27 Publishers Paying for Sports & Fitness Articles

Writers! Today for you, I have a list of 27 magazines and websites that pay for writing on sports and fitness.

We’ve researched payment rates and contact information for these publishers, so you can easily contact the right editor.

I’m also putting the final touches on our database of over 2,000 publishers that pay writers. easily searchable, organized by category, and also includes a “history” of calls for pitches from publications that I’ve listed in the past. I’m hoping it will be ready in less than two weeks! (If you want early access, please let me know, and I’ll set you up!)

If you’re new to pitching, I encourage you to spend time carefully studying the publications you would like to write for. Learn their style, how they’re organized, the types of writing they publish, and even the general lengths of the articles they publish. Also, pay special attention to the way they write article titles, as this is often vital to the pitch writing process.

Once you’re familiar with the publication, you can brainstorm ideas, and then carefully craft a short pitch to the appropriate editor at the publication. For paid subscribers, feel free to send me a draft pitch, and I’ll give you my feedback.

1. 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. Even if you don't want to pitch them, read the pitch guide anyways. It includes examples of pitches that actually got articles published, turning it into a very valuable resource.

2. Trail Runner Magazine is an off-road running magazine. They offer training advice, gear tips, nutrition information, and more. For digital pieces, their rates start at $200 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.

3. 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. 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.

4. When Saturday Comes is Britain'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. 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. 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. Pitches should be sent to editorial@wsc.co.uk. For more information, refer to this page.

5. 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.” Their standard rate for manuscripts is $0.25 a word. For details, read their submission guidelines.

6. 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 of 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, read their writer’s guidelines.

7. PoolHistory.com is a website about pool and billiards history. They are looking for content related to “the history of American pool, historic players and matches.” They consider both completed posts and original pitches. Submissions are typically of 300 to 400 words. Pay is $50 per accepted submission. To learn more, read their guest post guidelines.

8. 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 an old payment report, they paid $0.17 per word for a 900-word profile or interview. According to a recent Tweet from an editor, they pay 50ish cents per word. Contact them here.

9. 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.

10. 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 7 cents per word. To learn more, visit this page.