Get in the Game Part 2

On March 18th, Kasie and Rex continued the conversation about the built-in drama caused by sports in stories. Last week we worked on sports Part 1 – we knew it would have enough for a part 2 so the notes are a continuation of that discussion with some repeat links. What is it about sports that make them compelling stories? Here are some things all sports have that contribute to their story-ability: Stakes – there are winners, losers, injuries, and baggage, so much baggage. Rivals – there are natural protagonist/antagonist relationships in competition; it’s better here because usually the players believe their own cause to be just. If you’re a writer who struggles with antagonists, just imagine what a character would say or do across a tennis net Disappointment – nobody wins all the time; even in Rocky IV the biggest challenge for Drago was learning to lose; we see that in real sports, too. Amazing players like Trevor Lawrence realize that losing is part of the game. Injuries, too. Being taken out of the sport, the play, the lifestyle because of an injury presents a whole slew of disappointments for your character. Exceptionalism – to really be good at sports, an athlete has to work extremely hard; they have to make sacrifices. Those sacrifices can be grist for great stories. Tropes, Tropes, Tropes – the abusive coach, the has-been father, the cheerleader who picks the better player, the underdog team, the cheaters. Sports stories love their cliches and we recognize them immediately, not only for what they are but for the expected outcome. Justice – in sports, we believe the best team will succeed; we want to see justice served, we think there’s a kind of balance that sports keeps in place. That’s why cheating scandals and performance enhancement are such odious things. We want to believe sports are pure and that they’ll deliver rightness.