My name is Jesse Golomb and I like sports.
Of course, I am not alone.
As a sports fan, I’ve been looking for something for a while: a place to read and discuss compelling sports opinions; a site that eschews the quantitative nature of the 24/7 media (get me more content! now!) in favor of quality fan perspective.
Here too, I know I am not alone.
So I did something about it.
Welcome to how sports media should be.
Welcome to TheFanManifesto.
At TheFanManifesto, we are simply in the business of being fans. And as fans, we’re not beholden to the dollar. We don’t publish anything just for the sake of it, or provide sensationalistic opinions just to double our clicks and advertising revenue. We want you to believe what we’re saying because we believe it. Not because Skip Bayless told us so.
What we offer here is something that — incredibly, against all odds — can’t be found elsewhere on the internet; a destination for level-headed sports fans searching not for regurgitation, but for analysis. A forum for our writers and our readers to write and incite compelling arguments.
For the past 18 months, I’ve poured my life into this website. I’m not going to lie to you: it hasn’t always been easy, and we – not surprisingly – haven’t always reached our ideal of an opinion-driven site that stays rational and controversial at the same time.
But we’re working at it. And as we move forward, more and more people are devoting themselves to the fulfillment of that ideal.
Everyone that writes for our site believes in our brand and our message. See, I’m always surfing the web, keeping an eye out for writers who might have an eye for what we’re doing here. Because no matter who we take on our how many writers do work under our masthead, all of us have one thing in common: a commitment to provide you with unique, original and evocative content on a daily basis. And to do so in a readable, reactionary and rational manner.
Nowhere else on the web will you find what attempt to we offer here. The Big Boys (SI, Yahoo, ESPN, FoxSports) are news aggregators that offer a few columns a day on each respective sport. As a visitor to BleacherReport, how do I know which pieces are professional and worthwhile, and which are SEO crap?
Here, you’ll never find regurgitated news reports, tired story angles or disingenuous perspectives. Sensationalism and overreaction lie by the wayside. Nothing about how last night’s two interception game means its Tebowtime. Nothing about how LeBron James needs to be traded. Nothing about one win portending 25 more.
It’s not contrarianism. At FanMan, we like to attribute that adjective to common thinking. For all the talk about how the mainstream media is agenda-driven and corrupted by sensationalism, the coverage of our pastimes have been infected as well.
The perpetuation of the 24-hour news cycle requires the creation—or at the very least, the unnecessary expansion—of stories and angles that may not have merit. For everything that ESPN does well, a visit to the company website often requires one to wade through a giant pile of Wally Matthews to get to what they want.
At FanMan, we look to distill this oversaturation into a digestible interface and readable, rational and reactionary content. No deadlines, no meddling sponsors and no oversight means that there’s no reason to write anything that we don’t believe in. And with even more on the way, we hope you will keep returning to the site to find more grounded perspectives on the issues that matter to you most as a fan.
So explore. Since we don’t necessarily adhere to the news cycle, most of our content stays relevant long after posting. Examine our long list of Manifestos – opinion-based pieces that serve to settle (or perhaps even start) difficult debates. Follow the FanMan twitter feed (@TheFanManifesto) for shorter-form, quicker-hitting, up-to-the-minute analysis. Take a peak into the sports-specific sections to hone in more on what matters to you.
And keep checking back, as TheFanManifesto will continue to–ahem–manifest itself on a daily basis. Original, controversial and rational content every day. That’s a trifecta that’s almost impossible to come by these days.
But you’ll find it here. So stay along for the ride. Read the arguments and respond in the comments section. Start a debate. Do whatever you please. As an educated Sports Fan, this is your playground, your place to be involved with similarly level-headed diehards.
You are not alone.
This is your Manifesto.
Sincerely,
Jesse Golomb
Editor-in-Chief and Founder, TheFanManifesto