The AP in Ohio

OHIO SPORTS

The AP is committed to giving members and subscribers the highest-quality sports report available – fast, accurate, complete and well-written, with a measure of interpretive reporting.

More than 80 staffers in the United States and around the world have earned the title “AP Sports Writer” and focus primarily on covering sports, including Ohio sports writers Tom Withers in Cleveland, Rusty Miller in Columbus and Joe Kay in Cincinnati.

For U.S. members, a digest of top stories moves twice a day nationally and in Ohio. The agate desk, which produces statistical items in table format like league standings or box scores, also produces a daily digest.

OHIO PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

Major League Baseball: 500-word story, optional, box and score
NBA: 500-word story, optional, box and score
NFL: 500-word story, optional, box and score
NHL: 500-word story, optional, sums and score
Soccer: 200-word story, sums
Golf: 450-word story, optional, results list
Auto Racing: 450-word story, optional, results list
Horse Racing: 450-word story, optional, results list on the Little Brown Jug

OHIO COLLEGE SPORTS

We provide the following coverage on games played by Ohio teams in Ohio. We also relay out-of-state game stories and boxes on Ohio teams.

Football
Division I (ranked and Ohio State): 500-word story, optional, box and score
Unranked Division I and Division I-AA: 200 words, box and score
Divisions II and III: Score only

Men’s Basketball
Division I (ranked and Ohio State): 500-word story, optional, box and score
Unranked Division I: 200 words, box and score
Divisions II, III and NCAA: Score only

Women’s Basketball
Division I (Top 10 and Ohio State) 500-word story, optional, box and score
Unranked Division I, all Divisions II, III and NAIA: Score only

Baseball
Scores only

OHIO PREP SPORTS

Ohio Prep Polls
The Ohio AP moves rankings for high school football and boys and girls basketball. The polls are compiled by AP based on votes submitted by AP member reporters and editors from Ohio newspaper and broadcast stations.

Additionally, we move the following sports polls provided by various coaches’ associations: Girls volleyball, bowling, boys tennis, girls tennis, boys cross country, girls cross country, wrestling, softball and baseball.

Ohio Prep Sports
Scores: We file regular-season scores on all high school football and boys and girls basketball games.

Ohio Prep Tournaments
Scores: We file all tournament scores for football and boys and girls basketball.

We file scores and pairings for the following sports at various points in the tournament: girls volleyball (regional tournament), cross country (state finals), track and field (state finals), swimming (state finals), wrestling (state tournament), baseball (regional tournament), softball (regional tournament), boys and girls soccer (regional tournament), boys and girls golf (state tournament), boys and girls tennis (state tournament) and field hockey (state tournament).

Stories and agate: We also provide 100-word stories on the state semifinals in football, and the regional finals in boys basketball and girls basketball. We staff the football, boys basketball and girls basketball tournaments with writers and photographers.

For the other sports, we provide stories and agate on the state finals.

AP SPORTS CODING
CAR – Auto Racing
RAC – Horse Racing
BOX – Boxing
RUN – Track and Field
GLF – Golf
SOC – Soccer
SOF – Softball
TEN – Tennis
GYM – Gymnastics
OLY – Olympics
BKN – NBA
BKL – WNBA
BKC – Men’s college basketball
BKW – Women’s college basketball
BKH – Prep basketball
BKO – Basketball, other
FBN – NFL
FBC – College football
FBH – Prep football
FBO – Football, other
HKN – National Hockey League
HKC – College hockey
HKO – Hockey, other
BBA – American League baseball
BBN – National League baseball
BBM – Minor league baseball
BBC – College baseball
BBH – Prep baseball