sports style guide

abbreviations	Not necessary to spell out the most common abbreviations on first reference, including: NFL/CFL AFC NFC NBA/WNBA NHL NCAA PGA/LPGA USGA NASCAR MLB MLS AL NL FIFA UFC
All-America, All-American	Use “All-American” when referring specifically to an individual E.g.: “All-American Caleb Williams” Use “All-America” when referring to the team E.g.: “the All-America team”
doubleheader	Meaning back-to-back games One word (not “double-header” or double header”
division	Use the letter “I” when referring to Division I Never use the number 1
Formula One	Always use “Formula One” Never “Formula 1” Since the website uses both interchangeably, the AP Stylebook prefers “Formula One”
stadiums and courts	Never use “the” before the title of a stadium, court or sports center E.g.: “at Galen Center” (not “at the Galen Center”) E.g.: “at Lyon Center” Never use first names E.g.: “at McAlister Field” (“Soni” is not necessary) Capitalize “Stadium”/”Field”/”Center” only when part of a proper name E.g.: “Yankee Stadium” E.g.: “SoFi Stadium”
Head Coach	Capitalize “Head Coach” if a name follows E.g.: “Head Coach Lincoln Riley” Do not capitalize in all other cases: E.g.: “Lincoln Riley, the head coach…” (do not capitalize in this situation)
hat trick	Three goals scored in one game
leagues	Capitalize all league names Spell out on first reference, abbreviation can be used on second reference and beyond Full name / abbreviation Conference USA / C-USA Division I FBS Independents / Ind. Mid-American Conference / MAC Mountain West Conference / MW or MWC Sun Belt Conference / Sun Belt Mountain Pacific Sports Federation / MPSF Power Four conferences DO NOT need to be spelled out (can use abbreviation on first reference) ACC Big 12 Big Ten (always spell out “Ten”) SEC
Power Four	When referring to the group of conferences that generate the most athletic revenue in the NCAA, always spell out the numeral “Four” Never “Power 4” The group includes the Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference (SEC is OK on first reference)
left/right hand/ed/er	“left hand” / “right hand” (noun) “left-handed” / “right-handed” (adjective) “left-hander” / “right-hander” (noun)
numbers	In general, spell out one through nine in most uses and use figures for 10 or above BUT use figures when preceding a unit of measure or points, as well as for team records or game numbers Football yardage: E.g.: “the 10-yard line,” “a 5-yard pass play,” “he plunged in from the two,” “he ran six yards,” “a 7-yard gain” Baseball: “First inning,” “seventh-inning stretch,” “10th inning,” “first base,” “first home run,” “10th home run,” “the final score was 1-0” General examples: E.g.: “first place,” “first half,” “nine field goals,” “10 baskets,” “3-pointer,” “the final score was 71-68,” “the team won its fourth game in 10 days” Game 4 = fourth game Spell out nine and under except for yard lines in football and individual/team statistical performances
height	Use figures and spell out “inches,” “feet,” “yards,” etc. to indicate depth, length, height and width Hyphenate adjectival forms before nouns E.g.: “6-foot-5 player,” “he is 6 feet 10 inches tall,” “the 5-foot man,” “the basketball team signed a 7-footer,” “he is 5 feet, 6 inches tall”
percentages	If a percent is used at the beginning of a sentence, spell out the word “percent” E.g.: “Twenty percent of the team scored at least five 3-pointers this season” Anywhere else, use “%” E.g.: “The other 80% scored below five 3-pointers this season” “3-point percentage” instead of “three-point percentage”
play off/s	“play off” (v.) “playoff,” “playoffs” (n. And adj.)
points	Always use numerals when referring to number of points E.g.: “Peterson scored 4 points,” “the team gave up 18 points”
postseason, preseason	Always one word
“Men/Women of Troy”	Never used moving forward Refer to all as “Trojans”
redshirt	Redshirting refers to when an athlete takes a year off to lengthen their period of eligibility, usually spending training or due to injury E.g.: “redshirt (year) (position) (name)” E.g.: “Redshirt junior forward Joshua Morgan”
racket	Not “raquet” For the light bat used in tennis and badminton
scores	Final scores should always be in numbers Always state the higher score before the lower score, no matter which team E.g.: “UCLA lost 72-60 to USC” Campaign scores always in win-loss-tie format Exception: volleyball sets E.g.: “25-23, 21-25, 26-24”
seed or ranking	Identify the conference in which the ranking is mentioned E.g.: “No. 2 / second-seeded”
sport seasons	According to NCAA (not all are applicable for USC but included anyway” Note: do not use “&” (ampersand) for swim and dive / track and field Fall cross country field hockey football soccer women’s volleyball men’s water polo Winter basketball bowling fencing gymnastics ice hockey rifle skiing swim and dive / swimming and diving indoor track and field wrestling Spring baseball beach volleyball golf lacrosse rowing softball tennis outdoor track and field men’s volleyball women’s water polo
student-athlete	Always hyphenated
sweep	Multiple wins against another team, usually in series or sets without the other team getting a win E.g.: “3-0” E.g.: “USC sweeps Dixie State in a three-game weekend series”
teams	All schools from the Power Four conferences DO NOT need to be spelled out including “University” or the full university name on first reference UC Schools DO NOT need to be spelled out ACC Boston College, UC Berkeley (Cal/California on second reference by choice) Clemson, Florida State (FSU on second reference by choice), Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, NC State, North Carolina (UNC on second reference by choice), Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, SMU, Stanford, Virginia (UVA on second reference by choice), Virginia Tech, Wake Forest Big 12 Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah, West Virginia Big Ten Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wisconsin Pacific-12 Arizona, Arizona State, UC Berkeley (Cal/California on second reference by choice), Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Washington State SEC Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Miss. State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt Extras Long Beach State, UNLV
wild-card	Never “wildcard” or “wild card”
USMNT USWNT	NEVER use Team USA for soccer Spell out on first reference: USMNT → United States Men’s National Team USWNT → United States Women’s National Team Abbreviation accepted on all references following
student years	Years Always refer to https://usctrojans.com/, NOT ESPN Updates with the calendar year Use the following structure when referring to an athlete: [year] [position] [name] e.g. “junior quarterback Caleb Williams” fifth-year Always hyphenate

BASEBALL

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor Note: players are often identified by their positions on defense Offense: batter runner pinch hitter pinch runner designated hitter (does not play any defensive position) Defense: OF → outfielder (variations) left fielder center fielder right fielder LHP → left-handed pitcher / lefty RHP → right-handed pitcher / righty INF → infielder (variations) shortstop second baseman 1B → first baseman 3B → third baseman C – catcher
common terms / abbreviations	RBI → Runs Batted In Always abbreviated in articles E.g.: “RBI single” “RBIs” is plural for “RBI” inning Earned Run Average → ERA Always abbreviated in articles Unless stylistic At Bats → AB Always spelled out in articles runs → R Always spelled out in articles hits → H Always spelled out in articles Batting Average → BA Always spelled out in articles ground ball Never one word, always separate with a space
innings	For first nine innings write out the word e.g. first, second, ninth For innings greater than nine, use the numeral e.g. 10th, 11th
structure	The USC baseball team / USC baseball / Trojans The Trojans’ home is Dedeaux Field USC is part of the Big Ten conference
spring training	Always lowercase

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor None
common terms / abbreviations	See Volleyball
structure	The USC beach volleyball team / USC beach volleyball / Trojans The Trojans’ home is Norman Stadium

BASKETBALL

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor PG → point guard (1) / guard SG → shooting guard (2) / guard SF → small forward (3) / forward PF → power forward (4) / forward C → center (5) / center
common terms / abbreviations	field goal → FG) Any basket that isn’t a free throw “3-pointer,” “2-pointer) Never abbreviated in articles free throw → FT Never abbreviated in articles foul Any infraction deemed by the referee E.g.: “Peterson fouled-out” bonus charge turnover → TO man-to-man, zone Defensive schemes half-court, full-court Buzzer-beater Final Four Always spell out Elite 8 Numeral Sweet 16 Numeral
structure	The USC men’s basketball team / USC men’s basketball / Trojans The USC women’s basketball team / USC women’s basketball / Trojans The Trojans’ home is Galen Center USC is part of the Big Ten conference Use ESPN for professional basketball positions Use USCAthletics for USC basketball positions

CROSS COUNTRY

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor team captain
common terms / abbreviations	Time format: xx:xx:xx Events: 4k, 5k, 6k, 8k Place: first place, second place, 10th place, 11th place
structure	Note: We do not hyphenate cross country when referencing the sport Note: Please consult chief copy editors if a cross country article is written Note: We haven’t written about cross country since 2017 Note: This is more geared towards Olympic-related coverage or club sports

FOOTBALL

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor Offense: QB → quarterback OL → offensive lineman (variations) center Tackle guard WR → wide receiver TE → tight end RE → rush end RB → running back (variations) TB → tail back FB → full back HB → half back Defense CB → cornerback S → safety LB → linebacker (variations) ILB → inside linebacker OLB → outside linebacker MLB → middle linebacker DL → defensive lineman end tackle Special terms: SNP → snapper P → punter PR → punt returner K → kicker KR → kick returner
common terms / abbreviations	TD → touchdown 6 points upon reaching a team’s endzone E.g.: “he score 5 touchdowns in one game” Note: “5” is not spelled out because it’s a scoring stat FG → field goal 3-point attempt INT → interception When the opposing team catches a pass → change of possession fumble When a team loses possession of a ball, the ball can be recovered by the opposition sack When the quarterback is tackled by the opposing team for a loss of yardage safety When the quarterback is tackled in the opposing team’s endzone, resulting in 2 points for the opposition Not to be confused with the position of the same name down Each team has 4 attempts (known as “downs”) to advance the ball on a drive punt When a team kicks the ball to the other team line of scrimmage Where the ball is marked on each play red zone When a team is within the 20-yard line of the end zone pick-six When the defensive team returns an interception for a touchdown
structure	The USC football team / USC football / Trojans The Trojans’ home is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum “Coliseum” on second reference and beyond “College Football Playoff” on first reference “the national championship” or “playoff” acceptable on second reference and beyond Abbreviation “CFP” only acceptable when referring directly to rankings

GOLF

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor None
common terms / abbreviations	hole-in-one birdie eagle par bogey double bogey driver, iron, putter
structure	The USC men’s golf team / USC men’s golf / Trojans The USC women’s golf team / USC women’s golf / Trojans

LACROSSE

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor D → defender M → midfielder A → attacker G → goalkeeper
common terms / abbreviations	Most recent article was published in March 2020 See chief copy editors for notes
structure	The USC lacrosse team / USC lacrosse / Trojans

ROWING

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor coxswain
common terms / abbreviations	Most recent article was published in March 2020 See chief copy editors for notes
structure	The USC rowing team / USC rowing / Trojans

SWIM AND DIVE

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor none
common terms / abbreviations
structure	The USC swim and dive team / USC swim and dive / Trojans The Trojans’ home is Uytengsu Aquatics Center

SOCCER

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor F → forward / striker D → defender GK → goalkeeper / goalie MF / M → midfielder
common terms / abbreviations	nil Soccer term for “0” Asian Football Confederation Spell out on first reference, “AFC” acceptable on second reference and beyond CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football Spell out on first reference, CONCACAF acceptable on second reference and beyond FIFA World Cup Spell out on first reference, World Cup acceptable on second reference and beyond FA Cup Acceptable on first reference for “The Football Cup” Premier League Top league in England Do not refer to as “Premiership” or “Barclay’s Premier League” Records Win-Loss-Draw e.g. “(3-1-0)” 3 wins, 1 loss, no draws
structure	The USC soccer team / USC soccer / Trojans If a professional football club is referenced, the general rule is: If a team is named after a city, include “F.C.” → use “F.C.” on first reference, all references following can be without “F.C.” E.g.: “F.C. Barcelona” on first reference, “Barcelona” acceptable on second and beyond E.g.: “Real Madrid C.F. If a team is not named after a city, do not use “F.C.” (or any variation) E.g.: “Juventus” Please ask Chief Copy or Sports Editors for clarification for any soccer article — this gets confusing.

TENNIS

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor none
common terms / abbreviations	Events singles, doubles
structure	The USC tennis / USC tennis / Trojans

TRACK AND FIELD

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor none
common terms / abbreviations	Events hurdles, sprints, distance
structure	The USC track and field team / USC track and field / Trojans

VOLLEYBALL

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor OH → outside hitter L → libero OPP → opposite hitter MB → middle blocker S → setter DS → defensive specialist
common terms / abbreviations	ace(s) attack(s) attack error (s) block(s) dig(s) dump kill(s) match point roof serve(s) shank set point
structure	The USC men’s volleyball team / USC men’s volleyball / Trojans The USC women’s volleyball team / USC women’s volleyball / Trojans The Trojans’ home is Galen Center USC is part of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Spell out on first reference, MPSF acceptable on second reference and beyond

WATER POLO

positions	Always lowercase when preceding a player’s name Always use https://usctrojans.com/ for positions If there are two, ask the Sports Editor G → goalie 2M → 2-meter DR → driver U → utility
common terms / abbreviations	exclusion Equivalent of a foul power plays
structure	The USC water polo team / USC water polo / Trojans The USC women’s volleyball team / USC women’s volleyball / Trojans The Trojans’ home is Uytengsu Aquatics Center USC is part of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Spell out on first reference, MPSF acceptable on second reference and beyond

sports style guide

Last updated:

common terms

BASEBALL

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

BASKETBALL

CROSS COUNTRY

FOOTBALL

GOLF

LACROSSE

ROWING

SWIM AND DIVE

SOCCER

TENNIS

TRACK AND FIELD

VOLLEYBALL

WATER POLO

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