Page 6 of 9

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:24 am
by tennbengal
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
I will just assume that is gonna be bad.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:30 am
by Nonlinear FC
Should I finally buy a subscription before NYT jacks everything up? (I only read the link/headline.)

About once a month something gets linked over there and I'm tempted.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:34 am
by tennbengal
Nonlinear FC wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:30 am Should I finally buy a subscription before NYT jacks everything up? (I only read the link/headline.)

About once a month something gets linked over there and I'm tempted.
I can't believe you don't already have it. yes, it is worth it. Especially at the specials they keep running. I re-upped at full price with no regrets each of the last two years.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:38 am
by Nonlinear FC
tennbengal wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:34 am
Nonlinear FC wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:30 am Should I finally buy a subscription before NYT jacks everything up? (I only read the link/headline.)

About once a month something gets linked over there and I'm tempted.
I can't believe you don't already have it. yes, it is worth it. Especially at the specials they keep running. I re-upped at full price with no regrets each of the last two years.
I'm just incredibly (weirdly) stingy about monthly subscriptions, mainly because we have (too many) TV subscriptions.

I used to pop for a couple of podcasts, but dropped those many years ago for this reason.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:49 am
by Brontoburglar
uh, they undercut the value of it and sell it for like $10 a year sometimes

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:58 am
by mister d
Well … I’m atleast half-right in that they never viewed this as a long term model.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 11:23 am
by A_B
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:49 am uh, they undercut the value of it and sell it for like $10 a year sometimes
Yeah, I got it for $1.50 a month when I was going to cancel. But I admit I don't visit the site every day. It's nice to have access to their features, but the daily reporting doesn't do a lot for me.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 11:57 am
by wlu_lax6
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
Rumor that they were positioning for a sale has been going on for a few months.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:10 pm
by mister d
This is definitely better than a PE purchase so that's nice?

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:44 pm
by sancarlos
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
So, Bronto, as a writer yourself, what do you see as the likely implications of this for The Athletic, its readers, and its writers?

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 1:00 pm
by wlu_lax6
sancarlos wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:44 pm
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
So, Bronto, as a writer yourself, what do you see as the likely implications of this for The Athletic, its readers, and its writers?
Lots of athletic writers are contract and not employees. That was a big part of their business model early on.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 1:39 pm
by EnochRoot
tennbengal wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:24 am
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
I will just assume that is gonna be bad.
Why? I mean, it’s a neat app on my iPad that I can customize by sport, league, team, etc., but the content is too often milquetoast, smacking of writers too concerned with maintaining access to clubhouses and locker rooms.

If this means I’ll no longer have to hand $ over to The Athletic and it folds into my digital subscription to the NYT, then, points!

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 3:07 pm
by tennbengal
EnochRoot wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 1:39 pm
tennbengal wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:24 am
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
I will just assume that is gonna be bad.
Why? I mean, it’s a neat app on my iPad that I can customize by sport, league, team, etc., but the content is too often milquetoast, smacking of writers too concerned with maintaining access to clubhouses and locker rooms.

If this means I’ll no longer have to hand $ over to The Athletic and it folds into my digital subscription to the NYT, then, points!
The Bengals beat writers are fantastic. So are the Reds beat writers. I hope this doesn't change that. I worry it will. I also love the national writers they have assembled in the NFL and NBA especially. I fear change when media companies are acquired because it is usually very bad for the good stuff.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 3:33 pm
by EnochRoot
tennbengal wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 3:07 pm
EnochRoot wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 1:39 pm
tennbengal wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:24 am
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
I will just assume that is gonna be bad.
Why? I mean, it’s a neat app on my iPad that I can customize by sport, league, team, etc., but the content is too often milquetoast, smacking of writers too concerned with maintaining access to clubhouses and locker rooms.

If this means I’ll no longer have to hand $ over to The Athletic and it folds into my digital subscription to the NYT, then, points!
The Bengals beat writers are fantastic. So are the Reds beat writers. I hope this doesn't change that. I worry it will. I also love the national writers they have assembled in the NFL and NBA especially. I fear change when media companies are acquired because it is usually very bad for the good stuff.
You’re right about that, cuz it usually means consolidation.

Local news coverage is sorta hilarious when you get someone writing about “Patterson’s Park was the scene of a mugging last night.”

No, it’s Patterson Park.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 4:46 pm
by Brontoburglar
sancarlos wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:44 pm
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
So, Bronto, as a writer yourself, what do you see as the likely implications of this for The Athletic, its readers, and its writers?
I have no idea!

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2022 4:57 pm
by mister d
They did another mega-draft, this time baseball, where they have one drafter for each real franchise:

Pitcher
Position player
Owner (Must be one of 30 current owners)
Manager (Must be one of 30 current managers)
GM (Free pick, could be literally anyone)
City your team will reside in (Must be a current MLB city; cities with multiple teams will be designated by neighborhood/location of existing ballparks — eg. South Side Chicago and North Side Chicago, Queens and the Bronx, LA and Anaheim)
Ballpark (Must be one of the 30 current MLB ballparks; this will magically be transported to your city of choice because why not)


Drives me insane that anyone would see these rules and then pick a player/GM early on. Always pick the limited resource.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2022 5:53 pm
by The Sybian
mister d wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 4:57 pm They did another mega-draft, this time baseball, where they have one drafter for each real franchise:

Pitcher
Position player
Owner (Must be one of 30 current owners)
Manager (Must be one of 30 current managers)
GM (Free pick, could be literally anyone)
City your team will reside in (Must be a current MLB city; cities with multiple teams will be designated by neighborhood/location of existing ballparks — eg. South Side Chicago and North Side Chicago, Queens and the Bronx, LA and Anaheim)
Ballpark (Must be one of the 30 current MLB ballparks; this will magically be transported to your city of choice because why not)


Drives me insane that anyone would see these rules and then pick a player/GM early on. Always pick the limited resource.
City first?

I want to look at a list of stadiums and see how many I know what team plays there.

ETA: 15, much easier than I thought, lots have kept their name or have the team name or a major hint.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2022 6:57 pm
by L-Jam3
When they say literally anyone for GM, do really they mean anyone? Like could they Jurassic Park Branch Rickey? Or Nostradamus? Shit. Go with Doc Brown. Or Rick Sanchez. Go crazy folks.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2022 10:10 pm
by sancarlos
L-Jam3 wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 6:57 pm Or Rick Sanchez.
Got to admire that out-of-the-box thinking.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2022 10:55 pm
by Reaper
L-Jam3 wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 6:57 pm When they say literally anyone for GM, do really they mean anyone? Like could they Jurassic Park Branch Rickey? Or Nostradamus? Shit. Go with Doc Brown. Or Rick Sanchez. Go crazy folks.
I mean, Belichick and Obama were chosen, so yeah.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2022 7:30 am
by rass
Love that a place can pay someone to spend the time to write an article like this: Watford: The best team in Europe… at nutmegs

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 2:38 pm
by wlu_lax6
wlu_lax6 wrote: Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:53 pm Thousands of words on the water fountain, the pictures, world cup.
https://theathletic.com/1448748/2019/12 ... ed-article

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 6:15 pm
by Gunpowder
EnochRoot wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 1:39 pm
tennbengal wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:24 am
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
I will just assume that is gonna be bad.
Why? I mean, it’s a neat app on my iPad that I can customize by sport, league, team, etc., but the content is too often milquetoast, smacking of writers too concerned with maintaining access to clubhouses and locker rooms.

If this means I’ll no longer have to hand $ over to The Athletic and it folds into my digital subscription to the NYT, then, points!

Most of these good things are good because they are not part of massive lazy companies.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 7:04 pm
by A_B
I am less interested in renewing by the day. And I pay like two bucks a month.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 7:14 pm
by EnochRoot
Gunpowder wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 6:15 pm
EnochRoot wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 1:39 pm
tennbengal wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:24 am
Brontoburglar wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:21 am huh
I will just assume that is gonna be bad.
Why? I mean, it’s a neat app on my iPad that I can customize by sport, league, team, etc., but the content is too often milquetoast, smacking of writers too concerned with maintaining access to clubhouses and locker rooms.

If this means I’ll no longer have to hand $ over to The Athletic and it folds into my digital subscription to the NYT, then, points!

Most of these good things are good because they are not part of massive lazy companies.
The Athletic is basically long-form ESPN. Like a Sunday morning ESPN show that delves deeper into a feel good story.

I'm not going to pay for this next go-round. I'd rather pay Defector.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 12:14 pm
by wlu_lax6
The Bus....one of the few people my parents gushed over when they lived in Pittsburgh for just how awesome a person he was.
https://theathletic.com/3265171/2022/04 ... raduation/

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Fri May 27, 2022 8:57 am
by wlu_lax6
From the Athletic Pulse email
$7M a year in baseballs (assuming $24/ball)
https://theathletic.com/3325753/2022/05 ... alls-used/

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Sat May 28, 2022 10:29 am
by Shirley
wlu_lax6 wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 12:14 pm The Bus....one of the few people my parents gushed over when they lived in Pittsburgh for just how awesome a person he was.
https://theathletic.com/3265171/2022/04 ... raduation/
I missed this before. What a great story.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 3:17 am
by Sabo
The Unwritten Rules of Shirt Swapping

https://theathletic.com/2899189/2022/06 ... ed_article

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 7:53 am
by wlu_lax6
If you have not checked this out, it is another classic MLSist read. Pretty solid research on just a lost person in soccer.
https://theathletic.com/3363062/2022/06 ... ie-mclean/

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:23 am
by A_B
A_B wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 7:04 pm I am less interested in renewing by the day. And I pay like two bucks a month.
Canceled. Just not enough value for my admittedly low spending bar.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:33 am
by tennbengal
A_B wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:23 am
A_B wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 7:04 pm I am less interested in renewing by the day. And I pay like two bucks a month.
Canceled. Just not enough value for my admittedly low spending bar.
Interesting. I read a ton and can't get to all the good stuff. No good UK, Browns stuff? C Trent for the Reds is excellent. Their national folks in the NFL and NBA are outstanding. You are not getting $2 a month in value?

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:35 am
by A_B
tennbengal wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:33 am
A_B wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:23 am
A_B wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 7:04 pm I am less interested in renewing by the day. And I pay like two bucks a month.
Canceled. Just not enough value for my admittedly low spending bar.
Interesting. I read a ton and can't get to all the good stuff. No good UK, Browns stuff? C Trent for the Reds is excellent. Their national folks in the NFL and NBA are outstanding. You are not getting $2 a month in value?
I read C Trent, but that's about it. Some of the national baseball stuff is good. I've quit reading about the Browns and the UK stuff is decent, but usually only the profiles and longer form stuff.Day to day stuff just doesn't do it for me.

I gave it two years and just don't read it enough.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:46 am
by mister d
Probably because you're shitting less these days.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 12:14 pm
by wlu_lax6
I am thinking about letting it go. I love Pablo M (Mlsist) and his articles, but just don't have time/desire to read the other articles that catch my fancy in the emails I get each day.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 5:27 pm
by sancarlos
Pretty damning article today about the University of Michigan hockey program. Specifically regarding the head coach and the director of hockey operations.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 9:03 pm
by brian
sancarlos wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 5:27 pm Pretty damning article today about the University of Michigan hockey program. Specifically regarding the head coach and the director of hockey operations.
Yeah his time at UM is probably done. Doubt he's coaching there by this time next week.

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 11:02 pm
by Steve of phpBB

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2022 10:33 am
by mister d

Re: The Athletic Thread

Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:35 pm
by sancarlos
So, The Athletic had an real interesting piece today about my old avatar, Jake Plummer. He’s got a mushroom company and is completely sold on their health benefits. He does come across as being a bit out there, but just as a human interest story, I found it a fun read.