Oversaturation of the Sports Blogosphere

This might be my first ever non-Patriots related blog posting but I've been kicking around these thoughts for a while and it's time to share them with the world.

I started blogging about the Patriots in late 2007 when the WGA writer's strike effectively left me with a paying job but nothing to do. I found an ad for this website on Craigslist, and the mention of making any money at all to do something like write about my beloved team sounded like at least a fun way to pass the time.

I also started writing at Bleacher Report, where my work got more hits but didn't make the penny or two a day I made here on the blog. It was never about the money anyway, it was about writing and showing a perspective on sports not often here... that of the fan.

I've had some good days on the blog and over at Bleacher Report. I had a couple articles featured on Fox Sports. I had another article that got over 5000 hits. I even had a video I made featured on the front page of Cold Hard Football Facts. Blogging on the Patriots has been pretty rewarding for a hobby, even though I've made a grand total of $23.67 after a year and a half of Google Adsensing.

However I'm not the only one who has gotten the sportsblogging bug.

Over at Bleacher Report there were approximately 300 Patriots community members when I began. But today there are nearly 1000. Bleacher Report has been a huge success, making deals with Fox Sports and CBS Sportsline, and having many articles featured those sites.

Of course it's the perfect marriage, people are insanely passionate about sports and more than willing to write and share their thoughts about their favorite and least favorite teams for free. Free content on the internet is gold, so its understandable why so many internet entrepeneurs are trying to start sites that feature the musings of sports fans. 

Like anything, it's fun until everyone starts doing it.

The problem that that I find has arisen at Bleacher Report is that when Rodney Harrison retired last week, there were ten Rodney Harrison Retired articles that popped up within the day that it happened. I wrote one myself. I have no problem with fans writing about Rodney Harrison. I know I felt obligated to write one based on how much I enjoyed watching Rodney play.

But the problem is that the fan perspective on Rodney Harrison's retirement is the same as any media person's. They talk about the stats, the memorable plays and fines and there it is. Meanwhile, different and creative pieces, that represent what a site like Bleacher Report was built on are buried by ten articles that are all just slight variations on something we could read via the mainstream media.

What makes a site like Bleacher Report great is that fans should be offering a new perspective. Fans don't have to walk that fine line of journalism that doesn't take sides.

I'm a Patriots fan. I write things from a Pats fans' perspective. I don't like the Colts or Jets. There's nothing wrong with that. You know what you're getting when you read my stuff.

But now everyone and their mother has a Patriots blog. It's paralysis by analysis, with very few blogs out there bringing anything new to the table.

I used to do links here on the blog. But then I realized any true Patriots fan should be going to Mike Reiss' page long before they come to my blog, it's stupid to just put up a bunch of links to pages that fans have already checked.

So my personal new mantra or promise is to only post things that provide insight that I myself would find interesting after already perusing all the Patriots news that's out there. I still might succumb to the easy topics like Rodney Harrison's Retirement or Recapping the Draft, but in general I promise to only provide content that's not just a regurgitation of what the beat reporters observe and report.

So, if you're one of my blog visitors, or you follow me on Bleacher Report, thank you for your support and please know that just because I don't post links everyday it's not because I don't care.