If you’re looking for opinion, observations and the occasional rant on all things sport, you’ll find it here!
I’m Molly McElwee, a writer and journalist interested in the way sports and culture intersect, in particular how women fit into the sporting world.
I settled on the name But Do You Actually Like Sport? because I cannot count how many times I have been asked this — and I’m yet to find a male colleague who has ever been questioned in a similar way. It might sound ridiculous, but people are still surprised to find a woman dedicating her working life to following sport.
But that’s what I do! I was a full-time reporter for the Daily Telegraph for nearly six years, focusing mainly on women’s sport, tennis and football, alongside a number of Olympic and Paralympic sports too.
I’m now freelance, and have hosted podcasts (Off The Bench and How to Build a Football Nation), written a book about women’s tennis BUILDING CHAMPIONS, and interviewed some of the best names in sport.
I want to take readers on the freelancer ride with me: covering some of the biggest tournaments in the world, lifting the lid on what it’s really like to report on sport for a living — including the less glamorous sides to it! — and telling stories about some of the most incredible athletes and people working in sport.
Why subscribe?
You’re keen to support independent coverage of women’s sport and tennis in particular.
You’re a fan of following how sport, fashion, business and culture intersect.
You’re interested in sports journalism and how everything works behind the scenes.
You like behind-the-scenes insight, exclusive interviews, guest opinion pieces and my personal takes on being a woman working in a male-dominated environment.
If you want to go one step further, I’d love it if you would consider becoming a paid subscriber to But Do You Actually Like Sport?.
It will go a long way to supporting me and the work I do, including getting onsite at matches, tournaments and events, where I can bring you the best insight possible.
For £3.50 per month or £30 per year, you will get:
Access to all of the articles, landing straight into your email inbox
Weekly posts — including exclusive interviews, opinion, and behind-the-scenes action
A monthly recommendation list — with all of my favourite writing, reporting, TV, film and sport from that month
Ability to comment on all posts and message me directly
Full access to the archive
Don’t just take my word for it — here’s what subscribers have said about But Do You Actually Like Sport?
“I supported your work because I like good storytelling and I’m on the lookout for narrative threads that resonate with [the] pursuit of gender equality in tennis, and the improvement of the player (and supporting family) experience of the sport.”
- A happy paid subscriber
“Female perspectives are generally very under-represented in sports journalism and I have enjoyed what I have read of your work so far. I’m in my 50s now and back in the 90s thought seriously about sports journalism and sports science as careers, but was a bit wary of the male dominance. Very glad others have taken the plunge. And I do actually like sport!”
- Another paying subscriber
“The title of your subbie made me laugh out loud and I saw you wrote about Naomi [Osaka]’s title this past weekend which I, too, regard as significant.”
- A paying subscriber
