| How to Write an Article on American Football
Let’s say you have been commissioned to write a 500-word article on American football, which will then be subsequently spun into 5 or 10 or however many more articles.
The keyword you’ve been given is “American football.” You need to use that keyword (which is actually a key phrase, of course) in 10 paragraphs. You’ve been instructed that the keyword needs to appear as early as possible in the first sentence of the article, and anywhere in the last sentence of the article. (Why that is necessary I do not know. Seems to be assuming way too much power on behalf of Google’s search engine!)
But, that’s what you’ve been told to do so you do it
Writing about football is a lot more fun than writing about "mattress sales" or “personal shopping NYC” but there’s one thing to consider. Is it safe to assume that no matter where you live in the world, you will have some knowledge of American football?
Fortunately, American football is such a popular sport that there is a lot of information about it on the web. (Or, if you want to use a colloquialism, you can say that there’s “tons of information about it on the web.)
Since I live in the United States and have been watching football all my life, it will be easy for me to write such an article.
Except I have no direction. All I have to go on is the keyword phrase: “American football.” Not a lot of help there as to what kind of slant the client wants. (And unfortunately, this is a common occurrence. You’re told to write an article but all you’ve got is some obscure phrase. When you’re writing about mattresses that can make it hard.)
Fortunately, in this instance, you’re writing about football.
So, sit in front of your computer, open up a word processing page, and try to think of something to write. If it’s a Sunday and you’re actually able to watch a football game at the same time, that will make it easier.
If you’re watching a game, anything can trigger an article idea.
1. Has your team just scored a touchdown? What ridiculous dance does the wide receiver or running back do in the end zone? This could trigger the idea: How football players celebrate a touchdown. To write this article of course you need to have watched enough football to see all the ridiculous "look at me, everybody, I just scored a touchdown and instead of celebrating with my teammates I'm going to dance like I’m on a dance floor" dances out there.
2. A similar article – with the same caveat that you will need to have seen a lot of football – is the amount of times a defensive player will do some “schtick” after a good play…on a single play. The next play the opposing team runs for a touchdown, so his “schtick” then looks even more ridiculous than when he was actually doing it. The “hook” on which you hang your article could be: Why do football players celebrate minor plays before they know if they’ve actually won the game?
However, your client probably won’t want you to dwell on the negative aspects of players behavior (or coaches’ behavior, come to that) they’ll probably want something light and fluffy.
If you’re watching the games during the playoffs, there’s plenty to write about.
3. Which coaches’ jobs are on the hot seat. (i.e., which coach is going to be fired at the end of the season?)
4. Why do football organizations hire a football coach who has been fired from some other organization because he had a sub-.500 season? Why not go with a fresh face? (I’m thinking of Andy Reid, who is coming off a dismal season – and series of seasons – with the Philadelphia Eagles. And the gossip is that Norv Turner of the San Diego Chargers is going to be fired and another loser, Andy Reid, is going to be installed in his place! That makes no sense! And Rex Ryan – the inept, inept, inept Rex Ryan – is apparently going to keep his job?
Well, perhaps trying to write a sample article on "how to write about American Football" was a bad idea, since as you can tell I’m very emotional about it.
Next week, an article you can actually benefit from. But hopefully not one with a keyword of "mattress sales."
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