. Although his early years would have been spent as a backup, he would have had the chance to cement himself as an Arsenal great after Lehmann moved on, especially considering the string of subpar goalkeepers they've had in recent years (Ospina anyone?).

But what would be the real impact if Cech signed for Arsenal like he was supposed too. Logic says they would go for another goalkeeper, and with the money they had to throw around we can assume it would be someone good. Could they have convinced a star like Oliver Khan to come over? Maybe Julio Cesar, who would do some good things but never set the world on fire. Giving them Cesar, we can assume Chelsea still would have been a very good team, and with better defenders like John Terry in front of him Cesar may have done some brilliant things, perhaps even one of the worlds best. As for the Gunners, the big winners, the first few years stay largely the same, with Lehmann still in between the posts. After that however, based on Cech's form at Chelsea, the Gunners would have enjoyed large successes. Maybe they would have won some more titles, and some deep runs in the Champions League. There is one more question, would Cech have been as good as he is if he spent the previous decade at Chelsea. I believe he would still be one of the best, but perhaps his clean sheet numbers might not be as high.

Petr Cech has had an amazing career, and will continue on for a few more years now, whether it be at Arsenal or somewhere else. In a way he has come full circle, going to the club he was originally supposed to go.

Published on January 23 2016 at 2:50pm

It's been a while, and I have been writing but not posting. Here is one I wrote yesterday.

24.2, 159
The disaster that was the first ODI between Australia and New Zealand

It is rare that in a ODI between two of the best cricketing countries, one team can't even bat for half the allocated time. Furthermore, teams don't often chase and lose by more than 150 runs. But both of those things happened in Auckland yesterday, where a New Zealand side ran rampant on a dismal Australian team.

It was a dismal start for Australia, sending the Kiwis in to bat. The bowlers were awful, and made the decision look like a joke. Martin Guptill was the main punisher, blasting 90 and setting New Zealand up for there monster total. It must be mentioned the bowlers all seemed to find their length in the latter part of the innings, and managed to restrict the Kiwis to some extent in the last 10.

Chasing from the get-go, and without Aaron Finch, the Australian chase was in trouble from the start. With arguably the best player of the summer, despite not playing in half of it, Usman Khawaja running the drinks, every Australian batsmen was under pressure. The man with the most to prove, Shaun Marsh, proved the least amount, making just 5 before being on his way to the dressing room. This was on top of George Bailey leaving Warner high and dry, after an atrocious umpiring decision, which Bailey did not encourage Warner to review. It only went on a downhill slide from there, and it was all finished with 160 runs still required for the Aussies to win, and still with 25.4 overs to achieve it.

Miserable performances are something that Australia are not used too in the International arena, and the team needs to bounce back. Shaun Marsh needs a turn drink running, with Usman Khawaja deserving a spot, perhaps as an opener. The bowlers need to start games better, and while the last ten overs were acceptable, the first twenty certainly will not. Game two is an important fixture for both teams, the 'little brothers' New Zealand might wrap up the series, while Australia will look to keep their dominance.

Published on Febuary 4 2016 at 12:07 pm