the scoreboard is a literary journal for those who liked to play in the dirt and put their hair up in ponytails; who had to play on the teams when there was no team for them or got told that they were ‘too aggressive’. This is a collection of poetry, essays, and short stories by female, nonathletes for athletes to spread the word of power, creativity, and diversity in a male-dominated profession. Dedicated to amplifying the voices that have now just been allowed to scream, the scoreboard explores triumphs, challenges, and the walls that female, nonbinary, and transgender athletes face daily. Sharing narratives of strength, resilience, and achievements of these athletes from all around the world, the scoreboard challenges to destroy the stereotypes, applaud for the victories, and celebrate the vital role sports play in society, both on and off the field.

General Submission Guidelines

Please submit your work by emailing thescoreboardjournal@gmail.com. the scoreboard will not accept work through USPS. We welcome multiple submissions but there is no guarantee all will be accepted. Please submit as a Word document or Google Doc. 

the scoreboard literary journal is looking for writings from all female and nonbinary voices within the sports industry. Submit what you’re unsure about, want a second opinion on, or absolutely love. We want pieces that speak your individual truth and break the glass ceiling. All submissions must be standalone; however, we do accept single poems from larger works.

the scoreboard will not consider submissions that endorse any hate speech including but not limited to: prejudice, racism, xenophobia, fatphobia, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia. We reserve the right to reject such submissions forthright and, even, further submissions from such author. We also reserve the right to remove content from the journal if the author has a past of harassment or abuse. We do not accept plagiarized content or work that has been partially created with AI.

Poetry

Length Guidelines: 5 poems, 10 pages max

Please submit no more than five poems per submission, up to ten pages. Can be in separate documents. Any form or style of poetry is acceptable.

Fiction

Word count: 800-6,000 words

Please submit one short fiction piece at a time. Texts should be double-spaced in 12-point font, Times New Roman. Any genre is accepted.

Personal Essays

Word count: 6,000 words or less

Please submit one personal essay at a time. Texts should be double-spaced in 12-point font, Times New Roman.