Here's the new home for my musings -- on the Colts, the Pacers, IU sports, Purdue sports and all kinds of stuff. I also had a little something to say about my former employer, The Athletic.
Glad you’re back Bob. I’m really disappointed in what the Athletic has become. Two years ago I remember thinking how lucky we were to have you, Zak, and Stephen all writing Colts material. How quickly things change.
Happy to subscribe and look forward to reading. Add my voice to those calling for a return of the Dopey Report Card.
Glad you’re back. Fuck The Athletic. I subscribed because they had the strongest Colts coverage anywhere, and had excellent coverage of my favorite college team. Now they just have one Colts writer, and my college team is covered by a guy whose also covering another college team and three pro teams. They poached all these great local writers and then kicked them to the curb or made them national, which is 100% against the original vision.
While I'm glad that remaining writers avoided a total wipeout that would have dumped all of them on the open market at once, the NYT acquisition is a far better outcome than Athletic management or investors deserved. Now, they're compounding the travesty by gutting the fine NYT sports department in favor of more emphasis on the misfit toy for which they grossly overpaid.
Love this! Very happy for you. I HIGHLY recommend working for yourself! Enjoying what you do - and avoiding what you don’t - is a moral mandate (once the kids are released into the wild. Looking forward to your musings - as always!
as another Athletic casualty-turned-Substack writer — we actually met at the Auburn-Purdue bowl game in 2018! — thanks for saying what I think a lot of people who worked there have wanted to say, Bob
Your the reason I subscribed to The Athletic and the reason I cancelled my subscription. Happy to support you work here. There is no voice I look forward to hearing from more about the Colts than you. Best wishes in this new format and look forward to reading for years to come.
Bob, the best compliment I can give you I think is that even when you write on a topic or subject I don’t care about I still enjoy reading your stuff because you are just a great writer. Very readable. Vert clear and to the point. So thank you
Total non-journalist question here. You wrote about 395 subscriptions in 3 months. The Athletic expected to have 395 people subscribe based on your writing? How is that even measured? Anyway, great start here and I wish you all the best.
So happy that you have started this new venture. I have missed your writings ever since you left the IndyStar. I was a huge fan. I wish you all the success. You ARE a great writer. Don’t let anyone shake your confidence any more (not after 40 years of experience!). Editors don’t define who you are and they don’t define your wealth of skills. Can’t wait for your takes on Indy sports. Write on, sir! And I along with many others will read on as a gift from you.
Well damn it. I hate the completely fractured nature if the current media landscape. I hate feeling like I am getting nickel and dimed to death subscribing to all the stream channels and Substacks and everything else just to get what I want to consume.
Ok, now that I have that out of my system, I’ll gladly fork over 70 bucks a year to you (well after I get paid next week). It’s a freaking bargain in my opinion. I’ve been reading you for years and can’t wait to get some Kravitz Unfiltered. Just don’t burn yourself out!
It's funny reading this after realizing that after The Athletic basically punted on covering all of college football outside of recruiting from June until mid July, they came roaring back with a realignment revisited series, because to paraphrase the CFB managing editor, a lot of people will read the stories, not because they were newsworthy. The site is often too busy catering to the people signing up for $1 a month, ignoring the people that would easily pay twice the normal rate for good journalism. Anyways, keep up the Purdue coverage and I'll read your stuff.
Bob, I'm not an Indy sports fan, and never will be, but getting to read fine work done by writers like yourself from other cities was one of the reasons I was an Athletic subscriber almost from their launch day. Emphasis on was; I cancelled the day of the latest purge, a bridge too far after gritting my teeth through the systematic gutting of college football coverage that is my main interest. You've done a fine job of telling stories about the characters that continue to make Indy a great sports town, and I'm thrilled you're finding your way on substack. Best wishes.
Thank you for all the kind, supportive comments on here. I’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction to my first piece. All the gratitude.
Totally agree with bringing back the Dopey Report Card! Glad you’re back as well!
I may just do that. Who's gonna tell me no, right?
F-bombs and the return of the Dopey Report Card. I like this already!
Fucking right. Julius brents is A+
Glad you’re back Bob. I’m really disappointed in what the Athletic has become. Two years ago I remember thinking how lucky we were to have you, Zak, and Stephen all writing Colts material. How quickly things change.
Happy to subscribe and look forward to reading. Add my voice to those calling for a return of the Dopey Report Card.
Glad you’re back. Fuck The Athletic. I subscribed because they had the strongest Colts coverage anywhere, and had excellent coverage of my favorite college team. Now they just have one Colts writer, and my college team is covered by a guy whose also covering another college team and three pro teams. They poached all these great local writers and then kicked them to the curb or made them national, which is 100% against the original vision.
Yeah I canceled my subscription to the Athletic last week.
Me too. And it was only 1.99 a month. Fuck em
While I'm glad that remaining writers avoided a total wipeout that would have dumped all of them on the open market at once, the NYT acquisition is a far better outcome than Athletic management or investors deserved. Now, they're compounding the travesty by gutting the fine NYT sports department in favor of more emphasis on the misfit toy for which they grossly overpaid.
Love this! Very happy for you. I HIGHLY recommend working for yourself! Enjoying what you do - and avoiding what you don’t - is a moral mandate (once the kids are released into the wild. Looking forward to your musings - as always!
Thanks, Kent. You're a big inspiration, whether you know that or not.
as another Athletic casualty-turned-Substack writer — we actually met at the Auburn-Purdue bowl game in 2018! — thanks for saying what I think a lot of people who worked there have wanted to say, Bob
Thanks, Justin. Sorry you got dropped, but hey, you and me...we're not alone. ESPN, the NY Times sports department, it's a bloodbath.
Your the reason I subscribed to The Athletic and the reason I cancelled my subscription. Happy to support you work here. There is no voice I look forward to hearing from more about the Colts than you. Best wishes in this new format and look forward to reading for years to come.
Completely agree w all this.
Bob, the best compliment I can give you I think is that even when you write on a topic or subject I don’t care about I still enjoy reading your stuff because you are just a great writer. Very readable. Vert clear and to the point. So thank you
You can feel the difference. Well done. Will subscribe. Dopey report card needs a reboot!
Any chance you could run the Mariotti piece here? Sounds interesting.
was curious on that too
I have a copy of the piece in hand, but I’d have to talk to a media lawyer about the legalities and ethics involved in running it.
Total non-journalist question here. You wrote about 395 subscriptions in 3 months. The Athletic expected to have 395 people subscribe based on your writing? How is that even measured? Anyway, great start here and I wish you all the best.
Bob,
So happy that you have started this new venture. I have missed your writings ever since you left the IndyStar. I was a huge fan. I wish you all the success. You ARE a great writer. Don’t let anyone shake your confidence any more (not after 40 years of experience!). Editors don’t define who you are and they don’t define your wealth of skills. Can’t wait for your takes on Indy sports. Write on, sir! And I along with many others will read on as a gift from you.
Well damn it. I hate the completely fractured nature if the current media landscape. I hate feeling like I am getting nickel and dimed to death subscribing to all the stream channels and Substacks and everything else just to get what I want to consume.
Ok, now that I have that out of my system, I’ll gladly fork over 70 bucks a year to you (well after I get paid next week). It’s a freaking bargain in my opinion. I’ve been reading you for years and can’t wait to get some Kravitz Unfiltered. Just don’t burn yourself out!
It's funny reading this after realizing that after The Athletic basically punted on covering all of college football outside of recruiting from June until mid July, they came roaring back with a realignment revisited series, because to paraphrase the CFB managing editor, a lot of people will read the stories, not because they were newsworthy. The site is often too busy catering to the people signing up for $1 a month, ignoring the people that would easily pay twice the normal rate for good journalism. Anyways, keep up the Purdue coverage and I'll read your stuff.
Bob, I'm not an Indy sports fan, and never will be, but getting to read fine work done by writers like yourself from other cities was one of the reasons I was an Athletic subscriber almost from their launch day. Emphasis on was; I cancelled the day of the latest purge, a bridge too far after gritting my teeth through the systematic gutting of college football coverage that is my main interest. You've done a fine job of telling stories about the characters that continue to make Indy a great sports town, and I'm thrilled you're finding your way on substack. Best wishes.
Great to see Bob back at it. Such an amazing mentor for us young sports journalists.
Thanks, Daniel. Looking forward to the fall semester.