How To Create A Wikipedia Page For An Athlete
A Wikipedia page for a sportsman can catapult their online legitimacy. But, how do you go about getting one made?
Wikipedia is one of the largest platforms on the internet today. In fact, it is the 13th most used website in the population of almost 4 billion internet users. It has often flirted with the top three positions, and it should tell you about the legitimacy of the platform. So, it is nothing new that a lot of athletes want their profiles on the encyclopaedia to make sure their names are renowned and considered credible. With Tokyo Olympics on the go, many new athletes are getting their names features on the platform every day. But, is it that easy to get featured on it?
Here’s what we know: there are more than 6.4 million articles on Wikipedia in English alone. With almost 11 hundred administrators keeping a watch at all times, there is no question about the integrity of the information on Wikipedia. However, sometimes there are lesser-known pages that some annoyances might get their hands on and misinterpret the information. But, Wikipedia is certain to remove those irritants, should the situation ever arise, which it does at times. However, for major pages such as for athletes, Wikipedia is always active and ensures that the information is up to mark. So, here is a guide to help you learn how to create a Wikipedia page for an athlete.
What Makes An Athlete Worthy Of A Wiki Page?
One of the major problems that many people make when creating pages for athletes is forgetting the basics to make a page. While we will go into the details later, it is imperative to understand what makes an athlete or sportsperson worthy to be mentioned or have a page on Wikipedia. Without getting too deep with the guidelines, Wiki mentions that it is important that a person is notable only if they are “presumed to be notable if they have been the subject of multiple published, non-trivial secondary sources which are reliable, intellectually independent, and independent of the subject.”
An example of an athlete’s page is Rafael Nadal’s Google snippet. The yellow marks the authority free of subject aka the reliable source. The green marks the personal record or accolade that makes the athlete worthy of their Wikipedia presence.
So, what do you get from that? To make it simple for you, take an athlete for example who is competing in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. For instance, if they are a weightlifter, then their name, as well as their record, will be published by the Olympics committee, aka a reliable source for Wikipedia. Moreover, if they win either of the three medals, then their credentials are improved and they are credible to have a page. In simple words, the subject of your page needs to be renowned on an official level, aka their record needs to be filed by important publishers, news outlets or boars and sports administrations.
How To Create A Wikipedia Page For An Athlete
Now, without further ado, let us dive into the creation process. Bear in mind that it is a lengthy process with a lot of intricacies. So, let us try and keep it as accurate and stout as possible.
1. Create An Account
Wikipedia, much like many other platforms on the internet, has exclusive features available only for the signed-up members. To sign up, the first thing that you need to do is create an account. The most obvious, and perhaps the easiest step of the process is this. You will have to authenticate your account by simply verifying it through your email before Wikipedia grants you access to the editing tools. Once you are done signing up, then your way towards a page begins.
2. Become An Editor (Find Articles To Edit)
While you might create an account, doesn’t mean you get to become an editor. To become a proper editor and understand how to make a Wikipedia page for an athlete, you must prove to be a viable editor. In order to do that, you will have to find articles that require editing. There must be some articles that fall into your playhouse. In other words, find existing articles that you have expertise with and try to edit or add information on them. If your information is permitted, then you will be recognized as an editor by Wikipedia.
3. Find An Article
Once you become an editor for Wikipedia, you will have to find the article for the athlete that you wish to create the page for. Bear in mind, that you can skip this step if you know that your athlete’s page does not exist. Though, if you are unsure and you wish to claim ownership of an existing article, then you should go ahead. Because there are many articles with practically no information. And even so, Wikipedia makes it clear that “Even a subject of an article be that a person or organization, does not own the article”. So, claiming an existing article might be easier and quicker compared to asking for a new one. However, if you do happen to find the existing article for your athlete, then you will have to prove ownership of the title.
4. Create An Article
The welcome screen of the article wizard page, where articles are started and title.
In case of not finding an article for the athlete, you will have to go ahead and create your own. The process is simply described by Wikipedia as something where “new articles are started, titled, formed, stubbed, categorized and developed.” So, you will have to do all of the above. This means you will start a new article in the Article Wizard. After that, you will have to title and form it, as in making sure that it is an athlete\sports related page. Then, you will categorize it accordingly and move on to the next step to develop it.
5. Prepare Content
A side-by-side Comparison of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Wiki page’s table of content and the main pane\key information.
This part of an athlete’s page creation will put you in the article wizard again. Bear in mind the wizard feature of Wikipedia is not only used to create articles but to fill it with content and turn them into proper pages as well. So, what you need to do is prepare your content beforehand and create a draft. This part of the process will put you through the necessary content requirements. You will have to understand that athlete’s Wikipedia pages offer certain information, such as records, achievements, personal life, early days, current standings etc. So, you will have to make sure that you understand those elements of an athlete’s page before you begin to formulate your content.
6. Add Content
As mentioned previously, you will have to create a draft of your content, but this doesn’t mean you have to post a draft. Because Wikipedia suggests that you keep on polishing your content before you post it. This includes keeping on improving the key content, such as TOC or table of content, as well as the main section, aka the first paragraph of the page, as it needs to hold vital information about an athlete. Then, you will have to improve formatting. This part will help you understand the perfect article according to Wikipedia standards. But, if you wish to understand that without reading the myriad of guidelines, then it is simply an article that has no biased information, prejudiced narratives or forced-perspective on an athlete or their achievements.
7. Add Sources
The area marked in Yellow identifies the mention of the source. The italic text indicates the source of the news, followed by a proper citation of the occurrence of the event and retrieval of the information.
One of the keys in Wikipedia page approval is the sources to back up your claim. This means that if you claim a piece of news or record for your subject, you need to have a source to back it up, as mentioned in the image above. So, you need to gather your sources, as it is the key to ensuring that your page goes past the authorisation phase.
8. Apply For Approval
Once you are done, you will have to click on submit the page at the bottom of your draft. Bear in mind, that you need to follow step-7 thoroughly before you go through with this. The more you polish your article, the higher your chances of page’s successful creation will be. On average, it might take a week or two for Wiki administrators to verify the information.
9. In Case Of Disapproval
So, what happens if your page is disapproved? This is not a do or die situation, as you can work your way around it. In case of a page not being accepted, you will be given a reason. Make sure that you work towards that reason and fix the problems to get it right the next time around.
10. Edit And Monitor
Once your page is up and running, keep in mind that it is an athlete’s page after all. The information changes and adds up with time. So, how do you deal with that? By monitoring it every now and then. Moreover, Wikipedia is an open forum and a public platform, which means that your article might be vandalized if not kept updated. So, it is imperative that you check it for misinformation regularly.
How Can You Improve Their Profile?
So, far, we understood that a Wikipedia page requires you to make sure your subject is up to standards for an article’s making. But, with millions of athletes around the globe, how can you make sure that your subject is viable to get their article created? Here are a few things that you can do to improve their profile and their chances of a Wiki page.
· Recognized Sports Accolades
An example of an athlete’s professional achievement, that renders them eligible for a Wikipedia page. In this case, the line “a two-time heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medallist” are the indication of recognized sports accolades.
Every athlete has some sort of record, good or bad. This means that if it is recorded by a professional sports group, press, media or any authorized publication, then it can be used as a source. But, the better your subject’s sports accolades are, the easier it will be to make the page for them.
· Online Presence
An online presence in today’s world can be vital to make an athlete renowned enough to get their own Wikipedia pages. A recent flurry of social media stars is a key example of this. So, make sure you establish your subject’s online presence thoroughly.
· Press Coverage
The easiest way to make your subject eligible for a Wikipedia page is to make sure that they have enough press coverage. It doesn’t matter if it is press or digital media, the more your name is mentioned in any of those press mediums, the easier it will be for you to become eligible for a page.
· Published Work
If an athlete is mentioned in the biography, profile or press release of another renowned athlete, then it also renders them eligible to have a Wikipedia page. For instance, if a famed MMA fighter went against a new name in the industry, then record books will mention them by name. So, that published work makes them credible enough. This is why athletes need to make sure that they gather this information before they create their articles.
What Will You Need Before You Begin?
So, if you are creating a page on your own or creating it for another athlete, then you need to gather the following before you get started:
- Data on the athlete, such as personal life, birthdate\place and basic information
- Record of achievements in their sports
- Personal details such as children, spouses (optional)
- Patience, because you might have to redo a lot of the things
FAQs
What are the essentials to make a page for an athlete on Wikipedia?
The first thing you will need is basic data, such as basic information about the person. Then, you will need their record of achievement, as well as their early days and career information. Then, you will have to develop the profile’s content accordingly.
How long does it usually take to make an athlete’s wiki page?
The time frame of any page’s creation depends on two things: one is the length of the page. So, for a page for an athlete like Ronaldo might take weeks just to gather information. However, for a fairly new athlete with their career in the early days, it might take a day or two to gather necessary information. Regardless, the process on Wikipedia will still take at least 4-5 weeks.
How much research is required to make a Wikipedia page for an athlete?
Once again, depending on the career and length of an athlete’s professional profile, a lot of research might be required. But, it is imperative that you gather the necessary facts, records and published accolades of an athlete to make them eligible for a page.
