Sports media, it appears, is doomed. Count the reasons.
First, there’s an existential threat. Artificial superintelligence will apparently wipe out our species sooner than we think. That’s unfortunate. At warp speed, timelines get spammed with slop and bots and BS, blurring what’s real and what’s fake. A swath of fans naturally dismiss any revelation they do not like as fiction.
Outlets all swim in gambling blood money. Never mind the fact that it’s ruining lives. If Uncle Roger and the NFL owners say it’s OK, then what’s the harm?
Algorithms on Twitter/X feed rage. We’ve reached a point where masses see a podcast clip or an article screenshot — never click to watch/read in full — and then enter the ring like Mike Tyson to DMX’s “Intro.” Out for blood.
Consequently, much NFL coverage is doused in Purell. For every beat writer who does a damn good job, there’s a dozen more terrified of losing their credential. I mean, if that paycheck’s direct-depositing every two weeks, why piss off thousands of constituents? It’s not worth the stress and aggravation. (Related: Yes, Bears fans. I know I’m bald. This hairline started retreating in high school.) For every enterprising mind pursuing the truth there’s another dozen who never wanted to do any journalism in the first place. Instead, this crew takes pictures of themselves in the press box for Instagram.
Mock drafts… and power rankings… and arbitrary daytime TV takes are fire-hosed into our face 24/7. And when these grifters take a break, the space teems with self-anointed X ‘n O junkies. Some do a good job. All tend to forget those aren’t 22 robots on the screen. It’s a human game.
Both ESPN and The Athletic, once bastions of independent thought, have slid into bed with the NFL itself. For the league, it’s strategic. Wink-wink partnerships can soften coverage. Who knows what the latter morphs into over time.
Finally, there’s the Dianna Russini debacle. This exposed a dirty little secret in NFL media. Reporters aren’t always interlocking their fingers and sharing a hot tub in Sedona with the sources they cover. But the league’s full of slimy, I-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine transactional reporting.
Year to year to year, all the above becomes normalized.
But enough bemoaning this dystopia. The more I think about it? The more I love that this creates a golden opportunity for us at Go Long to be something different.
It’s simple here. The only people we write for is you. We’re not beholden to access journalism. We’re not slaves to DraftKings or FanDuel. We’ll never obsess over algorithms and clicks. And I do not give a damn if mobs assemble on social media. There’s a dire need for independent journalism in pro football. Real, raw storytelling. That’s why I launched Go Long in 2020 and — thanks to you — our mission has crystallized more than ever into Season No. 7.
I’m more hopeful than ever in our corner of the universe.
There’s something pure to this subscription model. I only earn a living if you deem our stories worth $8/month or $50/year. This sparks a fire. We’ll go places others will not to fight this current in sports media. We’ll take weeks/months to piece together projects. Your investment — always — is pumped right back into the company as Go Long canvasses the country in search of an original story or series worth your valuable time. You pay these ridiculous prices for parking, beer and a ticket. You deserve football in its most unvarnished form.
This year, we’re quadrupling down on our why.
Expect more player profiles, more deep dives that explore the inner-workings of teams, more Q&As. Anything that brings you as close as possible to the real sport.
I’ll again be joined by two familiar faces who help me bring this vision to life. Bob McGinn, a godfather in the business, is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’ll again bring his draft series and columns to our pages, in addition to our weekly NFC North Podcast: the “Ty & Bob Pod.” He has forever covered this sport with unparalleled bite. Jim Monos, a former NFL scout/exec with the Eagles, Saints and Bills, now runs personnel for the UFL. We’ll charge on with “Real Football” and keep an eye out for written columns from Monos, too: game recaps and rookie evaluations. He’s forever a scout.
Of course, my good pal Jon Daly of Brave Buffalo will continue to supply artwork for feature stories.
I’ll have a column each Monday wrapping up the games. Many weekends, I’ll be at a game — today it’s Packers-Vikings here in Minneapolis. My weekly feature will continue to go live each Friday AM. And throughout the week, I’ll also have a stream of columns, convos/Q&As with ex-players on the Go Long Pod and we’re bringing back Zoom Happy Hours this season to give subscribers a chance to hang out with players. Love connecting any way we can. Our Gameday Chats inside the Substack app will also start back up.
Thank you all for the gust of wind into our pirate sails.
New here? It’s a perfect time to subscribe.
Current member? The more referrals you send, the more you’ll get months for free at Go Long.
A final thought. Online, when a story’s written, two silos of fans often emerge. One declares the messenger a “stan” and one declares you a “hater” with no time for nuance. No doubt, both groups are the LOUDEST filling the airwaves. Perhaps I’m a hopeless romantic, but Go Long is wholly committed to those in-between who don’t zombie-scroll their life away IG or TikTok, for those dying to take back their brains from the AI machinery.
I love talking to players, coaches, scouts all the time and simply seeing where it leads.
Sure, we’re pro-player around here because those players are the modern-day gladiators putting their brains and bodies on the line. I’ll continue to sit down with guys inside their homes, over dinner, wherever possible beyond the locker room to capture the spirit of this sport. As legacy outlets embrace a fast-food approach — eliminating longform from its business model — we’ll lean harder into it all. Again, football is a human game.
One comment from a coach still sticks with me. This NFC assistant said there’s the NFL everyone sees on Twitter… then there’s the real NFL behind the scenes. And the real one, he assured, is 100 times more cutthroat than all Disney interpretations regurgitated in press conferences. We’ll pursue the good, bad ‘n ugly behind that curtain without fear. Most teams credential us and are excellent facilitators. Some don’t. One team we write and pod on plenty here told me they won’t issue a credential in part due to a story I wrote 7 1/2 years ago at B/R. That’s fine, that’s their prerogative. There are a million ways to pursue stories that matter to you. We won’t stop.
Your phenomenal support since 2020 is proof that sports media is not doomed.
There are folks who want to read with an open mind, and for that I’m incredibly grateful.
Because we write for you, let’s hear from you. What are you hoping to get out of a Go Long subscription? Email me at golongtd@substack.com.
Looking to get a sense for what we do? Here are a handful of our most-read stories from the past year:
Jordan Poyer’s Last Stand: Why is this 34-year-old still playing football? Simple. He wants to change the world.
PATRIOT REIGN? How Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye can restart a dynasty of their own: The End of Belichick wasn’t pretty, but hope is renewed again in Foxborough with a coach turning games into street fights and a quarterback who’s ascending.
House of Dysfunction: Our three-part series on Caleb Williams, Ryan Poles, Kevin Warren and the Chicago Bears.
Why was Sean McDermott Fired? The goal is Super Bowls. With Josh Allen, the urgency has never been higher. Go Long talks to people with direct knowledge of the decision.
‘He wants to win the whole damn thing:’ Inside the Buffalo Bills’ decision to hire Joe Brady as HC. The closer you look, the more it’s clear why Terry Pegula, Brandon Beane and the Bills replaced Sean McDermott with Joe Brady. We take you inside the interview process.
The Kyler Murray Project: He’s the high-voltage QB capable of electrifying these Vikings… right? A two-part series on where Murray and the Vikes have been and where they’re going next.
Josh Allen, reborn: The heart and soul of the Buffalo Bills sits down with Go Long for an exclusive 1 on 1. As he enters the next stage of his football life, he has more clarity than ever.
Joe Brady takes charge: Sprinting onto the field in high school. Sleeping on a hotel floor. Authoring his own scouting reports. Who is the Buffalo Bills’ new head coach? A man with an “edge” who’s always in attack mode. A two-part series.
Jordyn Brooks is the captain now: “We become a team? The sky’s the limit.” The Miami Dolphins have been anything but that. It was bad. Now? Jordyn Brooks is the man in change and he views this moment as his football destiny.
Baker Mayfield is America’s Quarterback: Nobody in the NFL is like him. “Bake” represents the sport at its purest, from talking shit to holding grudges to going full Favre in the fourth quarter. And, oh, what happened in Cleveland anyway?
TreVeyon Henderson sees the light: Sleep paralysis. Demons. Suicidal thoughts. The New England Patriots running back opens up to Go Long on the turning point of his life.
Tate Ratledge feels no pain: “Dev’s gone.” Those words changed his life. Meet the Detroit Lions ass-kicker who knows he’s a cold, “numb” product of his Athens, Tenn., upbringing and the night in Athens, Ga., he’ll never forget.
Javon Bullard is the dagger: “I’ll be the bad guy. Make me the villain.” The Green Bay Packers need a killer instinct. We travel south to meet the man who can change everything. (He can’t wait for his next shot at the Bears.)
‘Tough son of a bitch:’ The Lessons of Sam Darnold. Tom Brady didn’t believe. Neither did the Jets... the Panthers... the Vikings. So, here’s Sam Darnold one win away from a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. Is the rest of the NFL paying attention?
The Promise of Aaron Jones: It took until this year to truly come to grips with his father’s death. The Minnesota Vikings running back is fueled by their final hours together. His sights are set on Canton.
OUTLAWS: ‘We want you to remember when you played the Texans.’ Their sights are set on history. This Houston Texans defense wants to be known as an all-time unit. Best way to do that? Make offenses hurt this postseason. Here’s how they created a whole new world. A two-part series.
Matt LaFleur, the Green Bay Packers and the art of a choke: If Green Bay doesn’t move on now, then when?
On the Dallas Cowboys and organizational rot: Who in their right mind would even want to coach this team? Those who pass through Jerry’s World see the vicious cycle repeating itself.
Congrats Ty and crew on year 7! I’ve loved every year and your contrarian attitude that gives us deep stories we can’t get anywhere else. Here’s to the next 7!
The Packers won't give you media credentials?