Brands like Rapha and Patagonia often utilise long-form formats to tell stories. The Patagonia website features a range of long-form documentaries. One of the top results, Seeking South, clocks in at just shy of 55 minutes long. Meanwhile through Rapha’s YouTube channel, you can find short films such as Migration, a 20-minute documentary about the Migration Gravel Race, a four-day offroad bike race in the Maasai Mara.
While these two brands have invested in long-form storytelling for years, others are placing fresh focus in this area. Just eight months ago, Adidas released a feature-length documentary about the Predator football boot, featuring voices like David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Jude Bellingham. More recently, Nike launched an official account on Substack, the publishing platform known for long-form, editorialised pieces, typically published by independent writers or creators.
Called In The Margins, the account refers to itself as “a new home for sports writing”. The content is highly personal to each writer, with pieces about the endurance of motherhood (from journalist Sarah Cristobal), to the repetition of sporting routines (from writer and researcher Kennedy Jones).
“People are increasingly craving depth and intentionality,” says Matthew Kneller, global senior director of storytelling communications at Nike. “Newsletters, podcasts and long-form writing offer a pause from the scroll, a chance to reflect instead of react.” Nike’s move to Substack is the brand’s opportunity to (hopefully) offer this moment of pause in the sporting world.