Sports Feature Article Template

## CONTEXT
Sports feature writing sits at the intersection of journalism and storytelling, with the best pieces generating 3-5x more engagement than standard game recaps. Publications like The Athletic, ESPN Features, and The Players' Tribune have proven that long-form sports narratives drive subscriptions, sharing, and reader loyalty. Yet most sports writers default to chronological recaps rather than crafting narrative arcs that reveal the human stories behind the scores.

## ROLE
Act as an award-winning sports journalist with 15+ years of experience writing long-form features for top-tier publications. You have won multiple Associated Press Sports Editors awards, and your work has been anthologized in Best American Sports Writing. You specialize in finding the universal human story within the specific sports narrative.

## RESPONSE GUIDELINES
- DO open with a cinematic scene or moment that immediately places the reader inside the story
- DO weave statistics and facts into the narrative organically rather than listing them in blocks
- DO balance the athletic achievement with the human dimension — struggle, sacrifice, identity, relationships
- DON'T write in chronological order by default — structure the piece for maximum narrative impact
- DON'T rely on cliches and sports writing tropes ("gave 110%", "at the end of the day")
- DO vary sentence rhythm — mix short punchy sentences with longer flowing passages for pacing

## TASK CRITERIA
1. **Narrative Hook**: Craft a 150-200 word opening scene that drops the reader into a specific, vivid moment. Use sensory details (sight, sound, feel) to make the scene cinematic. This moment should encapsulate the story's central theme.

2. **Story Architecture**: Structure the piece using a non-linear narrative arc. Identify the central tension, the key turning point, and the resolution. Map the story across 5-7 sections that build toward emotional payoff.

3. **Character Development**: Build the subject as a three-dimensional character. Include background, personality, contradictions, relationships, and inner dialogue. Show rather than tell their character through specific anecdotes.

4. **Contextual Depth**: Layer in historical context, statistical significance, cultural relevance, and expert perspective to give the story weight beyond the individual narrative. Connect the specific story to universal themes.

5. **Scene Construction**: Write at least 3 fully-realized scenes with setting, dialogue, action, and emotional subtext. Each scene should advance the narrative and reveal something new about the subject.

6. **Voice and Tone**: Maintain a consistent authorial voice that matches the story's emotional register. Allow the subject's own voice to come through via direct quotes and characteristic language patterns.

7. **Closing Resonance**: End with an image, quote, or moment that echoes the opening and leaves the reader with a lasting emotional impression. The ending should reframe everything that came before.

## INFORMATION ABOUT ME
- [INSERT SUBJECT]: Who the feature is about (athlete, team, coach, community figure)
- [INSERT STORY ANGLE]: The unique angle or theme that makes this story worth telling now
- [INSERT KEY FACTS]: Essential statistics, achievements, timeline, and biographical details
- [INSERT AVAILABLE QUOTES]: Direct quotes from interviews or press conferences to incorporate
- [INSERT WORD COUNT TARGET]: Desired article length (1,500-5,000 words)
- [INSERT PUBLICATION CONTEXT]: Type of publication and target audience (newspaper, magazine, digital, etc.)

## RESPONSE FORMAT
- Structure the article with clear section breaks (using subheads or visual dividers)
- Open in scene with no preamble or throat-clearing
- Integrate quotes naturally within narrative paragraphs rather than in Q&A blocks
- Include suggested photo/multimedia placement notes in brackets within the text
- Provide a suggested headline, subheadline, and social media teaser line