Pitches wanted (high school sports) | $500+ per article

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: NARRATIVELY

Deadline: 15 April 2022

What’s the 2022 version of Friday Night Lights? We’re interested in profiling inspiring high school sports teams that have both an unexpected success story and a one-of-a-kind hook. We’re particularly excited about stories featuring skilled young players and/or coaches who aren’t typically represented on the field or in most sports narratives—whether that’s because they have different gender identities, ethnicities, or religious beliefs…and/or because they’re pursuing their passions in a surprising setting. Think a winning all-Muslim varsity girls basketball team in the heart of Texas; an exceptional soccer club made up entirely of teenage refugees; or a Hall-of-Fame pro who’s come out of retirement to coach and mentor an underdog roster.

We’d like to see gripping and actively unfolding stories that profile the ups and downs of a current season and explore what’s at stake for these incredible players and their teams. It’s fine to pitch us now about stories that you’d like to report in the summer, fall or even next winter, as a particular sports season takes shape. The important thing is a focus on drama and intrigue that will grab readers, and an impactful takeaway that shows us how the story may evolve and why it’s relevant right now. As long as the story is surprising and unusual, we’re open to any sport, and while we’re primarily interested in high school teams, we’re open to great pitches about junior high or junior college squads too.

For a more in-depth idea of what we’re looking for, check out some previous Narratively stories about unique sports teams, such as This All-Amputee Softball Team is Changing the Way We Think About Treating Trauma, Is This the Future of Lacrosse?, This Italian Soccer Team Is Made Up Entirely of Refugees and Longshot Dreams and Slapshot Fiends in the Ultimate ’90s Pro Sports League. 

These can be first-person pieces about your own experience or reported stories. Pay starts at $500, with room to go up for more ambitious stories. Pitches for this theme are due by 4/15/22.

For more details on what we like to see in a story, please review our guidelines here and pitch your story over at Submittable.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Submissions: Via Submittable
• Website: https://narratively.com

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Narratively is a media platform and production company that celebrates the diversity of humanity through authentic storytelling. Its network of talented journalists and storytellers come to Narratively with the passion projects they care about most—having combed the world’s big cities and hidden corners for the characters and narratives that mainstream media aren’t finding. More information here.
• Browse through its selection of recent articles/stories, categorized into: Crime and Punishment, Culture, Environment, Family, Identity, Sex and Relationships, Travel, Women, etc.
• Review the submission guidelines here.
• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.
• Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a paragraph highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.

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