I’m not exactly sure how to start this one.1
3 years ago today, I put out the first article of this newsletter with no goals in mind. I was just writing about something I love.
Those of you who’ve been here from the start know the SaMe OlD StOrY, but I can’t go without saying this. I didn’t like writing. No, actually, that’s an understatement. I hated it. HATED IT. The only reason I started was to share my passion for sports.
When I was sitting in my room writing that first “Who I am” post, I never thought this would grow into what it is today. Never. I still can’t fully wrap my head around it.
This is the one thing I’ve kept going the longest. And I’m happy to say I do not write like this anymore: first post. Go look at it. It’s a time capsule, and yes, the writing got better.
Officially 476 editions in. Hundreds of thousands of views. I’ve met and written with so many amazing people along the way.
But none of it happens without you guys. There was a stretch where I just was never in the mood to write, but your comments and your support kept this thing going. That’s when I realized that this isn’t just a “blog” of me writing for myself. It’s a place people actually value, and that means too much to me.
I want to shout out a few people who’ve been a huge part of this.
Jacob Sutton has been here pretty much since day 1. In the early days, I was toast without him. He’s a great friend of mine on this platform, extremely cool, and I’ve learned so much from him. I would even go so far as to say that, without him, this newsletter wouldn’t even exist today. Thank you so much.
Andrew Steele, Neil Paine, Jack Zucker, The Clutch Report, and Red Hot Reds Podcast have all been huge supports this past year, and I really, really appreciate every one of you. You guys always show up, whether you read every article completely or just glance at the words I type on this site.
Scott Appleman and Austin Cornilles, thank you for the frequent collaborations. Working with you two made this newsletter better, and it was just fun.
Can’t leave this section without talking about some inspirations. Doug Glanville is one to admire. Every time I read him, I think, okay, I need to write better. Truly a different insight, and I’m so grateful he’s out here.
Another person to admire is Kyle Van Noy, and it hit different for me personally this year. Anytime I was feeling unmotivated to do anything, all I had to do was go to his page. Really grateful for all of his content.
Matt Lombardo is not on this platform anymore, but he and Tyler Dunne are truly what I model my NFL articles off of. Every NFL piece I write, I’m chasing them a little bit.
I know there are a lot more of you out there, and I’m sorry I can’t get to all of you here. Just know I keep a note of you guys. I really, really appreciate you all.
This year was not my best. Not even close. Yes, I covered the World Cup and the Winter Olympics, but I took a lot of breaks. There were weeks where I’d open the editor, stare at a blank page, and close it. Open it. Stare. Close it. I just couldn’t make myself write.
And I get it if some of you stopped reading. I disappeared for a long time. The numbers definitely slipped this year, and that didn’t go unnoticed, but thank you to the ones who stuck around or came back when I showed up again.
I told you I used to hate writing, right? Now I hate not writing. That’s a weird place to be after 3 years, but here we are.
So here’s my promise. I’m gonna write more. Year 4 is the year I show up.
I always do a goals section, so here it is.
Year 4:
Get to 600 QUALITY articles.
Collaborate with at least 10 writers this year.
Maybe add a writer or two to the team?
Launch a Sports Square tool (in the works, coming very soon)
Cover at least one event live
Thank you for 3 years. ❤️
- Smayan
I’m very serious. I was up until 2 AM writing this. I started at 8 PM.
Congrats Smayan! Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next year - happy to have been a part of it!