Columnist Rules and Restrictions

* Writing for us is a non-paying position and is strictly volunteer work. Like us, you are contributing due strictly to your love of sports and desire to share your thoughts and writing style with a sizable audience while attaining valuable experience and exposure.

* We reserve the right to edit submitted content as needed or not publish submitted content at all (in rare cases). All submitted content becomes property of Sports Central, with proper credit given to the author. You must receive permission before using your published articles elsewhere, and re-published articles must be published using the same form in which they appear on Sports Central, with credit given to the site and author.

* You are required to submit an article at least once a month, but you are encouraged to contribute more frequently.

Columnist Benefits and Perks

* Worldwide exposure to your work and name. Create a name for yourself on the Internet as an established sports journalist. Use this experience to aid you now and in the future. Experience is valuable.

* You will receive full credit for your story and you will have the ability to receive feedback from readers and interact with your audience.

* You will have the opportunity to collaborate and share ideas with other sports columnists on the staff to improve your skills.

* We have numerous partnerships and deals with similar websites that regularly republish your content, resulting in increased exposure for your work. In other words, your content as a part of Sports Central is most likely to be syndicated on the web to thousands of other sports sites through services such as MoreOver, Topix.net, MagPortal.com, and Google News.

* Columnists have creative freedom and flexibility. We don't force you to write about one specific topic; write about any appropriate topic you desire.

Journalistic Guidelines and Tips

Use good English and grammar skills. Visitors will judge you on your writing style and abilities and no one wants to be looked at as ignorant. You are representative of everyone on staff.

* When you have an opinion about something, be sure to back it up with facts and data. If you claim one team is better than the other, explain why. Backup claims with facts.

* Provide a descriptive, but short and catchy title with your articles. You could have the greatest article ever, but if it is accompanied by a weak title, no one will be interested in reading it.

* Do not use first-person (I, me, myself, etc.) in article introductions. Instead, make your introduction informational and enticing to readers and 3-4 sentences in length. Follow the example of other already-published stories. It is okay to use first-person in your article body, however.

* To maximize readability, break your work into paragraphs of 3-4 sentences. Avoid large chunks of text because it makes it more difficult to read in an online format. Do not indent paragraphs and leave an extra linebreak between paragraphs when submitting stories.

Article Topic Suggestions

* News analysis: Take a news story and add your editorial perspective.

* Player/team analysis/profiles: Write a biography of a particular team or player that interests you. Or break down a team or player. But make sure to vary your article topics.

* Player/team rivalries: Talk some trash in an area you feel strongly about, just make sure to back it up.

* Predictions/outlooks: Put it all on the line by making a bold prediction of an event or game. What's going to happen, and why?

* The past: Do the events of many years ago grab your interest? Share your memories and experiences or profile a legend.

* Anything goes: If it's about sports and is written well, chances are, we'll run it. Write about what moves you and you have passion for.

Finally ...

Last, but not least, remember to have fun! We want you to enjoy what you are doing, and if you don't, your work won't be as good as it could be.

If you have any questions, contact us.