42 Publications Paying for Sports & Outdoor Adventure Writing

42 sports & outdoor adventure publications paying writers right now (with rates included).

✍️ 65 Highly Paid Calls for Pitches & Freelance Writing Jobs

We recently shared 65 new pitch calls & freelance writing jobs.

Three writing gigs from the latest board, all paying writers properly:

✍️ $1.25/word (+ $750 flat for essays) — pitches to a science history magazine uncovering little-told stories and historical angles on today's topics
✍️ $500–$600+ — essays, columns, and features for The Cut's ongoing conversation with women about politics, work, relationships, and equality
✍️ $75–$125/hour — freelance copywriting/design work for a voiceover artist's website

✍️ 65 Highly Paid Calls for Pitches & Freelance Writing Jobs

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Looking to pitch your next sports feature, adventure narrative, or gear investigation?

Today we’re sharing a brand new roundup of publications that pay for sports and outdoor adventure writing. These outlets span football, cycling, triathlon, golf, climbing, running, sailing, surf, and well beyond.

Whether you cover elite athletics with a sharp analytical edge, write vivid first-person adventure stories from the trail or the water, break down tactical football with authority, or profile the characters that make sport worth watching, you’ll find outlets here that are actively commissioning fresh voices and original perspectives.

Each listing includes pay rates (sourced directly from published guidelines or noted as writer reports where applicable), direct links to pitch guidelines or editorial contact pages, and a clear breakdown of what each outlet actually commissions.

If you have insights into specific details, or if you’ve been offered different terms than those listed here, please let me know by replying to this email or by messaging me on Substack.

42 Publications Paying for Sports & Outdoor Adventure Writing

CYCLING & ADVENTURE: Adventure Cyclist is devoted to bicycle travel, publishing longform narratives, gear‑and‑route features, and service pieces for touring and bikepacking enthusiasts. Pay usually runs at a little less, but some writers have reported $1/word and up for more substantial work. Pitch guidelines here.

FISHING: Sport Fishing is open to pitches. This magazine is geared to serious saltwater fishing around North America and at times beyond. That means bluewater and reefs; nearshore (inlets and off beaches) and inshore (bays, flats and backcountry). We publish nine regular issues per year (monthly January-June; bimonthly July-December). Material in Sport Fishing should provide useful information about saltwater fishing, which is new/fresh/different; specific/in-depth and accurate. Pays as much as $1500 for print features, though only $200-$300 for digital. Guidelines here.

RUNNING: Runner’s World publishes stories about every aspect of running, from tips on how to get started to training plans for competitive runners aiming for a new PR and everything in between. They speak to all runners: beginners, high school athletes, joggers, experienced competitors, casual runners, sprinters, trail runners, and those who run ultra distances. Their audiences respond best to stories that explain how to better themselves as runners. Pay is consistently $1/word, and you can find pitching guidelines here.

BACKPACKING: The focus of Trails is on backpacking and other human/naturally-powered means of sleeping outdoors: bikepacking, canoe camping, even things like rafting or mountaineering are fair game (feel free to be creative with those criteria---they covered “skatepacking” in Issue One). Articles where the geography is really just the setting of a different story (profiles, adventure stories, etc.) have flexibility with place, but North America is their preference. Features range from $0.50-$2/word. Guidelines here.

MEN’S HEALTH & LIFESTYLE: Men’s Health publishes features, service packages, and narratives about fitness, nutrition, mental health, style, relationships, and culture. They are known to pay between $1--$2/word for print features that blend expert‑backed advice with engaging storytelling. Masthead and contacts here.