3 Tips for Starting a Successful Sports Blog

Sports bloging is the future. [Photo/kent.ac.uk]

There are many topics out there to blog about – some are easier, others need more work and dedication. The harder a subject is, though, the more rewarding it can be. Among the easier niches, you find the likes of lifestyle, celebrity gossip, movie, and technology. These topics come with almost endless content to cover – so there are many blogs and portals covering them. And, of course, just a handful of them are successful.

There is one niche, though, that comes with an endless stream of content to cover from all over the world that is pretty hard to do right: sports. There are many sports portals out there, of course, but most of them do nothing but rewrite the same news that appears on some of the leading publications without adding any value or a personal touch to the information. These portals have nothing that will make their readers return, as they serve the same information all others do. So, here are a few tips on how you can start a sports blog that will stand out from the crowd.

Passion

Choosing your niche right is one of the keys to success. It’s not enough to identify the sport with the biggest following – everyone else has done the same. Instead, choose a sport that has a decent following and that you are passionate about. (By the way, this applies to pretty much every blog niche out there)

Chances are if you are passionate about a certain sport, you also know a thing or two about it, you already know the lingo, you have identified a few of the best sources of information, and you have your own opinions about the athletes, the officials, the competitions, and the sport, in general. Aside from covering the events, make sure to add your personal opinion about them, and encourage your readers to discuss and debate it.

Odds

Predicting the outcome of a football match or a fight may seem impossible – but it’s not. If you take a look at the Betway Kenya app, you’ll see that each match in every sport listed there has odds attached to it – and these odds are not based on feelings or enthusiasm but on data: player records, injury statistics, referee stats, and even the weather is taken into account. So, you can accept them as being quite accurate. Listing the odds next to a match preview will also likely attract more readers to your blog. After all, those betting on an event are certainly interested in it. This will add a bit of an extra spin to your sports blog, perhaps making it more interesting to a larger pool of readers.

Competence and consistency

If you review a football match one day, then switch to rugby or cricket the next, you’ll come across as generic – and maybe a bit unprofessional. Plus, your readers will likely start questioning your competence in one sport or another, and in the long term, this will cost you readers. Leave covering sporting events in a generic way to the press. Instead, focus on covering your favourite sport in-depth. Don’t jump from topic to topic – focus on one and do it right.