Credentials Only
Ep. 3: Simon Cambers
Updated: May 12, 2020
"I always thought that having a grounding in another, more general area was good for being a sports journalist. Maybe I’m being sort of pious about this stuff, but if you only know sport and only talk about that, you cannot bring anything from outside your life into your writing."

Simon Cambers studied government and sociology at university, but his professional life has seen him cross the globe as a sportswriter, spending most his time as a freelancer. Over the years, his coverage has included cricket, golf and soccer, with the most recent years being dedicated to writing about tennis.

Being a freelancer is a different animal than simply being on assignment for a single publication. For Simon, being opportunistic has been a key to building a successful career as a freelancer. He does share that there is certainly a little bit of luck that comes into play as well.
In this episode, Simon talks about the challenges of balancing multiple assignments for a variety of outlets during a single event, how he generates ideas to pitch to editors, his preparation for interviews and touches on what Americans should know about gambling on sports.
Below are Show Notes from Episode 3 with Simon Cambers.
Simon Cambers
• History of horse racing in BritainÂ
• History of golf in Scotland
• England's football (soccer) team
• Grand NationalÂ
• FA CupÂ
• WimbledonÂ
• 2019 ICC World Cup Final highlight
• 2019 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Championship, long highlight Â
• 2019 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Championship, short highlight
• One Day in JulyÂ
• Greg NormanÂ
• Tom WatsonÂ
• Diego MaradonaÂ
• Great Brazilian footballersÂ
• PeleÂ
• SocratesÂ
• AldairÂ
• ZicoÂ
• John McEnroeÂ
• 1984 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Championship, NY Times
• Premier League on Sky SportsÂ
• Premier League access issues • Phil MickelsonÂ
• Vijay Singh
• 1987 Toyota Match Play, LA Times Â
• Colin MontgomerieÂ
• Tiger Woods
• 2002 Fed Cup Final, NY TimesÂ
• ReutersÂ
• BloombergÂ
• 2003 ATP Halle DrawÂ
• 2003 Halle final, The GuardianÂ
• Roger FedererÂ
• 2003 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Championship, BBCÂ
• 2006 ATP San Jose Draw (ed note - referenced 2005 on pod, but it was 2006)Â
• Andy MurrayÂ
• Murray wins first career title, The TimesÂ
• Marseille coverage in The TimesÂ
• Marseille coverage in The GuardianÂ
• ESPN.com
• Cambers news article on ESPNÂ
• Cambers feature article on ESPNÂ
• Cancellation of 2020 Wimbledon, ESPN.com • ASAP SportsÂ
• ASAP profile, USA TodayÂ
• British and American spelling differences
• ITWAÂ
• History of Sports gamblingÂ
• Gambling in UK, NY Times
• Gambling in US, SB NationÂ
• Gambling sponsors in Premier League, The Guardian
• Racing Post
• Sporting LifeÂ
SET PIECES
Stephen Fry’s 7 Deadly SinsÂ
Ricky Gervais is Deadly SeriousÂ
Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy GallweyÂ
Inner Game of Golf by W. Timothy GallweyÂ
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre DumasÂ
1980 League Cup Final highlight
Borg at Wimbledon video