Yahoo! Sports seeks freelance writers

Yahoo! Contributor Network is looking for freelance sportswriters to write about professional sports teams (MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL) on Yahoo! Sports. We are looking for expert-level contributors to "own" blog-style coverage of one team.

YCN is looking for team-specific contributors -- passionate, knowledgeable contributors who can write about their favorite team.

Successful team contributors:

-Have an intimate knowledge of the organization they cover and their history.

-Are prolific publishers who have their finger on the pulse of topics that diehard fans want to read.

-Are excellent self-editors who are able to follow style guidelines.

-Are active on social media and strive to build their audience.

-Have a unique writing style that is clearly identifiable and engaging to readers.

-Are able to generate topics and ideas on their own.

-Have experience writing for a Web audience.

-Live in or near the area of the team they write about.

We are currently seeking contributors for all pro teams (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL).

Payment is provided on a performance basis, at $1.10 per every 1,000 page views. Contributors may also qualify for occasional Upfront Payment on a per-submission basis. Only the highest-quality submissions will qualify for publication on Yahoo! Sports.

You must have a Yahoo! Contributor Network account to qualify. Use the following link to sign up and create your account. Using this link will qualify you for at least one publishing opportunity:

https://contributor.yahoo.com/join/yahoosports_ysj

Once you sign up, filling out your profile to reflect your expertise and background related to this topic may increase your chances of further publishing opportunities through the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Be sure to "confirm" your account to ensure you are eligible. US citizens only; PayPal account is required to receive payment.

 

At that $1.10 rate, it could be tough to "own" a cup of coffee, let alone a major sports beat.

 

Wouldn't even pay for parking or lunch/dinner at a game.

 

If we knew the rough average per page view for these blogs, say over a week or month, it would be easier to judge if this is worth the time or just a hamster spinning his wheel. Can Yahoo or anyone else give us a guess?

 

I wrote 10-15 stories for this mill a few years ago. Back then, it was Associated Content. I received $15 an article and had a limit of three articles per month. I also received the $1.10 per 1,000 hits. But I didn't get many hits until Associated Content began partnering with Yahoo Sports. My stuff started to appear on the Yahoo Sports site, and I got more hits. Suddenly, I was making the flat $15 plus another $5-$15. Then Yahoo bought out Associated Content, and they stopped paying the flat rate. That's when I stopped writing. It has been two to three years since I wrote anything for this mill, but I still receive a few bucks a month. I guess some of my old articles are still getting hits.

It would be easy for sportswriters to discredit this site. But you probably can earn as much as you might earn covering a prep football game, and the time investment is similar. Plus, it's a digital byline that might serve some purpose down the line.

 

To make $55 (use that as a figure for covering a high school football game), you would need to get 50,000 hits.

 

Correct. It's relatively easy to get 30,000 hits since the stories appear on the Yahoo Sports website. Most of those hits come in the first 30-60 days.

 

Not worth the time unless you think getting a byline with Yahoo! is worth the effort and limited pay. Could be a good tradeoff for a younger, ambitious scribe.