Glamorous, exciting, and explosively popular, the world of professional sports increasingly whets the public's appetite for up-to-the-minute, entertaining, and accurate information on the plays and the players. In this invaluable hands-on guide, award-winning AP sports writer and columnist Steve Wilstein gives prospective sports journalists the real-life, up-close and personal scoop on this in-demand but demanding, 24/7, sunshine or snow profession - a profession that is more about writing than it is about sports. And yes, spelling counts. Here is expert, comprehensive coverage of all aspects of professional sports writing as it is done every day at the world renowned Associated Press, in newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet - from basic sports reporting to writing a column, the art and craft of interviewing, digging for scoops, writing features and investigative series, breaking into the business, and more.In addition to providing core techniques and methodology, The Associated Press Sports Writing Handbook also includes an array of real-life experiences and insights straight from the mouths of such noted journalists as Dave Anderson, Christine Brennan, Jim Litke, Bob Ryan, George Versey, Michael Wilbon, and many others. Whether it's boxing or baseball, hockey or horse racing, a paragraph in a small local paper or a spread in a national publication, this expert book will help you meet the challenge of bringing sports to vivid life with style, confidence, wit, and skill. Beautifully illustrated with dozens of dynamic action photographs, The Associated Press Sports Writing Handbook also will inform you about the future of the business - and help you decide your place in it.