It's my privilege and pleasure to announce that I, Gethin Coolbaugh, will be taking the reigns here at SB Nation Boston as the site's new editor. The opportunity was presented to me a few weeks back, and I jumped at the chance.
In truth, this is my dream job.
The former editor, Ryan Hudson, is still with SB Nation and is moving to take on the role of social media editor for the company. I wanted to take this opportunity to extend the utmost thanks to Ryan, who showed me the ropes and helped me grow through my time here at SB Nation Boston. You are a great co-worker, mentor and friend, Ryan, and I wish you nothing but the best going forward and look forward to working with you.
The purpose of this commentary is to introduce myself to all of you, the loyal readers.
Below I will give you my background and share with you my passion and visions for this website.
Background
I believe one major key to building a successful website (or any business, for that matter) is getting to know the people within the organization, starting at the top.
First, let's get my age out of the way. Yes, I am a 19-year-old sports journalist, but I'd ask that you don't write me off as simply 'another teenage blogger.' I have been working in the sports journalism word for several years now, having worked with The MetroWest Daily News, Community Newspaper Company, Lexy.com and a few other small projects. While I may not have the experience that some of the other reporters in this town have, I can guarantee you that I have a high passion level for the sports in Boston, and even more so for quality reporting.
I truly love sports reporting and journalism, and have known that I wanted to be in this field since I was in middle school. Like I said before, this is my dream job, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to shine.
Working With SB Nation
I have been working with SB Nation since the fall of 2010, when I first started writing game stories about the Boston College Eagles football team for BC Interruption. Shortly thereafter, the editor at BCI - Brian Favat - told me that Ryan Hudson was looking for someone to help out with the BC coverage, and I jumped at the chance. I worked with Ryan and SB Nation Boston covering Boston College football and basketball, as well as some other reporting for the site here and there.
A few months later, Ryan offered to make me the Weekend Editor of the site, a position that I accepted gladly. Soon after, I started running the sites in the evenings as well as on the weekends.
Just a few weeks ago, Ryan informed me of his transition within the company, and gauged my interest in becoming the editor of SB Nation Boston. It was a dream come true, and I told Ryan and the company that I would gladly accept the new role.
Vision
To me, SB Nation Boston is not another sports website in a city that has quite a few. This website represents the ultimate balance between professional reporting and fan opinion. Throughout my career, I've always maintained that sports reporters are fans, at least good ones are. I have seen some members of the sports media world that simply looks like it's an extreme pain for them to be there covering these sporting events. For me, it's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
Here at SB Nation Boston, we strive to provide you with all of the latest news and analysis from the Boston sports world, as well as the true opinion of the fans within us. I believe that by presenting both up-to-the-minute news and our true thoughts as fans, we can provide you with a 360-degree view of everything going on in Boston sports.
That being said, there is a limit to the content that will be published. In career, I have made it a mission to stick to clean, hard sports talk and journalism, and will absolutely not tolerate any obscenity, racism or any other writing that puts down others. I am so sick of turning on the radio these days, only to hear sports hosts swearing and talking about inappropriate content. In my opinion, that's just plain lazy. I believe that there is a way to keep sports talk clean while keeping it interesting at the same time. The writers and hosts who resort to that sort of talk are just bad journalists.
While I won't tolerate hurtful writing towards others (in our posts of the comment section), that does not mean that I do not want debate. I encourage debate on subjects, as that's what really makes sports journalism fun. Yet there is a way to remain respectful towards others while debating, and that's what I strive for from my writers and my readers on this website.
Finally, the most important part of my vision is you! Without you, the fans, there would be no point in writing. The purpose of reporting and journalism in general is to get the truth out to the people, as well as to promote discussion. Without all of you, my job would be meaningless.
I want to hear from all of you - your thoughts on stories, your ideas and your vision for this site as well. It is my goal to create a strong community here at SB Nation Boston where we can all chime in and talk about what bonds us together - our beloved Boston sports teams. I look forward to hearing from all of you as we move forward.
Contacting Us
Another pet-peeve of mine is when these big-time reporters look the other way when fans come up to talk to them about sports or write them wanting to talk about a story or sporting event. That will never be the case for me, I guarantee it. While I may not be able to answer every single question or respond to every single comment thrown my way, I will try to do my very best to respond and engage with you. As I said before, you are what make my job worthwhile.
If you ever want to talk about sports, share your ideas for the site or point out any mistakes or something we might have missed, I encourage you to contact me at my email address, gethin.coolbaugh@yahoo.com. I would just ask that you remain respectful in your remarks, as I will certainly do when addressing you. One of my career goals is to keep an open door with the fans and stay in touch with everything you want to talk about. After all, what are sports reporters but fans who have been given the opportunity of a lifetime? If you ever need me, just email. I'm looking forward to it.
In conclusion, I want to thank SB Nation for the opportunity of a lifetime, as well as you the readers for sticking with me as I grow as a writer and reporter. Thanks for the support, and I am looking forward to sharing in this journey with all of you.
Look out world, here comes SB Nation Boston.