Solve sports problems with crowdsourcing and simplified layouts

March is when advisers capitalize on snagging action shots, team photos and missing captions. But Team Coronavirus didn’t play by the rules and now we’re all on the sidelines. Here’s how to problem solve your sports issues and get back in the game.

Missing names & captions

Crowdsource, crowdsource, crowdsource. Start with your own staff, asking them to identify everyone they can. Send photos via email, text or social media to coaches and if necessary, to other faculty members. Ask for a roster if it’s available. Reach out to team players and booster clubs for ID help.

Use the same crowdsourcing techniques to write captions and add quotes. Ask students and coaches for player phone numbers or try direct messaging them via social media apps. (Trust us, your staffers have plenty of practice at this, tracking down students for quotes when on deadline.)

Need additional sports writing help? See our seven suggestions for cleaning up sports copy. Plus, there’s a link to an AP Style sports cheat sheet.

Advisers at Currituck Country High School, North Kansas City High School and A&M Consolidated High School used Twitter and Facebook for help with photos and names.

Missing team photos

Start by finding out if the team took a photo. If they did, coordinate with a coach or booster club to attain the photo and identify players. If there isn’t a team photo, strategize what you can do instead. Run all the players’ names and jersey numbers. Consider adding small mugs (like their school picture) in the space.

Think about including the entire schedule, with dates, teams and scores, especially if you’re without a team photo. For games after school closures, write “canceled” or “DNP” (did not play) where the score would have gone. This is a historic year and we should record every detail we can. The facts and figures emphasize the historical and reference functions of a yearbook.

With limited game photos to work with, Currituck County High School got creative with their varsity baseball spread. They added a module on player positions which filled space and provided a cool way to feature all the athletes.

Short on photos

Again, crowdsourcing is key. This time, reach out to your entire community, asking parents, booster clubs and local news outlets for help. In the Lamar Consolidated school district, the local paper shared sports photos with the five high schools. At A&M Consolidated High School, the varsity softball team used their own social media platforms to help the Tiger yearbook staff acquire photos.

ImageShare is another resource for collecting images. The free app allows people to upload photos and captions. Make sure to give out the upload code if you added one (usually your job number). Use this customizable ImageShare flyer to spread the word and this reference guide to set up the app.

Balfour has created a stock database of sports-related photos and graphics, including visuals for baseball, softball, tennis, golf and track.

Still short on images? Tap into our resources—30 royalty-free sports images. These general images can be used as backgrounds or filler images on your spreads.

Use a shortage of pictures to your advantage. A simple image of a lone baseball or an empty soccer field makes a compelling backdrop. Whether you add other photos or only have quotes, the full-bleed effect turns your sports coverage into a stunning showstopper.

Foster High School designed their junior varsity coverage around the image of a single softball on the field. Team selfie pictures were implemented in a simple photo bar module.

Finishing pages without games, photos and data is a crazy sports challenge. But we’ve found in these unusual times people want to help. Athletes, coaches, parents and the rest of the student body want to preserve as many memories as possible from the 2019-20 school year. Let’s get back in the game.