How should I go about submitting sports journalism pieces to editors?

I have heard that a good way to get your feet wet in sports journalism is to submit creative and quality work to editors in hopes that he/she will give your work a chance. Is it really that simple though? Will writing a good piece of my choice really have a chance (no matter how small) of getting published? Are there any guidelines? I obviously have little to no experience here, so any info would be appreciated.