The 2022 Men’s World Cup is fast approaching, and it appears that once again—despite women announcing on national channels, despite genders other than men writing about women’s football—voices from the margins will be absent from coverage of this Cup. Given the host country’s host of problems, including criminal penalties for homosexuality, alongside horrific assaults on women and on territorial integrity conducted by participating nations, as well as the general rise of right-wing ideology throughout the world, it is more important than ever to lift up those who are rarely heard.
Unusual Efforts is taking steps to correct this problem. We want to tell your stories, in your words. We are tired of the majority of World Cup coverage being provided by men and centered on privileged countries. We want to hear stories from all areas of the globe. We want to know what you think about players, coaches, and squads, yes, but we want to hear about how you celebrate and how you grieve, and the cultural context that surrounds it. And we want to hear it from women, cis and trans, and non-binary and gender-fluid individuals.
BUT! You say, BUT I have so much going on during the World Cup! Well, worry not. What we want is for you to join our #Effortista network by filling out this form. We will then use your words to tell your story via retweets and Instagram stories. In other words, if you’re posting on social media already, there’s nothing else you need to do except consent to letting us retweet/repost your work (with credit, of course!).
Want to do more? We’ll be accepting short-turnaround stories throughout the World Cup, posted with only the barest of editing to be sure your voice shines through. DM us a Google Doc link or send to the email in our profile, and we’ll get you published. Short articles net you 15 USD. We know how difficult it is to get a start in soccer media, so consider this an opportunity to point to published articles.
More than that, though, the 2022 Men’s World Cup #Effortista Network is an opportunity to showcase the stories that won’t be found in traditional media. It’s a radical, subversive, and joyful way to counteract the fact that the same voices and the same tales are told again and again. Sign on using the form, and spread the word to as many potential Effortistas as possible. Let’s make sure all voices are heard!
