Dear Writers,

Here’s a list of eleven publications focused on writing about sports in one form or another.

You’ll note that payment rates vary for each of these publications, with pay ranging from $50 per article, up to $5,000.

If you’re not sure how to approach these publications, please watch this free lecture.

— Jacob Jans

Runner’s World is a magazine and website that publishes “stories about every aspect of running, from tips on how to get started to human interest pieces to training plans for competitive runners aiming for a new PR, and everything in between.” They accept story pitches from writers. According to their health and fitness director, they pay $350 to $5,000 per story depending on length, research/reporting, turnaround time, etc. For more information, refer to their pitch guide.

Defector is a sports blog and media company. They pay at least $1,000 for longer essays and reported pieces, and at least $500 for shorter pieces. You can submit your pitches to pitches@defector.com. To learn more, refer to their pitch guide and freelancer policies.

Adventure Cycling Association publishes articles about bicycle travel and other recreational cycling subjects, and feature-length stories about tour accounts. They also accept shorter pieces for The Final Mile, which are about a singular experience while on a cycling trip, and humor pieces. Their submission period ends on 31 October 2017. Word count: 2,000-3,500 for features; 1,200-1,500 for The Final Mile. Pay: $0.30-$0.50/word Details here.

The Ringer is a major website covering sports and pop culture. They are owned by Vox Media. They also host a wide variety of podcasts. They pay professional rates for the writing they publish. You can send apitch to their editor here.

SimpliFaster is a blog dedicated to athletic speed development. They are looking for original articles for their blog. Topics for articles may include “training, skills (e.g. hurdles, long jump), coaching, recovery, sleep, athlete testing, team management, bio-mechanics, mental preparation, injury prevention and rehabilitation, weight training, physiotherapy, planning, periodization, equipment, and technology.” Their articles are generally 1,500 to 2,500 words long. They pay 6 cents per word. To learn more, visit this page.

Snows Best is the blog “for those in the snow.” They cover recreational & professional skiing and snowboarding around the globe. The editor confirmed that they pay a minimum of $50 for at least some of their articles. To learn more, read their contributor’s page.

Launcher is a section in The Washington Post that covers video games and esports. They are seeking “original reporting — features, profiles, reported analysis and more.” They “want reported stories that reveal some kind of tension.” Target length: 1,000-1,200 words. Pay: $300. To learn how to pitch stories to them, visit this page.

Road & Track is an American magazine for automotive enthusiasts. They cover new cars, car culture, car shows, motorsports, and more. They are looking for pitches for stories. Their rates start at $400. To learn more, read their Twitter post. To contact them, visit this page.

Front Office Sports is “a prosumer publisher at the intersection of two passion points: sports + business.” They cater to sports business executives and sports fans by covering teams, leagues, athletes, properties, and brands. According to one payment report, they paid $0.17 per word for a 900-word profile or interview. Contact them here.

Cross Country Magazine is an international magazine about paragliding, paramotoring, and hang gliding. They publish 10 times a year. They pay €300 for a 6-page article. To contribute, refer to this page.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding is a monthly magazine published by US Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USPHA). Its content includes information about the association activities and articles covering all issues related to free flight. The magazine’s readers are knowledgeable and active participants of the hang gliding and paragliding, and articles must be well-researched and well-written. All article submissions must include photographs or illustrations, or information about where editors can find supporting photography/artwork. Editors buy first-time publishing rights; they do not consider simultaneous submissions. Payment is $35-$150 for 100-2,500-word articles. To find out about payment rates, click on “Contributor Rates” at the bottom of Editorial Guidelines. To learn more, read writers’ guidelines: https://www.ushpa.org/page/editorial-guidelines.