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The story behind
the Journal.
Why we cover sport the way we do — slowly, seriously, and from inside the game.
More than just scores
Ironside Sports Journal began at a kitchen table in San Francisco with a simple frustration: the games deserved better than the takes. Founder Ellis Grant, a working sports journalist, wanted a publication that treated athletic performance the way great writing treats any human endeavour — with curiosity, patience and respect for craft.
So we built the journal around three questions we ask of every story. What does the science say? What is the strategy behind it? And what does it reveal about the people playing? Scores tell you what happened. We are after everything underneath.
Today our small team of writers, analysts and photographers covers the sports we love — from marathon start lines to night games under stadium lights — publishing long-form features, tactical breakdowns and the untold stories that never make the highlight reel.
Read our stories
What we cover
The Science
Biomechanics, nutrition, equipment and data — the measurable machinery of performance, explained in plain language.
The Strategy
Tactics, preparation and decision-making under pressure, from the dugout to the final-set tiebreak.
The Spirit
Grit, comebacks and character — the human narratives that define athletic greatness beyond any stat sheet.
The Mind Behind the Momentum
Ellis Grant has spent over a decade in press boxes, on sidelines and at finish lines, reporting on the moments that decide seasons. His conviction — that every great performance has a story worth slowing down for — is the founding idea of this journal.
“I started Ironside because I kept meeting athletes whose real stories never survived the post-game quote. The training partner who made the champion. The analyst who spotted the weakness. The community that raised them. Those are the stories we publish.”
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