Having graduated in History and Politics from the University of Edinburgh in June 2020, I found myself in a state that is shared by so many other young people today of ‘what now?’ For recent graduates, the current Covid-19 has brought with it a whole set of new anxieties which go far beyond pandemic health concerns. Internships have been cancelled, the job market looks utterly bleak, and in sport the prospect of filled stadiums seems like a far-stretched dream. Therefore, I decided, after many years of wanting to, that lockdown was the time to set my mind to writing and creating this platform.
For me, sports writing is saturated with articles on Ronaldo’s exploits in the Champions League or McIlroy’s in the Ryder Cup. Whilst this is obviously necessary and interesting, I realised there was a gap enabling general sports fans to read about everyday people, in a variety of sports and disciplines. I strongly believe that, for example, a story about a local cricket groundsman is just as important for the game as a story about Ben Stokes. On top of this, reporting on women’s sport, disability sport and minority sport is far too scarce and as such, I want this blog to help ‘level the playing field’. I’ve always loved sport at its most basic level but found myself increasingly engaging with the wider societal themes that sport often throws at us as well, exploring how sport can both illuminate and potentially even help remedy some of society’s predicaments. People by their nature can be too happy to shield themselves in their own personal bubble. Take the ‘Arsenal fan’ who reads an Arsenal blog every day, or a ‘golf fan’ who unconsciously clicks on the golf section of BBC Sport as soon as they go on the internet. I want to create a blog which encourages people to disregard their preconceptions, expanding their horizons. I want to explore stories which link all levels of seemingly divergent sports together, and further entangle with wider societal themes.
Although I am passionate about sport I don’t profess to be a sports expert, a master wordsmith, or the next global ‘influencer’, but I do want to write about stories that matter to the sports community and beyond. My aim is to shed light on those unsung heroes, those key actors behind the scenes and the local game.
Therefore, I’m seeking to take a thematic approach to sports writing which applies at all levels of the game, all sports, all genders. This blog aims to ‘level the playing field’ in sports writing both in terms of who and what we’re writing about, but also who and what we’re writing for.
The Level Playing Field 