What a year it has been.
110,000 views and 1,200 Twitter followers later, we are celebrating our first birthday today. We really didn’t even get things going until the summer and the beginning of the fall semester, but you have to start somewhere. Eventually, once we gained media access in September, everything changed.
And at this point, we’re only getting bigger.
March saw 33% readership growth from February; our writer interest is through the roof; and we’re really starting to find our niche on campus.
We covered football, men’s hockey, and men’s basketball all year, and it really paid dividends for our readership and fostered unmatched learning experiences for countless writers. We brought in eight very respected speakers in the sports industry during the school year, all of whom have become friends of the organization.
In all, 14 different writers either covered a game, practice, or press conference. Talk about offering opportunities to young journalists, our true mission statement as an organization.
Next season, we will be covering other Badgers teams as intensely as we covered men’s basketball, now that we know the best way to do it. Look for much more football and men’s hockey coverage and analysis, while our women’s basketball and other sports coverage will hopefully take off. We will be doing more features on Wisconsin athletes across the board, and slowly writing less about the Bucks, Brewers, and Packers to focus on UW athletics.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to experience firsthand our growth in the next year. With graduation coming in May, I will be jumping into the baseball season doing social media with the Brewers and MLB Advanced Media. Due to a conflict of interest, I am unable to write for this site, but will continue to hold a founding equity interest and serve as an advisor.
I’m excited about the future of our organization, and it’s in trusted hands. It’s hard to let go of something you work so hard on day in and day out, but seeing something grow without you even there is a worthwhile reward. Our assistant editor Ari Brown, who will be taking over as editor-in-chief in 2016-17, will tell you all about what’s next this coming week.
Thank you to the 40+ contributors in the past year who have provided content and support. It’s been an honor to not only see our growth but also lead a group of sports industry hopefuls who will continue to make the Sconnie Sports Talk brand proud.
Thank you for reading, and happy birthday SST.
~ Zach Rosen
On, Wisconsin.
Sconnie Sports Talk 