XTERRA is a global lifestyle brand that champions the outdoor enthusiast in their pursuit of relentless adventure. XTERRA stories exemplify one or more of these five values: Adventure, Challenge, Community, Discovery and Sustainability. All pitches must be original and not a reproduction of articles from other publications. Their goal is to provide their readers with unique content tailored to their interests. Pay rates are not mentioned; compensation is discussed once a pitch is accepted. To learn more, refer to this page.
Referee creates content to serve a core audience of sports officials from youth to professional levels. They publish three main types of articles: features, sport-specific articles and columns. All sport-specific articles should be around 500-1,000 words; features vary from 1,500-3,500 words. According to their guidelines, rates are generally three cents per published word, but they may increase depending on how they use the text. To learn more, refer to this page.
Extra Points is “a newsletter about business, policy, and off-the-field stories in college sports.” They’re looking for freelance pitches. They’re interested in “reported stories, personal essays, and interviews in the ‘off-the-field stories in college sports’ umbrella.” According to a tweet by their founder, they pay a base rate of $350. They also give bonuses for driving new subscriptions. Send your pitches to matt@extrapointsmb.com. To learn more, refer to their ‘about’ page.
Trail Runner Magazine is an off-road running magazine. They offer training advice, gear tips, nutrition information, and more. According to their guidelines, their rates start at $200 for digital pieces and for print pieces, rates start at $0.25/word. They are especially interested in hearing from diverse voices (women, BIPOC, LGBT+, etc.). For details, refer to this page.
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, including pitches for features, service (nutrition/health/training), news, and human interest/culture. Rates vary and depend on story length, required research/reporting, turnaround time, and more. According to an old tweet by their health and fitness director, they pay $350 to $5,000 per story. For more information, refer to their pitch guide.
When Saturday Comes is the UK's leading football magazine. Their readers can be generalized as “football fans who, on the whole, like to attend matches and have an interest in the game at any level.” They welcome pitches for articles, and they do not pay for web-only articles. Most of their articles are around 750 words but there are some exceptions, for example, Match of the Month articles are around 1,500 to 1,800 words. According to their guidelines, they pay a standard fee of £75 for 750-word articles. They pay £50 for book reviews and up to £125 for longer articles e.g. Match of the Month. For more information, refer to this page.
Defector is a sports blog and media company. According to their freelancer policies, they pay at least $1,000 for longer essays and reported pieces, and at least $500 for shorter pieces. To learn more, refer to their pitch guide.
Aligned Magazine is a lifestyle journal with a goal to “nourish a community of yoga-inspired individuals through stories, visual essays, and local gatherings.” They “explore the crossroads of well-being, culture, and social responsibility.” They accept articles, essays, cultural criticism, and poetry. According to an old tweet from their founder, they pay $100 per profile. To learn more, visit this page.
Cross Country Skier Magazine is the journal of Nordic skiing. They publish 3 times a year. They want “researched, timely, original ideas with a strong Nordic skiing hook, from current events to prolific characters to unique destinations.” According to their guidelines, the standard rate for manuscripts is $0.25 a word. For details, refer to their submission guidelines.
Triathlete Magazine is the largest newsstand publication that covers the sport of triathlon. Their “editorial focus is placed on multisport training tips and programs, nutrition articles, gear and apparel guides, athlete profiles, triathlon-related travel stories and timely news pieces relating to the triathlon lifestyle.” Their full-length features are generally 800 to 1,500 words. Their news pieces, training articles or nutrition pieces are of 500 to 800 words. According to an old payment report, they paid $0.50 per word for a 500-word FOB. To learn more, refer to their writer’s guidelines.