A good sports photograph will:

• be Timely  -  Nobody reading the paper cares about last weeks game, your photos need to be in tomorrow morning's paper, which means a deadline of this evening, right after the game.
• be Timely  - The best sports photographs show concepts such as victory, defeat, determination, grit etc. that transcend the one game and stand the test of time.

• Catch the Winning Play  -  Concentration, knowledge of the sport and the timing of an athlete are needed to catch the game-winning touchdown or homerun any big play that changes the dynamics of the game.
• Summarize the game in one photo  - The photo chosen should parallell the lead story, often the leading scorer or a play that changes the game.

Technical Aspects:

• Autofocus  - Continuous autofocus is most often used.  For some sports "zone" focusing works well.  Many sports photographers manually set the focus button to a button on the back of the camera.
• Shutter speed  - 1/1000 of a second or higher to freeze the action.  Panning and blur are better at 1/15th or 1/30th, but can be faster for faster action
• Lens  - the long, fast telephoto is a staple for sports photography.  A medium length fast(er) is useful for indoor sports.
• Predict the action  - where will the most exciting part of the play end up?
• Position - Where to stand on the sideline to get the shot.  Unusual angles add interest.

Due:  Tuesday July 16th

Present a sports story of 7-15 photographs on one particular sport.  This can be anything from team sports such as Basketball or Football, to individual sports such as tennis, surfing or golf. 
This story must include action shots as well as portraits of athletes. 

Ideally the action shots should include the standard fast shutter speed "stop action" as well as creative use of shutter speed such as panning and blur.  The portrait should be set up and more formal, but with a creative "edge,"  think Sports Illustrated or a Gatorade ad.
Don't forget the interplay of coaches, players and fans.  Also a good establishing shot (such as the arena and crowd) will add to the assignment.

Due: 7-15 jpegs.  See the "file specs" blog for file specifications.  Place in a collection labeled "Sports" in your Lightroom catalog.