Sam on Sport - A Reflection So Far

An insight into my initial adventures as a blog writer.

Sam on Sport - A Reflection So Far

This weekend marks six months since I started on my blog writing adventures. I had always been keen to put pen to paper and talk about my passion for sport (and occasionally other things) and the time arose where I needed to put my mind to something as a distraction from other things life threw at me. It genuinely has been quite life changing.

Initially, my mission statement was to write about my own sporting memories and to reflect upon moments in my own life that were happening at the same time. The triumphs and failures of athletes can have a big impact on the mood of the average person, giving us a lift when we are down, providing an escape from humdrum reality of everyday life and, also, putting us in a mood when things don’t go the way we would have liked. Emotions are a powerful thing, and sport helps us to feel a whole range of them.

Largely, I have continued to work within the boundaries of this statement although I also strive to keep my articles relevant to current events and occasions so there have been times where my memories of the sport have taken centre stage over the comparisons to my own circumstances at the time. I am keen to try and keep the balance though as I feel that bringing my own life stories into the mix not only makes my blog a little different to others but also makes my articles a little more relatable. Hopefully you agree.

I started out on the Wordpress platform but shortly after this decided to switch to Substack (there are still some articles that I haven’t transferred across yet but I hope to do this soon just so everything is in one place) as it seemed to work better for my needs of getting my writing out there and engaging more closely with others within the blogging community. One of the greatest pleasures that I have taken from writing so far has been the connections that I have managed to make with different people, both new and old, and the comments that people have made about my work and their own memories that have been sparked by it. In essence, this is what I was trying to achieve in the first place so it is lovely to hear about it when it works.

Regular readers will know that I love a list, and it is nice to see what others think. Debate around sporting history and where the achievements of athletes rank compared to those of others is one of my favourite things about being a fan. One of my visions for the future is to have the blog become even more interactive, with people perhaps responding with lists of their own so that comparisons can be made. Something for me to work on.

My goal was always to write an article a week, usually posted on a Saturday, and over the course of six months I have only missed this once when I was ill. Even when on holiday or attending other events, I am determined to get my content out there, not only because people seem to have enjoyed it but also because it is something that I love doing and has become an important part of my routine. Even though I don’t have as much time as I would like to do research to add even greater depth, and the fact that my blogs are often written with my children climbing all over me or when I am hiding in the bathroom to get five minutes peace, I still find joy in putting words on the page.

A couple of months into my writing adventure, things took a slightly unexpected turn when I was introduced to Graeme at Sports4Cast through my cousin Andrew. I had been looking for other outlets to share my writing and Graeme kindly gave me some time and listened to my ideas. As well as working alongside some world-renowned sporting institutions, Sports4Cast uses data to look at sporting events and determine likely outcomes. We decided to embark upon a project throughout the Euros where I would use the data that the Football4Cast (one of the Sports4Cast subsidiaries) algorithm generated and provide previews and reports for each of the games.

When I took on this challenge, I don’t think I quite anticipated the true scale of the task, and some days I was writing four match previews and four match reviews as well as having to watch virtually every minute of the tournament so that my writing was accurate and relevant. All of this alongside balancing my normal working life and trying to keep my wife and children happy! I managed to get myself into a good routine though and the project certainly helped me to build my faith in my abilities to respond to events quickly and meet deadlines. It also helped my own blog writing as in the initial stages it would sometimes take me a couple of weeks to write an article whereas now I usually manage in just a few hours.

Following on from the tournament, Graeme and I are still working together and I am writing weekly match previews for the English Premier League, again based on the Football4Cast algorithm. If you have not checked out the Sports4Cast website then I suggest you do so as there is a wealth of information there, particularly if you are interested in the data side of things. I cannot thank Graeme enough for his support of my work so far and through this link I have managed to get my writing seen by a far greater range of people. Long may our partnership continue!

Also check out the website at: https://sports4cast.com

So from the initial one article a week, I now find myself writing two on a regular basis. However, although sport takes centre stage in many aspects of my life, it is not my only passion. I have always been a massive pop culture fan and am very into a wide range of things from music and film, to comics, to art, TV and toys. In essence, I think it’s fair to say that I’m probably a bit of a geek. In future I would like to bring more of these things into my writing as well, and have tentatively dipped my toe into these waters with a couple of articles on music that I have written recently. Again, I received positive feedback and the only thing currently stopping me doing more is a genuine lack of time. I will try to continue this sporadically for the moment though as I am passionate about expanding. Sam on Stuff has life in it yet.

It has been a rollercoaster of a six-month period and I have certainly learnt a lot along the way. When I posted my first article on Steven Gerrard’s slip at the end of March, there is no way that I could have envisioned where I would be now, writing two articles a week with the prospect of more to come. None of this would have been possible without the support of family and friends helping me to get the word out there. And of course, a writer must also have an audience, and I am incredibly thankful for those of you who take the time to read my articles each week. Please continue to read and enjoy, and please spread the word to others. All I really want is for my words to reach out and inspire memories in others that provide as much joy as the events have given me in the first place.

Here’s to the next six months and more!