11.24.19 — The DW Sunday Column: The Athletic…An Unusual Offer Turns into a Good Idea
The Athletic is exactly what Phoenix sports fans needs — they just don’t know it yet.
Between work and home, I get about 500 emails a day. For some reason, this one caught my attention: …If you like reading and listening to everything our Athletic Arizona staff has to offer, you’ll love meeting them for a beer.
They didn’t even advertise the bonus feature: a special appearance by the successor to Condoleezza Rice.
So, here is the deal…The Athletic is an online sports page that has been around for a few years. They charge a subscription of approximately $5 per month and a yearly rate that is a pretty good deal. There are no ads. The look of the menu and other essential features of the page receives high grades. But what separates them is the writing. The experience and quality of their staff are off the charts. These guys are good.
Sports writing is not just about writing…it is about finding the news, finding the little things that no one else notices and writing it in a way to make readers care. (From what I know) it sucks up your life, you are always on the clock, each time a player does or says something stupid, it is time to work. And, holy cow, to go to games on weeknights, weekends, and Holidays … on the road, at home through the traffic…that takes dedication.
To me, it was intriguing to meet these writers.
So, what did I do with the email invitation? I must admit it felt a little weird, like the scene from Field of Dreams, where there were two competing arguments ….in my situation, “the little voice” was saying, “if you go, column material will come for at least two or three weeks.” It eventually beat my other voice that was saying, “if you don’t go, you have column material for one week, that would ask: why the heck would these great writers invite any random dude for a beer?”
Voices aside, I took the bait. I went. I was pleasantly surprised…on a lot of fronts.
· Surprised that the event existed.
· Surprised that we actually did get a free beer (they weren’t kidding).
· Surprised that the writers genuinely seemed like they were good with hanging out with a bunch of random strangers whose ticket to this game was as easy as a five buck per month subscription.
· Surprised by their candid and honest conversations. (Not telling you what was said, since I did not tell them that they were talking “on the record”).
· Surprised that one of the writers agreed that Jacoby Ellsbury, a Phoenix area resident, would be a good fit for the 2020 Diamondbacks. (After all, he does need a job).
· Surprised that one writer thought Larry Fitzgerald might no longer be worth at least $11 million a year. (c’mon, I am with Michael Bidwell, pay him whatever the heck he wants as long as he wants).
· Surprised that the hockey writer guy wears a dress suit to the games he covers, and our sports bar event, and that he thought he was going to make it through traffic to Glendale, from downtown, in the rain in time for the Coyotes game that night.
· Surprised that my nomination of Kevin Kolb did not get consideration as a top five candidate for the worst contracts in Arizona history (c’mon, it was a $63 million deal… $20 million guaranteed…and he produced nothing).
· Surprised that the guy who talks to Herm Edwards on a regular basis, asked me what I think about Edwards — should he stay or go? (He should stay).
· Surprised that my theory that the Arizona Diamondbacks having an agreement with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community was not met with the writer saying, “genius, let me get my notebook out…tell me more.”
· Surprised that one writer thinks the Arizona Diamondbacks are a small market team. (come on, we are the 12th largest TV market; the fourth most populous county…what does it take to be considered big-time?”)
Mostly, and this is serious: I was NOT surprised about the reason for this event. Generally, (not officially) the staff wanted to reach to their paying audience and get their feedback for the question everyone that cares about the writing profession is asking:
How can I grow my audience? How can we use this beast of the internet to be noticed and recognized?
Since moving to Arizona nearly 20 years ago, I have read columns and articles from at least five of The Athletic writers on a regular basis. During these 20 years, I don’t remember an invitation for a beer.. It makes me wonder how many subscribers of The Athletic there are in Phoenix. I wish I knew. I wish I could find out how many reads each article on The Athletic (in Arizona) because when I see the comments at the end, either readers don’t like to write, or readership is low. Or, dang — never thought of this … maybe $5 a month is enough to phase out the trolls…
If, and I say, if…readership is low…there is no reason their work should be in obscurity. None.
My subscription to The Athletic was solely based on two things: A big-time discount. Also: many stories on the internet seemed to credit The Athletic with an interesting story, a scoop, or both. When I started reading, I had no idea that there was an Arizona staff. I had no idea that this is where former Arizona Republic writers Doug Haller, Scott Bordow, and Zach Buchanan bolted to. The way the industry is, I just thought all the staff changes were the result of layoffs.
Ah, so maybe that was the point…grab a beer with us, and get the word out. Interesting. Cool. A good idea.
Most fun, and interesting, though…was the thought-provoking question that was asked by “the boss” …Jay Dieffenbach…after a compliment, “you are our target demographic” …he wanted to know “how can we get more like you to subscribe?”
Oh Jay, I have ideas. Opinions. Lots of them. But, why would I put them here, now? I mean since I hauled myself downtown, I need to at least get another column…or two… out of this….so stay tuned …
Oh, can’t leave you hanging on this one: How did I meet the replacement for Condoleezza Rice? Well, in attendance was a writer I read for many years, Paola Boivin (she is married to Jay)….like I stated, sports writing is so much more than just writing…I admired her being part of an (mostly) all-male profession who wrote smart and intelligent articles. She was best when she wrote about stories outside the lines and dug into the human element of sports. It was a pleasure to meet her and talk with her for a few minutes.
Still not sure of the Condoleezza Rice connection? Well, Boivin is now a professor at Arizona State. She was recently picked for the prestigious College Football Playoffs panel of 13. Who was the only other women on the panel…that she “replaced”…? Condoleezza Rice.
Who knew? One of the many surprises.
References — Credits — Links — Sources
Kevin Kolb contract details: https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2011/7/28/2300965/kevin-kolb-trade-cardinals-contract
Information on Boivin: https://asunow.asu.edu/20180117-asu-news-paola-boivin-college-football-playoff-selection-committee
Phoenix TV market: https://www.stationindex.com/tv/tv-markets
Maricopa County population: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/popest-metro-county.html
