To define a soccer game summary, one must look at the setting, the news article’s form, and the audience and it’s expectation and response. In the digital age, most soccer stories will be found online, ceaselessly updating the world’s fan base, so the audience must expect to find these articles on sports websites, particularly on a European newspaper’s site if the reader is interested in one of the more popular international leagues. These articles can also be found in print newspapers daily or in sports magazines. These stories will also usually be published in the short hours following the game’s conclusion. As for the structure of the article, it is usually written in a normally objective manor by journalists who specialize in the coverage of soccer. The text includes a headline and byline followed by the meat. The headline usually contains the two teams’ names and an interesting action verb intended to draw in readers scrolling through all of their search results. The byline credits the writer and for cases in which the writer is well known or respected, this too can draw in readers. The body provides the information, and it is made up of several features. Most articles follow at least a semi-chronological path in describing the course of the match. Usually towards the end of the article the writer includes quotes from the postgame conference or other interviews conducted to intertwine reactions from players and managers. These traits are commonplace in articles throughout the sports world, so in that, soccer game summaries are extremely similar to game recaps in other sports. Because of soccer’s European influence, there are slight differences that separate the international game’s media customs from more Americanized, commercialized media sources for other sports. For example, the articles use oft larger vocabulary in comparison to that of, say, a basketball story. This is likely creditable to cultural differences between the USA and England, per say; nonetheless, the discrepancies with other sub-genres of sports writing make soccer articles particularly interesting to read. The aspect of online reading of soccer articles that is often nearly as appealing as the article itself is the comment section. Unlike in physical newspapers, though, online comment forums allow for fan (audience) response. As exemplified in any big story’s comment section, soccer fans have a balance between humor and knowledge, and there are plenty of readings in the post-story text that are worth the time for a good laugh or an impressive bit of input or opinion. The purpose of the article is to provide a synopsis for readers who missed the game or who are looking for a different take on the match from what the announcers had to say during the game. The audience, easily recognizable as those who are interested in a game or league or player enough to read more on the subject, expects almost entirely impartial summarization of the completed contest and possibly to be linked to other articles extending from the game, such as expert analysis. The game summary provides basic information for those looking for a quick bunch of notes to recap the happenings of the Saturday morning rivalry game or a foundation from which to form more advanced opinions on the formation deployed by the manager. Regardless, the simple form of writing offers several purposes within a semi-refined audience, and like every other genre, this one is similar enough to fit in the category of sports writing, and specialized enough to qualify for its own genre.
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