Thousands of sports writers but, only one of me
Many writers and journalists can deliver news just like many footballers can play football. In the world we are living in it's not just about news and football though. It's about so much more.
Building up the game to this story
Before we jump into the good stuff that is the actual football, the xtandthensome, let's keep building on the start of this story. This starting-a-substack-thing is a story with chapters. The real football will start with a follow-up from our latest episode of PlaymakerTV about FC Barcelona player and Swedish international Fridolina Rolfö, but let's hold on to that for a couple more days.
Or shall we call this Substack a journey? Story vs journey. Hmm. We'll wait to decide about that. I haven't had enough coffee today to think straight, and I'm still disappointed that the closest salad bar (which I often go to pick up lunch) to my office here in Linköping has stopped selling Pepsi Max and now only offers Coke Zero.
What writers and footballers in the women's game can have in common
So, while the men's World Cup is being played in Qatar, one thing is clear - this world is not easy. Football and politics, football and human rights, football and religion, football and culture or just football? Navigating this landscape is anything but easy. I'm not saying it is like this, but to me, the world seems more divided than ever, and it keeps me thinking, where should we go from here?
A big part of me will admit that my knowledge about several aspects of the world is lacking and that I'm privileged in many ways. The learning curve is steep, and I will enjoy the ride.
My passion for women's sports and football, in general, has also got me thinking about why I feel privileged. Like I told you, I'm doing all this in my spare time simply because it's that much fun.
Whenever I want to try something, I do it; when I try something, I want to be good at what I do. I tend to be a little bit obsessed. Here's where I usually start to think about how I will get to where I want to be and who I want to be.
The privilege? I had a full-time day job when I started getting into women's football so that I could do all this for free. Women's sports and football feel like a smörgåsbord (this is what we say in Sweden when we have a lot to choose from), so the only problem is knowing where to start.
A footballer that wants to reach the stars to earn a career in the women's game has probably started for free, too, just like me. It might be what some journalists and writers have in common with some footballers. We keep going for free without earning a dime just because we love the game but look at us now.
Since I feel privileged, I have decided to take the 1 % pledge at Common Goal.
It's OK to be you
I don't have to be anything but myself - always. I don't have to change to become who or where I am today, and this is why I choose to pledge 1 % of my income to Common Goal and the Play Proud cause. I do it for every human being who feels they have to be someone else to succeed - as a player or a sports writer doesn't matter - everyone needs to think and feel that it is OK always to be themselves. Life should not be a theatre where you have to play a role all the time to fit in.
Thousands of people can report the news, but only I can tell MY stories. Either people will like how I tell the stories, write articles, and produce my podcast with Amanda, how I interact with Jesper when we do PlaymakerTV or how I express myself on social media. Or they won't. I'm comfortable with that.
Adding to the story
It is fascinating that today, looking at what is happening in the women's game, things aren't always just about football itself. It's about the stories on and off the pitch, where everyone in the game sometimes needs to share more, share something else, and be more comprehensive to add to the stories.
Both organizations and individuals are brands today. Commercial or personal? That doesn't matter. People want it all. The question is - how much and how do we work with it?
What we all have in our tool-boxes
People tend to like genuine more than made-up stories. I love communication, and that's why I work with it. As a writer and as a communication strategist, I like to set up goals and then analyze my work.
Doing that makes it easy to see what works and what doesn't. That gives me options to choose from when navigating. Communication is an essential tool in my box and is free to use. But just because it's free doesn't mean everyone is good at it.
When communicating something, you must study the topic or cause close to knowing what you are talking about. So, again, many of us can tell news and stories, but not all of us are good at communicating them.
I am here to get better every day at communicating. But I am here also to get better at telling football stories, leading to the fact that I am trying to understand the game itself daily.
The following "chapter" will hopefully include parts of what I have learned.
Stay tuned for the "Scouting Fridolina Rolfö" chapter. From now on, let's get nerdy. Remember that this will be a mix of communication and football from now on.
smörgåsbord resonates well with me! look forward to reading your work...