Website: Kornheiser’s Cartel

Interview With: Billy Buckles

When did you start your blog:

August, this year.

What made you start it?

I used to randomly write pieces and e-mail them out to two friends, came across Bleacher Report one day, posted a humorous NBA Mock Draft on there and just sent a link out to my few friends who’d care to read it. Some people gave me compliments, so I wrote a few more pieces. Then I wanted a customized site that could make my friends laugh, but I’m worthless with coding/design… So I asked a good friend to go halfsies on a domain name/server and design me one. We chose Kornheiser’s Cartel because it’s been our team name of choice for College Bowl, Intramurals, Fantasy Leagues, etc… It stems from an online game called PimpsLord we played years ago.

What is your background?

23 years old, Leo, blue eyes, great hai— er, 2008 Purdue graduate, extremely knowledgeable fan of a ton of sports, and I’ve had some interesting working experiences in the sports world. My co-founder is one of the nation’s best trivia competitors, and we took Purdue’s College Bowl team to nationals. But we’re not nerds. We’re not!

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career?

I’d always like to write on the side, and I’m open to writing opportunities, but it’s hard to envision writing eight hours daily.

What is your goal with this blog?

To entertain. And I like to have a vehicle to spread ideas and opinions I care about.

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month)

We went into this expecting to get 200 hits a months, but we somehow received 5,000 UV’s in our first week, and almost 50,000 UV’s in September, our first whole month. We’ve been fortunate to have some heavyweight blogs appreciate our writing, and that’s how we get a decent chunk of views. Additionally, we’ve had a number of pieces receive thousands of views from StumbleUpon.

What type of blogging software do you use?

Blogger

What ad network(s) do you use?

Yardbarker, AdSense, Ad-Brite

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

Over a hundred bucks a month.

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

A few more writers…

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Indy Cornrows, Ball Don’t Lie, The Offside, Deadspin

Website: SoCal Sports Hub

Interview With: Joey Kaufman

When did you start your blog?

I started SoCal Sports Hub.com back on April Fools Day of 2008. So, it’s been up and running for about six months now.

What made you start it?

After traveling around the blogsphere, I realized that many of the blogs out there were exhibiting the same East Coast Bias that is prevalent among ESPN and other major media outlets. Therefore, I decided to create my own blog, West Coast Bias, which would primarily cover the Pac-10 and Western Conference teams. Unfortunately, traffic was always very low, and unlike AGM, I received hardly any comments. So I was desperate for the opportunity to run my very own successful left-coast loving sports blog. Luckily, I received an e-mail from Matt Blake of Arizona Sports Hub, who asked if I’d be willing to turn my humble blogger ’site, West Coast Bias into a Southern California-oriented sports website known as SoCal Sports Hub.com. I jumped at the chance to have a SoCal based site, and the rest is history.

What is your background?

I am likely one of the youngest bloggers out here. I am still a high school senior in Southern California, who plans on attending a university somewhere in the United States next year. However, I am just one of sixteen contributors to the site, as many other SoCal sports enthusiasts, ranging from college students to middle-aged fans, all post interesting takes on their favorite teams.

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career? What is your goal with this blog?

While I would love to make some money from blogging in the future, I haven’t just yet. The primary goal for me has always been to create a high-traffic Southern California sports site. It’s certainly a challenge, but it has also been a fun experience.

The goal is plain and simple: to create one website where all Southern California sports fans visit daily to learn about their favorite teams and discuss many of the key issues such as Lamar Odom trade talks and another Angel playoff collapse.

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month)

So far, we have not been able to reach the 5,000 uniques a month status. We tend to focus on providing original and well-written written content for our readers, which has likely slowed the growth a bit. It is sad to see how some sites simply post numerous pictures of scantily clad women to draw hits. I have vowed never to stoop down to that level, as I seek to maintain a “family-friendly” site.

What type of blogging software do you use?

Wordpress

What ad network(s) do you use?

We currently use Adify through the YardBarker Network, Google Adsense, and a few direct affiliations with some advertising groups. So far, I’ve been disappointed with the big ad networks and look to strike some more advertising deals.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

Yikes! Somewhere around $5-$10. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

I’ll take marketing. I’d love to get a lot more hits.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

There are a lot of out there. I’ll avoid the obvious ones (Deadspin, The Big Lead, etc.) and give you some of the lesser-known blogs out there: Lakers Nation, Forum Blue & Gold, Halos Heaven, AngelsWin.com, Conquest Chronicles, Trojan Wire, All Things Trojan, Bruins Nation, Frozen Royalty, In the Bleachers, The Sports Flow, The Sports Lounge, The Fan-Sided Blogs, Moon Dog Sports, ReclinerGM, Signal to Noise, Boston SportZ, WaitingForNextYear, AZ Sports Hub

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet?

SoCal Sports Hub will one day become the highest traffic sports site on the internet. I was always told to dream big.

Website: The Sports Dollar

Interview With: Kellex Barr

When did you start your blog?

Mid March was the beginning of the Sports Dollar’s hopeful reign over the sports blogging world!

What made you start it?

We had spent a ton of time with an NBA basketball blog and had also really started to become a student of the “make money” and marketing niches in blogging.  Our NBA blog started to take off through a ton of hard work and research, and then we realized there was nothing out there to help sports blogs reach their potential.  We sort of pioneered this “marketing/make money with your sports blog” idea and so far it has really been fun.

What is your background?

My background is really as a techy with a huge heart and passion for sports.  I recently ran a pretty successful NBA blog which gave me the motivation and knowledge to power the Sports Dollar.

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career? What is your goal with this blog?

I wouldn’t say that it is completely for fun because we’d love to make a full time living out of this, but right now we are having a blast.  Trying out new things and growing our readership has really become exciting.  The goal in the long run is to definitely make this our full time job.

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month)

We almost hit 20,000 uniques last month which was a pretty major deal.  We had a few solid linkbait pieces if you could call them that, that seemed to really grab peoples attention and give us a ton of solid links that in turn worked into some pretty significat traffic.  I would say a tipping point would be the day we heard some pretty nice comments from Busted Coverage and also started noticing comments from some of the other top notch blogs like Hugging Harold Reynolds.

What type of blogging software do you use?

Oh boy…Blogger.  But it looks sexy enough now doesn’t it?

What ad network(s) do you use?

We initially used way too many.  Right now it is down to Adify through Yardbarker, Performancing Ads, and Commission Junction.  The nice thing is that over the last 2 months, we’ve really started to hit some solid private ad deals so we’ve been able to run away from all the scary ad networks out there.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

We’re getting pretty close to the $1000 per month mark.  Hopefully soon!

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

A brand spanking new customized WordPress theme.  It’s time to move on from Blogger, but I don’t want to use some generic theme that 13,000 other blogs are also using.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Cuzoogle, NE Patriots Draft, Busted Coverage, My Sports Rumors, Empty the Bench are the blogs I read almost daily.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet?

Sports blogging in general is looking really big.  Blog World Expo, which is one of the biggest blogging conferences in the world, finally launched some sports blogging sessions at this year’s event.  That is major and I hope that next year they’ll continue and we can promote the heck out of it to get some major sports bloggers there!

Website: MoonDog Sports

Interview With: Fred Vannucci

When did you start your blog?

I began blogging in late October posting at Fox Sports Blogs. I got my current site off the ground on January 13 of this year.

What made you start it?

I read several blogs regarding college football and felt some of the opinions being expressed were off-base. Having played football I believed I could offer an insight into the game. Beyond that, I viewed blogging as I would any hobby.

What is your background?

After six years in the military, I went back to school and completed my degree. I’ve been in the transportation industry for nearly 16 years and I currently have my own business which I run from home.

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career? What is your goal with this blog?

I do blog for the sheer enjoyment of it but transportation will always be primary focus. However, the site has done well and I see the potential for it becoming one of the most viewed sports blogs on the Internet. Ultimately, that’s what I want this site to be – THE destination for readers that want a mix of sports, politics, social views, opinion, analysis and of course, half-naked chicks. You’ve got to have half-naked chicks.

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month)

Several of the large blog sites (Losers with Socks, Epic Carnival, Awful Announcing) have linked to many of my posts. Sites like SI and Real Clear Sports have linked to a few of my articles as well. Ball Hype has been a great source for bringing attention to my content. I visited a ton of sites and began to post comments, especially those that were similar to my site. Eventually you begin to build relationships and share information.

But the most important aspect of growing my site is writing – not just any writing but writing well-researched, thought-provoking content. I stay true to myself and make every effort to provide the reader with an honest and insightful opinion.

What type of blogging software do you use?

WordPress.

What ad network(s) do you use?

Adify, Google AdSense. I’ve negotiated independent ad sales recently too. At some point I’d like to eliminate Adify and Google and run ads that are exclusively negotiated between me and an advertiser.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

Without getting into specifics, I generate more in one month than it costs me to run the site annually.

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

SEO. I’m not embarrassed to admit that meta tags, keywords, robots, etc. aren’t my forte. I scour through my Google Webmaster Tools and do the best I can with it, but I know it could be much better.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Losers with Socks, Gate 21, Fulmer’s Belly, Epic Carnival, Awful Announcing, Your Mother Slept with Wilt Chamberlain, Crash Burn Alley, Picture Me Rollin’, The Nasty Boys, Mean Dovine, Football News From a Chick, NESW Sports. Look, if you’re in my blog roll, you’re one of my favorites. Check out my site’s blog roll for links to all of my friends.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet?

You can see the future of the sports-related blogosphere today. You’ve got sites dedicated to a particular team or sport. There are sites that post a lot of content everyday on a variety of subjects. You’ve got the bigger sites that have multiple writers and small sites like mine that are a one-man show. Each niche has a place in the sports blogosphere, with each site independently identifying what segment they choose to position themselves.

Over the next 10 years or so, you’ll see a continued decline of newspaper and magazine subscriptions. I base that on current data but also the generation proceeding me will begin to pass into history. That generation was raised with limited options. The younger generations that have used the Internet almost exclusively for its intended purpose will expand and thus, the need for immediate access to information will bolster those of us that have established a foothold in the blogosphere.

Website: KCChiefsFootball

Interview With: Josh Knox

When did you start your blog?

I started www.kcchiefsfootball.com on June 12, 2008

What made you start it?

I have been a fan of the Chiefs my entire life and a friend got me more into blogging, so it just seemed like a natural fit.

What is your background?

I am 24 years old and one year out of college with a degree in Computer Information Science. I have a wife and two dogs. I have been a Kansas City Chiefs fan since I was little and used to watch the games with my Dad.

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career?

Right now is for fun but if kcchiefsfootball.com takes off then I wouldn’t have a problem doing something I love as a career.

What is your goal with this blog?

My goal with this blog is to have a place for fans of the Kansas City Chiefs to come and learn and share about their team. I would like it to be a somewhat open forum for discussion and a place where there is no hidden agenda. I will express my opinions but I will not push them as fact., that way readers can form their own opinions without being told what to think, as many other news sources do.
A separate goal would also be to eventually make a little money on the side to help support me and my family.

What type of blogging software do you use?

I am currently using the Wordpress blogging platform (version 2.5.1 I believe) and I have found Wordpress to be awesome so far, you can tell they put a lot of work into the product and with so many plug-ins you can do almost anything you desire.

What ad network(s) do you use?

The only thing I am currently using is Google Adsense. I am still trying to build and focus more on the content at this point.. I will worry about more ads and as networks when the time comes.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

So far I have not made much at all but that should pick up when I try to monetize the site more.

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

I would probably say marketing/promotion and it would be really cool to get an interview of my own with a big name Chief.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

ArrowheadPride.com and ArrowheadAddict.com are two blogs that I really look up to. And Chris from ArrowheadPride has been a great help to me so far. Thanks Chris.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet?

Sports on the internet are HUGE and I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon. Sports tend to stay on the leading edge of technology and I for one love it. So I guess my only real prediction is that sports on the internet will continue to grow at an unbelievable rate.

Website: The Blue Workhorse

Interview With: Shotgun Spratling

When did you start your blog?

We started at the end of January of this year.

What made you start it?

I came up with the idea to start a blog in oder to have a way to communicate my sports opinions and to have a forum to present those opinions to others, including all of my buddies from college (that are now helping write for the site) that I now no longer talk to on a daily basis.

What is your background?

We have six writers/sports enthusiasts, who first met while attending Maryville College together. Combined we have:
- 100 years in sports (average of over 16 years)
- 23 high school varsity letters (baseball, basketball, football, tennis)
- 15 collegiate varsity letters in baseball
- 7 rings (4 for collegiate conference championship & 3 high school state championships)
- 6 collegiate varsity letters in football
- 4 current athletic coaches (2 collegiate baseball; 2 high school football)
- 2 journalists

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career? What is your goal with this blog?

We blog more for fun than money seeing as how we don’t make much. Our original goal was to just have a way to communicate back and forth since we were no longer in the tight knit college community. My personal goal, as owner, editor, and chief writer, is to build my name as an authoritative sports writer.

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month)

We bring in around 5000 pageviews per month, but we received a large boost last month because one of our stories was discussed on a local sports talk radio show and subsequently picked up by some forums.

What type of blogging software do you use?

We use lovely WordPress.

What ad network(s) do you use?

We use Adsense like 142% of all bloggers. We also use Adify as a part of our affiliation with the YardBarker Blogging Network.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

Around $20 currently.

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

We could probably use ad optimization the most, but I’d also like a custom design that could highlight our logo, which isn’t even visible on our current design.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

YardBarker is the single greatest sports site I’ve been a part of thus far. I also enjoy RaysIndex, The Sports Dollar, Cuzoogle, The Red Zone Report, and MLB Trade Rumors.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet?

I have no bold predictions, but I do believe the sports make money online niche is just waiting to explode like the general make money online blogs have. I also wish there would be more coverage of college baseball, but I guess that is just a personal opinion.

Website: http://juicedsportsblog.com

Interview With: Mitchell Blatt

When did you start your blog?

July, 2007

What made you start it?

I have been writing sports online since 2004, and the fantasy football site I was writing for in 2006 went under. The market for paid fantasy football writers is a tough one, so I decided, why not start my own site?

What is your background?

I am 18 now, heading to journalism school at Indiana University. As I said, I have been writing sports online for 4 years, for various sites, and I have also been writing as a music critic at a local Ohio magazine for three years. I do concert reviews and interviews, notably with P.O.D. and Yellowcard. Some of my writings and interviews, including one where Desmond Clark says he is among the most talented tight ends in the NFL, are available at http://mitchellblatt.com

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career? What is your goal with this blog?

I want to go into media/journalism as a career. I say that because there is some uncertainty as to what media will be like in the future, but there is no doubt it will be there. If that ends up being blogging, that’s fine. I just like writing, reporting, covering events, and expressing my opinion.

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month)

I got over 5,000 uniques the second month because I was linked by Deadspin and other sites quite a few times. The first article that did it was on how the Buccaneers and the NFL have been hiding Cadillac Williams’ herniated disks: http://juicedsportsblog.com/2007/08/cadillac-williams-herniated-disks.html

I got that story a few years ago from one of my associates at an old fantasy football site who was close to the team doctor, then I got it confirmed by Will Carrol of ESPN. It got linked up by Deadspin, Pro Football Talk, Fanhouse, and nearly every Buccs blog, Buccs forum, and fantasy football forum.

In January, I got about 25,000 uniques because I was linked by Blogger as a Blogger-powered blog of note, despite the fact I had already switched to Wordpress by the time they mentioned me.

What type of blogging software do you use?

Wordpress, because it is simply the best with all of it’s customization, plugins, link-tracking, and other features.

What ad network(s) do you use?

Yardbarker gets me by far the most revenue of any network, but I also experiment with Adsense, AdBrite, and AdToll.

Most of my revenue comes through private sales, though.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

Over $100 each month since December. Most months, I increase revenue. I set my personal record with $125 this May.

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

I’m not a great programmer, so that is probably where I need the most help. There’s some ideas I have for design that I don’t know how to program into Wordpress.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

http://thesportsdollar.com – I really like what Kellex is doing with the “make money sports blogging” niche, and I guess blog for him often.

http://friendsoftheprogram.net – Funny posts.

http://sportsagentblog.com – A unique look at sports business through the eyes of a sports agent.

http://sportsbusinessdigest.com – Another good sports biz blog.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet? They don’t call this new media for nothing! I honestly can’t think of anything for this question. The big thing is going to be how mainstream media adapts to the internet. It’s going to happen, whether newspapers find their way, or big corporations get their news organizations started. People talk about blogs and how they are changing the game, but they are mostly relying on what the MSM has already reported. The MSM is a necessity for reporting info, and they are here to stay.

Website: Stet Sports

Interview With: Jarrett Carter

When did you start your blog?

Formally known as Scott Van Pelt Style, my blog was started back in July of 2007.

What made you start it?

As a journalist and avid sports fan, I noticed two things about sports blogging that were becoming more apparent everyday. 1) It is the new primary medium of information gathering for sports fans 2) There is a distinct disparity of well know minority sports bloggers.

What is your background?

I am a published freelance journalist, a public relations practitioner, and aspiring author. I am a graduate of Morgan State University, Maryland’s largest historically black college, and have written for the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, and Upscale Magazine.

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career? What is your goal with this blog?

My professional interest is to become a full-time blogger. Right now, my day job makes it extremely hard to post more than 1-3 times daily, with the the proper funding, and a 6-8 month window, I can make the four blogs I operate among the most popular and economically viable on the Internet.

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month) 

I am usually linked twice a month by sites like The Big Lead, Deadspin, and the D.C. Sports Bog. I have also been spotlighted twice on Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard, ESPN.com’s Hashmarks, and the NCAA’s official blog, the Double-A Zone.

Avoiding profanity, customary photos of naked chicks and celebrities with bongs might be a detractor for me, but I believe my humor and writing ability make me entertaining and informative destination for all types of sports fans.

What type of blogging software do you use?

I recently switched over from Blogspot to Typepad, and I find the Typepad platform a lot easier to manage and a tremendous help for Search Engine Optimization.

What ad network(s) do you use?

Google Adsense, and Yardbarker’s Affiliate program with Adify.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

On a good month, approximately 20-30 dollars. Normally, between $10-15.

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

It would have to be venture capital. I believe that one year with my mortgage paid and my wife happy would make me a blogging millionaire.

What are some of your favorite blogs? 

As a native of the Washington-Metropolitan area, I regularly check the D.C. Sports Bog, Mister Irrelevant, TruthAboutIt.Net, and Deuce of Davenport. I also enjoy Larry Brown Sports, Deadspin, and Cousins of Ron Mexico.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet?

The bold prediction anyone could have imagined is already happening. Blogs have revealed themselves to be the Holy Grail of sports and entertainment news and gossip. The rest is history.

Here are a few of Jarrett’s other websites as well:

www.hbcusportsblog.com
www.jarrett-carter.com
www.60daystoheaven.com
www.cartermediaenterprises.com

Website: NE Patriots Draft

Interview With: James Christensen

When did you start your blog?

March 2008

What made you start it?

We were interested in the NFL Draft, and no site was focusing enough the Patriots Draft and Salary Cap situation.

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career?

We write and promote as a challenge to see how good we can be.

What is your goal with this blog?What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month)

We get about 8-10k uniques per month, and most of that is due to being featured in SI, on The Big Lead, and the HailRedskins Mock Draft Database.  Winning 4th in the Huddle Report Mock Draft challenge was also nice.

What type of blogging software do you use?  

What ad network(s) do you use?

Adify is where we get most of our ads served by, through the Yardbarker network.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

We make around $300 month revenue each month.

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

Photoshop please.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

The Sports Dollar, Sports Blog Earnings, World of Isaac, and Sports By Brooks are all favorites of NE Patriots Draft.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet?

We see the continued rise of niche content sites over behemoths like ESPN.

Website: Docksquad Sports

Interview with: Vikas Chokshi

When did you start your blog?

July 07

What made you start it?

I started my blog just because I loved sports so much, and I wanted to have a place to keep my thoughts, and have others chime in on the Sports topics that made me tick.

What is your background?

An IT major in college, currently working in Downtown Chicago.

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career? What is your goal with this blog?

A little of both. I would love to blog full time if possible, or to get picked up by a bigger website.

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month)

I think when my Derrick Rose post got posted by True Hoop, Deadspin, SI Extra Mustard, and The Big Lead. I got around 10,000 hits in a week.

What type of blogging software do you use?

I use blogger, and now a google domain.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

Not much, about 50 bucks a month.

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

I would love to get some optimization tips if possible.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

I love True Hoop, SI’s Extra Mustard, Deadspin, the Ball Don’t Lie, and The Big Lead, as some of my favorites.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet?

Sports Bloggers will be just as important as Sports Writers in the future.