Call for Pitches: The Long Game
We are accepting pitches for the upcoming season of The Long Game. The podcast is a co-production of Foreign Policy and Doha Debates and hosted by former Olympic fencer and change agent, Ibtihaj Muhammad.
We’re looking for narrative/plot-based stories that center around an athlete or sports team who helped bring about social or political change. We’re particularly interested in…
- Stories that are set outside of the U.S.
- Stories that center voices of people who have traditionally been marginalized, especially women, disabled athletes and people of color.
- Stories that show the power of sports to bridge divides and bring people together.
- Stories that focus on solutions, not just problems.
Although these stories happen to be set in sports, a deep knowledge of sports is not necessary. We’re not interested in what happens on the field, Instead, we focus on issues that are much larger and more universally important. Issues addressed in Season 1 include women’s rights in Afghanistan, how a former NFL player is trying to bring diversity and inclusion to the environmental movement, and how the success of Liverpool soccer player Mo Salah led to a decrease in Islamophobia.
Each episode will consist of a single story of approximately 25-30 minutes in length. Episodes should be deeply reported and consist of multiple voices/interviews.
We anticipate that reporting will take place remotely and/or locally.
Our rate is $3500. Deadline for pitches is Friday, May 27.
Pitch me at [email protected]. Please put “The Long Game pitch” in the subject line, so I’m sure to see your email.
Include links to your best narrative audio work along with 2-3 paragraphs that describe a strong, central character and a clear narrative arc.
And if you’re having trouble coming up with a great story idea, but you believe you have the skills necessary to produce an episode for us, please get in touch. We’re working on a list of internally generated story ideas, and we will be commissioning reporters to produce them.