Website: www.intentionalfoul.com 
Interview With: Chris Richardson
When did you start Intentional Foul?
Intentional Foul launched on 11-13-2007
What made you start it?
I enjoy being a sports fan. There’s something oddly satisfying about wearing your team colors and being an outspoken supporter of your team, especially in enemy territory or a location that has a much different fanbase (like KC).
However, besides being a fan with an outspoken opinion, Intentional Foul offered me the opportunity to mesh my working knowledge of Internet marketing with an undying love for watching sporting events; complete with the attitude of a fan that’s currently a fish out of water.
What is your background?
Before I began working for Ticket Solutions, I worked for iEntry.com and was a contributor for WebProNews.com. I also worked on the WebProNews blog. As for sports, I grew up in a sports family. My brother plays JUCO basketball at Volunteer State and my father is a career coach. While not being the basketball player my brother is, I did play soccer extensively while I was growing up and during my adult years.
Basically, I’m a sports fan with a rudimentary understanding of Internet technologies and the blogosphere and was given an opportunity to combine these skills for my current employer.
Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career? What is your goal with this blog?
Both—Launching and editing Intentional Foul is the biggest part of my Ticket Solutions’ demands. The goal for Intentional Foul is to embrace and attract like-minded or outspoken sports fans while leveraging the social media movement for our parent company.
What type of blogging software do you use?
Wordpress
What ad network(s) do you use?
None
How much money do you make off your site monthly?
Believe it or not, Intentional Foul is not here to generate ad revenue. Our corporate backer, Ticket Solutions, already has a primary source of revenue. We are here to engage sports fans and potential ticket buyers alike. Additionally, we are a resource for current Ticket Solutions customers who want to share their thoughts and feelings about the sports world we now inhabit.
What are some of your favorite blogs and what are some of your least favorite blogs?
Faves: Awful Announcing, Babes Love Baseball, Epic Carnival, The Sports Frog, EDSBS, SbB… the list goes on and on.
Least Favorite: Blogs that scrape someone else’s content
Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the Internet?
I think the proliferation of fans embracing sports blogs will only continue. Sports fans have already shown a tendency to zealously use other Internet technologies that give them a place to voice their opinions like forums and message boards. As the sports blogosphere continues to grow, I expect the fans will continue to flock to these sites.
I also expect blogger backlash from the traditional press to continue… as they themselves continue to embrace blogging by having their most recognizable reporters take to the medium. It’s almost like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Another thing I’ve noticed is the adaptation of other Web 2.0 technologies to leverage some of this user-generated content. Digg clones like Yardbarker and BallHype come to mind. These services also try to engage the social web by allowing members to personalize their experience by adding pictures to their profiles and offering little touches like friend lists.
STN’s Take:
Intentional foul is very interesting because it doesn’t have advertisements and it was basically built to entertain Ticket Solutions customers. I am surprised more organizations that are somehow affiliated with sports don’t do this. It looks like Chris has a pretty good gig if his main job for Tickets Solutions is just the blog and it seems they don’t really care what he posts either because there is a lot of Intentional Eye Candy.
Since his blog is not really built for making money we really don’t have any suggestions. Its designed very well and its easy on the eyes. In fact we wouldn’t mind a redesign from whoever designed his blog.
