Write and Earn from Sports Journalism: Opportunities to Cover Sports Events and Teams as a Writer
Think about blending your passion for sports with your writing skills? Why not try your hand at sports writing (or perhaps an occasional piece about the topic)? Here's a collection of sports writing markets you can start exploring.
Sports Writing Markets
Discover various publications that welcome sports-related freelance writing.
Adventure Cycling
Adventure Cycling blog is on the lookout for submissions of how-to articles, journey reports, bike overnights, and enticing, historical, or comical stories related to cycling adventures. Payment ranges from $150 to $250 per article, with first-time writers receiving payments on the lower end and regular contributors garnering higher amounts.
Cross Country
Cross Country welcomes contributions of 1,500 to 2,000 words covering topics like paragliding, hang gliding, paramotoring, and related subjects.
Gray's Sporting Journal
Gray's Sporting Journal accepts freelance submissions on sporting topics like shooting, hunting, and angling. They publish four themed issues annually – three focused on fly fishing, upland bird hunting, and big game hunting, and one "Expeditions and Guides Annual." They don't have strict word count requirements, but prefer shorter pieces (1,200 words or fewer) over longer ones. Love poetry? They also accept works up to 1,000 words long. Fees range from $600 to $1,250 for features, $600 for yarns, and $100 for poems.
Gripped
Gripped magazine is open to columns and features on climbing, with features ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 words and paying $250. For their Northern Faces and Area Profiles columns (500 to 1,000 words), payments are $150.
Horse Community Journals
Horse Community Journals accepts content submissions for both print and online editions, covering topics like training, horse health, stable management, and more. Pay rates are negotiated based on individual projects.
Horse Illustrated
Horse Illustrated welcomes submissions of 500 to 1,200 words on subjects like horse training, health, trail riding, rider fitness, and more.
Paddling Magazine
Paddling Magazine, a semi-annual publication catering to kayakers, canoeists, whitewater boaters, and stand-up paddleboard enthusiasts, accepts features ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 words and shorter articles from 400 to 1,000 words.
Runner's World
Runner's World magazine accepts speculative submissions for their departments – What it takes to..., Rave Run, and Life & Times. These articles cover inspirational stories, personal essays, and awesome running experiences.
Sport Fishing
Sport Fishing magazine, which focuses on saltwater fishing mostly in North America, accepts features of 1,800 to 2,400 words, including sidebars. They also pay $750 for print features and $200 to $300 for digital features based on the word count.
Sports Afield
Originating in 1887, Sports Afield covers high-end hunting and shooting, like North American and African big game hunting. Features can extend up to 2,500 words, and they accept 800-1,200 word pieces for their Almanac section (on conservation-related topics). They pay on publication.
Sports Collectors Digest
Sports Collectors Digest specializes in sports card collecting, memorabilia, lithographs, autographs, and more. They accept 600-800 word profiles about “super” collectors and dealers, feature stories, and event coverage. They pay for submissions upon publication.
The Sportster
Primarily focusing on professional wrestling, The Sportster also covers MMA and boxing and pays for freelance contributions.
Trail Runner
Trail Runner accepts freelance writer pitches, with digital articles starting at $200 and print submissions paying $0.25 per word. Rates may increase based on the writer's experience, sourcing, and thoroughness.
Trails Magazine
Trails Magazine, featuring backpacking, bikepacking, canoe camping, mountaineering, and related topics, accepts features ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 words (and sometimes more). Pay varies from $0.50 to $2.00 per word, depending on the project's difficulty, experience, and commitment. Shorter columns (reviews, rubrics, recipes, and essays) pay $0.50 per word.
Triathlete
Triathlete magazine features articles on multi-sport training tips, nutrition, gear, athlete profiles, triathlon-related travel, and news. They don't typically publish first-person stories, with features running from 800 to 1,500 words and news pieces from 500 to 800 words.
Looking for even more writing opportunities in the sports niche? Explore the full writers' market database to find markets tailored to your interests. And remember, the list above is just a starting point – keep searching to discover more opportunities!
- An editor at Adventure Cycling is seeking submissions for cycling-related stories, offering rates between $150 and $250 per article, with higher payments for regular contributors.
- Cross Country welcomes freelance writers to submit articles about paragliding, hang gliding, paramotoring, and related subjects, with submission lengths of 1,500 to 2,000 words.
- Gray's Sporting Journal accepts freelance pieces about shooting, hunting, angling, and related sports, paying fees ranging from $600 to $1,250 for features.
- If you're a freelance writer with a passion for climbing, Gripped magazine could be interested in your columns or features on the topic, paying rates between $150 and $250 for features and $150 for shorter columns.
