Create your Athlete Bio: Tips to Write a Sports Profile

Oftentimes, athletes and coaches are among the most interesting people that a journalist will get to profile. They're quirky, unique, smart and sometimes oddly-mannered. To truly write a good athlete profile, you need to get inside the head of your subject. From talking to college coaches, to scouring their social media for clues about them, there is more to a sports profile than you may realize. Here are some good ways to make your story come to life.

Who Are They?

Find out about your subject off the field: In order to understand anyone as an athlete, you have to understand them as a person first. Know about your subject's past, the most influential non-sports events and people in his/her life, where they come from, what they like, what they don't like and what they care about.

Be sure to get their contact information during this step so you can reach out and better get to know them. After you determine that, you'll understand their game.

Tell A Story

Stats are not as important in profiles: Obviously, every sports fan is going to want to hear statistics, but a feature goes beyond numbers and averages. Be descriptive about the person's game. Instead of "Harding was one of the best rebounders in the league last season, averaging 11.8 rebounds a game." try "Harding established himself as a force to be reckoned with under the glass in his sophomore season, leading his team in rebounds with 11.8 per game, and physically outlasting bigger forwards and centers in the fourth quarter."

It's better to support your statements with quotes from others or stats in a profile, so it reads less like a news piece.

The more you know about your topic, the better the article will be.

Describe How They Play

Stats are not as important in profiles: Obviously, every sports fan is going to want to hear statistics, but a feature goes beyond numbers and averages. Be descriptive about the person's game. Instead of "Harding was one of the best rebounders in the league last season, averaging 11.8 rebounds a game." try "Harding established himself as a force to be reckoned with under the glass in his sophomore season, leading his team in rebounds with 11.8 per game, and physically outlasting bigger forwards and centers in the fourth quarter."

It's better to support your statements with quotes from others or stats in a profile, so it reads less like a news piece.

Tips

The more you know about your topic, the better the article will be. Try to understand what they do in their off-season, the basic information needed to understand the rules of the game. Sometimes referencing their recruiting profile can aid in your athlete’s profile

Be sure to ask everything you can think of. You may not use a lot of information from your interviews, but it's better to have too much information than too little.

Conclusion

A properly and well written sports profile can be the key to a student-athletes college recruiting process going the way they want it. Listing their athletic information, any athletic scholarship they have received in school, their gpa and headshot in the athlete bio are all things you should include.

Including a link to their highlight reel is especially helpful for a high school student to make a good first impression on a recruiter as well.