I Started a Blog

I know what you're thinking, and I'm thinking it too: Thank God. The day has finally come where you are granted unlimited access to my thoughts and feelings on everything going on in the sports world.

I'm a big believer that a time will come in everyone's life where they are faced with an impossible decision: podcast or blog? Due partly to time constraints, and largely to a lack of experience, technical knowledge, or appropriate equipment, I have chosen the latter.

I'm well aware that I am starting this with zero following, zero background, and zero sense of what actually goes into maintaining a blog. Those factors definitely gave me some pause when I first started toying with the idea of putting my name on something like this for everyone to see. So, I did what anyone would do in that situation- I leaned on a friend for encouragement. Prefaced with the caveat that he was not allowed to make fun of me for the idea, I told my friend, let's call him "Blake", of my plans to start writing a blog. To my surprise, he didn't mock me. Instead, he told me exactly what I needed to hear: "You know enough about sports... might as well put some thoughts on paper". You're right "Blake", I do know enough about sports. Who wouldn't want to know my thoughts on them? After that inspiring pep talk it was just a countdown until the clock struck five and I could shut off the Microsoft Teams app, crack open another Celsius, and get to work.

First order of business: what do I call it? This is a very important decision. It's the front porch of the entire operation. I already have to pay for the domain name, and changing it later would incur another fee, so I have to get it right. There are a few boxes that I think need to be checked with the name. First off, I want it to be something that will really grab the reader's attention- let them know that I mean business. It also needs to be something that gives potential patrons an idea of what they can expect to see. Finally, and most importantly, it has to ensure that the person deserving of the credit and praise for the content of the blog could not be misconstrued. When considering these factors, the correct answer is clear: Jake's Sports Blog. Simple, to the point, and very informative. I went straight to google, entered my credit card information, and fully committed to it without asking anyone I trust for feedback or advice. I assume that's how all great projects are started.

For my entire life, my one true passion has been sports. If you have ever spoken to me, it is likely that most or all of our conversations have revolved around sports. Throughout the day I am constantly consuming sports content of all forms. My phone's screen time is embarrassingly high- I spend hours every day scrolling twitter for sports news, arguing with people about my favorite teams, and reading anything I can find about what is going on in the sports world. When I get off work, I turn on the TV trying to find any game or talk show to watch. I even bring my phone into the shower with me and set it up behind my bottle of soap so I can listen to a podcast while I'm there. It's understandably hard to justify these things to people when they ask me why I have no hobbies or interests outside of work (for the record I also enjoy true crime documentaries and playing with my parent's dogs). With this blog, I am hoping to find an outlet that lets me embrace my unhealthy obsession, and hopefully provide that same channel to other people like me. I have no preconceived notions that my writing will lead to a massive following, notoriety, or any amount of compensation. Rather, this is something that I truly believe I will enjoy doing, and if you read any of my posts, I hope you enjoy it too.