Does anyone else plan on getting a subscription to The Athletic?

[sodbuster]

26 minutes ago, SDS said:

So, what was Tim not interested in?

If I had to guess, I'd say a social media decorum class.

Edited June 18, 2018 by sodbuster

[stony]

Just now, TikiTailgateRentals said:

I chose not to give Tim Graham my beer money.  Hope he learns the hard way that being an ahole on Twitter doesn't help with subscriptions aka $$$

There's no way to quantify this, but I haven't seen a single person suggest they're canceling their subscription to the Athletic.  OTOH, I've seen a boatload of people suggest they've signed up for him.  

[Estro]

No I do not.  I refuse to pay for content.  There ar4 different methods of making money off of a high traffic sports website and IMO the ones that have adopted a subscription model like the athletic will not work.  I much prefer a model like the Ringer, which has advertisements.  

 

As far as Tim Graham I had to unfollow him on Twitter years ago because he was such a smart ass.  I don't know the man at all but the way he comes across on Twitter was, IMO, not only petty but embarrassing.

 

I like Fairburn's podcast with Joe B.....and I'll just continue to listen to that for free.  If they decide to charge for that eventually I'll listen to the next guy who fills the non subscription model vacuum.  

[Lurker]

2 hours ago, stony said:

Just signed up!

Does it count if directed toward Harrington?

 

No.

 

TG gets a "not a douche" pass on anything tweeted about Harrington...

[Jay_Fixit]

52 minutes ago, eball said:

 

Speaking to Harrington, apparently. 

 

Goes back to who Graham is as a person...who takes a private conversation -- from a colleague, no less -- and throws it out on Twitter?

I’m glad none of my conversations get out on Twitter. I’m sure I’d have mean looking people at my door within seconds.

[Lurker]

51 minutes ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

Pay for “news”? Lulz.

 

News is generic.   But how about entertainment and insight?     

 

Quality writing's worth paying for, just like quality music, quality movies, quality beer, quality women... 

[ET1062]

52 minutes ago, stony said:

There's no way to quantify this, but I haven't seen a single person suggest they're canceling their subscription to the Athletic.  OTOH, I've seen a boatload of people suggest they've signed up for him.  

A whole boatload?  That will pay Timmah's bar tab for a month, not much else.  

[Fadingpain]

1 hour ago, That's No Moon said:

Thank you for reminding me why I refuse to support anything those jackasses do.

For the life of me, I don't understand why anyone with anything to lose would ever participate in "social media".

 

I also have no idea why a so called professional--at anything---would get involved in this new breed of online mud slinging.

 

It is totally unprofessional, lowers the so-called professional to the level of the worst in society, and casts the poster of this **** in a really negative light.

 

I don't follow the stuff myself, but you can't avoid these references in various threads at this and other forums.

 

 

[BuffaloRush]

I guess I’m in the minority here but I’m not paying - for the same reason I wouldn’t pay for the Buffalo Bills.  There’s more than enough free coverage and while I love Fairburn and Graham (Not a fan of Turner), excludes articles from them just doesn’t entice me.  

 

Maybe if they continue to evolve, it will change my mind but now I don’t feel that I would get the $40 or so out of the subscription.  

[Blokestradamus]

3 hours ago, Gugny said:

It does.  Graham is a child, a brat and an attention whore who can't have a discussion with anyone unless he can always be right.

 

 

Remind me to start calling Turbo 'shoutbox Timmah' :)

[Gugny]

Just now, Blokestradamus said:

 

Remind me to start calling Turbo 'shoutbox Timmah'

 

This is epic.  "Shoutbox Timmah'!"

 

@Cripple Creek, @BringBackFergy, @aristocrat, @Mike in Horseheads

[4_kidd_4]

31 minutes ago, Lurker said:

 

News is generic.   But how about entertainment and insight?     

 

Quality writing's worth paying for, just like quality music, quality movies, quality beer, quality women... 

 

You make a fair point.

 

Maybe if I followed as closely as I did say 10-20 years ago. But I’m kinda “sportsed out” in general.  Bills are more of a habit than a hobby these days, and beyond that, I don’t really care about any other franchises. Sabres would be fun to see in the playoffs someday, but ‘meh’ to regular season hockey.

 

So I reckon I take back my snarky post. I personally wouldn’t pay for insight or opinions, but to each his own.

[FrankoElTanko]

I just signed up... It seems excellent so far

 

[BuffaloRush]

18 minutes ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

 

You make a fair point.

 

Maybe if I followed as closely as I did say 10-20 years ago. But I’m kinda “sportsed out” in general.  Bills are more of a habit than a hobby these days, and beyond that, I don’t really care about any other franchises. Sabres would be fun to see in the playoffs someday, but ‘meh’ to regular season hockey.

 

So I reckon I take back my snarky post. I personally wouldn’t pay for insight or opinions, but to each his own.

 

I’m with you.  I’d actually be more inclined to pay for premium podcasts than a subscription to The Athletic

[bills7834]

It's cheap enough.  I just don't think it's for me. I rarely read full sports articles. I do have about an hour commute to work every day and I do get my fill of sports news from satellite radio. 

Ads don't really bother me by the way unless they open new screens. I usually just see items I looked at over the last few days.

[FLFan]

I do not mind paying for good journalism - actual insight and analysis and good old fashioned reporting based on delving into the teams and the relevant organizations.   The BN Blitz has not been that.  Perhaps they will improve having ditched some of the dead weight.  The Athletic seems to be legit and I will probably give it a try for $40 and a free tee shirt, given they do have a Buffalo sports focus area and some reporters that know the ground and have shown good work in the past.  

 

That said, I am skeptical about Timmy's value add.  He is a good reporter and writer when he focuses on that, but I can't stand his snarky, arrogant attitude.  If he leaves that at home and just does the job, could be good.  I am not betting on that though.  

[BuffaloRush]

2 minutes ago, MDFan said:

I do not mind paying for good journalism - actual insight and analysis and good old fashioned reporting based on delving into the teams and the relevant organizations.   The BN Blitz has not been that.  Perhaps they will improve having ditched some of the dead weight.  The Athletic seems to be legit and I will probably give it a try for $40 and a free tee shirt, given they do have a Buffalo sports focus area and some reporters that know the ground and have shown good work in the past.  

 

That said, I am skeptical about Timmy's value add.  He is a good reporter and writer when he focuses on that, but I can't stand his snarky, arrogant attitude.  If he leaves that at home and just does the job, could be good.  I am not betting on that though.  

 

I can respect that but I have a different view.  At this point, I know I wouldn’t get the $40 out of the subscription.  I don’t spend a lot of time reading online articles to get value out of that.  Also, does Fairburn or Graham offer enough that other journalists covering the Bills don’t?  

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, stony said:

There's no way to quantify this, but I haven't seen a single person suggest they're canceling their subscription to the Athletic.  OTOH, I've seen a boatload of people suggest they've signed up for him.  

 

It's a balancing act. The Atlantic has more going for it.

[Acantha]

4 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

I can respect that but I have a different view.  At this point, I know I wouldn’t get the $40 out of the subscription.  I don’t spend a lot of time reading online articles to get value out of that.  Also, does Fairburn or Graham offer enough that other journalists covering the Bills don’t?  

For me, it's not so much about specifically getting $40 value out of the subscription (how would you even judge that?), but supporting the journalists that take pride in their work and offer a good product.

 

There were at least a few members here that were posting about how they couldn't understand why people would complain about spending a few bucks a month for BN.  Personally, I'll save my support and clicks for people who actually seem to give a **** about their jobs. Hopefully that support has some small impact on the level of writing that these news agencies are hiring for.

 

Hard to say how much opinions like mine contributed to the BN shakeup, but I hope that situation and a successful transition for writers like Fairburn are slowly moving the needle in the right direction.  Of course, that's also why I'm a bit disappointed that TG is getting lumped in with the others.  He's a good writer, but if I had a choice to somehow not pay for his stuff while supporting the others, i would.

 

BTW, while I was considering the subscription to the Athletic (reviewed their website), I got an ad on Facebook for 50% off (no T-shirt), so I went ahead and purchased one year for $30.  

 

 

[The Wiz]

4 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

What's Timmah's record for most days between being a douche on Twitter?

I'm gonna guess more than his "most days without being a douche" record.

17 minutes ago, Acantha said:

For me, it's not so much about specifically getting $40 value out of the subscription (how would you even judge that?), but supporting the journalists that take pride in their work and offer a good product.

 

There were at least a few members here that were posting about how they couldn't understand why people would complain about spending a few bucks a month for BN.  Personally, I'll save my support and clicks for people who actually seem to give a **** about their jobs. Hopefully that support has some small impact on the level of writing that these news agencies are hiring for.

 

Hard to say how much opinions like mine contributed to the BN shakeup, but I hope that situation and a successful transition for writers like Fairburn are slowly moving the needle in the right direction.  Of course, that's also why I'm a bit disappointed that TG is getting lumped in with the others.  He's a good writer, but if I had a choice to somehow not pay for his stuff while supporting the others, i would.

 

BTW, while I was considering the subscription to the Athletic (reviewed their website), I got an ad on Facebook for 50% off (no T-shirt), so I went ahead and purchased one year for $30.  

 

 

I think it's quantified by what is being said.  Anyone can be a Sully or Bucky.  "This team sucks and here's why" articles.  That's not worth the money.  Not everyone can give their two cents while liking the teams but still be unbiased.  I feeling like some of these guess are pretty good at doing it.

 

Murph is an example of being biased and liking a team and most people don't like having to hear the homerism all the time.

[Punching Bag]

2 hours ago, Jay_Fixit said:

I’m glad none of my conversations get out on Twitter. I’m sure I’d have mean looking people at my door within seconds.

 

Of course. Twitter is for twits.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/sports/the-athletic-newspapers.html

Newspapers are a classic example of a bundle. Subscribers might read just one section, but their subscription gets them the entire paper. Mather and Hansmann believe that sports is an undervalued part of that bundle, and that there are tens of thousands of sports fans in each city who don’t care about the other sections, and would rather jettison their subscription and pay for The Athletic instead

 

Frankly I do not care about anything but Football, certainly not enough to pay for it.  Like the newspapers they are trying to take business from The Athletic is a bundle and I do not want entire bundle.  Maybe in Fall I might be willing to pay for 4-6 issues but not right now.

.

[BuffaloRush]

37 minutes ago, Acantha said:

For me, it's not so much about specifically getting $40 value out of the subscription (how would you even judge that?), but supporting the journalists that take pride in their work and offer a good product.

 

There were at least a few members here that were posting about how they couldn't understand why people would complain about spending a few bucks a month for BN.  Personally, I'll save my support and clicks for people who actually seem to give a **** about their jobs. Hopefully that support has some small impact on the level of writing that these news agencies are hiring for.

 

Hard to say how much opinions like mine contributed to the BN shakeup, but I hope that situation and a successful transition for writers like Fairburn are slowly moving the needle in the right direction.  Of course, that's also why I'm a bit disappointed that TG is getting lumped in with the others.  He's a good writer, but if I had a choice to somehow not pay for his stuff while supporting the others, i would.

 

BTW, while I was considering the subscription to the Athletic (reviewed their website), I got an ad on Facebook for 50% off (no T-shirt), so I went ahead and purchased one year for $30.  

 

 

 

Cool im going to wait and see.  At this point, Fairburn, Graham and the rest of The Athletic isn’t enough to get me to subscribe with so much free content, but if they add more I’d certainly be open

[notwoz]

Truth be told, I've thought Tim Graham's writing abilities were overrated. Really, if I want "literature," I'll go to the library. If I want to know who's doing well in training camp or who came down with a gimpy leg, then I'll go to the local newspaper.   During the season I want to read what happened during games and why.  And while you're at it, get a few juicy quotes. I don't need to waste $40 to read that information. I subscribe to the BN for more than sports, so all I am asking for are some competent reporters who provide the day's news and  not columnists with inflated egos.  So I guess it's unlikely that I'll ever become an Athletic supporter.

[FLFan]

1 hour ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

I can respect that but I have a different view.  At this point, I know I wouldn’t get the $40 out of the subscription.  I don’t spend a lot of time reading online articles to get value out of that.  Also, does Fairburn or Graham offer enough that other journalists covering the Bills don’t?  

I do read on-line reporting of the Bills and Sabres daily, as well as other sports and team, although much of it is bad.  I feel like I could value out of it, but to each his own.  In the case of Fairburn, absolutely yes.  He had become a go to reporter for me out of the Syracuse outlet, doing a far better job than the BN guys or the dolts in Rochester.  Graham, the jury is out on.  They also have John Vogel covering the Sabres who is pretty good, and Kris Baker writing on the Sabres who is outstanding in analysis.

 

like I said, worth a shot for $40 for the year.

Edited June 18, 2018 by MDFan

[BUFFALOKIE]

I am still fairly thin, but my athleticism has fallon way off the pre 40 days. How much does it cost? Can I be athletic without exercising too much? 

[DrDawkinstein]

1 hour ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

Cool im going to wait and see.  At this point, Fairburn, Graham and the rest of The Athletic isn’t enough to get me to subscribe with so much free content, but if they add more I’d certainly be open

 

This is where Im at too. I dont currently plan on subscribing, but if reviews stay positive and they put out quality content, I'll jump aboard.

[4_kidd_4]

31 minutes ago, BUFFALOKIE said:

I am still fairly thin, but my athleticism has fallon way off the pre 40 days. How much does it cost? Can I be athletic without exercising too much? 

 

 

wat

[The Dean]

8 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

What's Timmah's record for most days between being a douche on Twitter?

 

If I was basing my opinion of Graham on his Twitter posts, I'd really think TG was a complete idiot. I don't know what comes over otherwise seemingly reasonable people when they post on social media--particularly Twitter. I can never figure out why they post those impulsive and petty comments. It doesn't reflect well on them, IMO. 

 

With that said, in his early days of covering the Bills, I thought TG was fairly interesting, even if I didn't agree with him on all occasions. I try very hard to make sure agreeing with someone isn't the sole, or even major reason, I like/respect a particular reporter. But when he joined the BN, I thought his whole attitude/style changed. Sure he has some nice long form pieces, and I really appreciate that. But he has become very snippy toward any sort of criticism. That last attack against Harrington (who I have no knowledge of, whatsoever) was totally repugnant, IMO.  Everyone seems to believe that was a private message he reposted, and I have to say I agree with those who think it is completely repellent, if that is indeed the case. 

 

So at least for the time being I don't think I will be supporting Athletic. There are far too many competitive outlets, which are free (with advertising) to consume. Is the Athletic advertising free? That might make a small difference. But for the time being, I'll refrain, unless I read pieces that seem worth the expense. There is always a way to sample for free, and I'll find a way. I have no objection to paying a bit, if it's worth it. But in this age of the Internet, I am not happy about a both paid and advertising supported, site. If I pay I should be free of all advertising. I know that's an old idea, but I'm an old-school media guy, and that's the way I like it.

 

 

[YoloinOhio]

3 minutes ago, The Dean said:

 

If I was basing my opinion of Graham on his Twitter posts, I'd really think TG was a complete idiot. I don't know what comes over otherwise seemingly reasonable people when they post on social media--particularly Twitter. I can never figure out why they post those impulsive and petty comments. It doesn't reflect well on them, IMO. 

 

With that said, in his early days of covering the Bills, I thought TG was fairly interesting, even if I didn't agree with him on all occasions. I try very hard to make sure agreeing with someone isn't the sole, or even major reason, I like/respect a particular reporter. But when he joined the BN, I thought his whole attitude/style changed. Sure he has some nice long form pieces, and I really appreciate that. But he has become very snippy toward any sort of criticism. That last attack against Harrington (who I have no knowledge of, whatsoever) was totally repugnant, IMO.  Everyone seems to believe that was a private message he reposted, and I have to say I agree with those who think it is completely repellent, if that is indeed the case. 

 

So at least for the time being I don't think I will be supporting Athletic. There are far too many competitive outlets, which are free (with advertising) to consume. Is the Athletic advertising free? That might make a small difference. But for the time being, I'll refrain, unless I read pieces that seem worth the expense. There is always a way to sample for free, and I'll find a way. I have no objection to paying a bit, if it's worth it. But in this age of the Internet, I am not happy about a both paid and advertising supported, site. If I pay I should be free of all advertising. I know that's an old idea, but I'm an old-school media guy, and that's the way I like it.

 

 

It is ad-free

[BuffaloRush]

9 minutes ago, The Dean said:

 

If I was basing my opinion of Graham on his Twitter posts, I'd really think TG was a complete idiot. I don't know what comes over otherwise seemingly reasonable people when they post on social media--particularly Twitter. I can never figure out why they post those impulsive and petty comments. It doesn't reflect well on them, IMO. 

 

With that said, in his early days of covering the Bills, I thought TG was fairly interesting, even if I didn't agree with him on all occasions. I try very hard to make sure agreeing with someone isn't the sole, or even major reason, I like/respect a particular reporter. But when he joined the BN, I thought his whole attitude/style changed. Sure he has some nice long form pieces, and I really appreciate that. But he has become very snippy toward any sort of criticism. That last attack against Harrington (who I have no knowledge of, whatsoever) was totally repugnant, IMO.  Everyone seems to believe that was a private message he reposted, and I have to say I agree with those who think it is completely repellent, if that is indeed the case. 

 

So at least for the time being I don't think I will be supporting Athletic. There are far too many competitive outlets, which are free (with advertising) to consume. Is the Athletic advertising free? That might make a small difference. But for the time being, I'll refrain, unless I read pieces that seem worth the expense. There is always a way to sample for free, and I'll find a way. I have no objection to paying a bit, if it's worth it. But in this age of the Internet, I am not happy about a both paid and advertising supported, site. If I pay I should be free of all advertising. I know that's an old idea, but I'm an old-school media guy, and that's the way I like it.

 

 

 

It seems that Tim goes way too far on some of his Twitter attacks.  In his defense, he typically only goes after people who write something nasty to him.  Still I can see where it comes off bad for a BN employee to act that way, as opposed to simply ignoring it like most writers do.

 

With you on The Athletic.  At this point, it just doesn’t seem to be worth it.  But maybe I will change my mind.  We’ll see

[The Dean]

8 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

It is ad-free

 

 

Thanks.

[Gugny]

14 minutes ago, The Dean said:

 

If I was basing my opinion of Graham on his Twitter posts, I'd really think TG was a complete idiot. I don't know what comes over otherwise seemingly reasonable people when they post on social media--particularly Twitter. I can never figure out why they post those impulsive and petty comments. It doesn't reflect well on them, IMO. 

 

 

I think it's a good look into who a person really is in real-life conversation situations.  They're not writing a column, sleeping on it, having it proofed by someone, etc.

 

I don't think anyone is saying that Timmy is a bad writer.  From what I've seen, he's incapable of having an adult conversation with anyone who disagrees with him.  In my book, that makes him a jerk.

 

He seems otherwise reasonable in his columns because he has a filter and time between when he writes and when his work is published.

 

Social media doesn't afford him those luxuries and we've seen the result ... on this site and on social media outlets.  That's the real person.  A big baby when someone says, "sorry, Timmy; I disagree."  He has his thumbs and fingers, his computer/phone .. and nothing else between his real thoughts and the public.

 

And time after time, he's shown who, and what, he really is.  

 

I wouldn't pay one penny per lifetime to support that prick.

[PromoTheRobot]

26 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

It is ad-free

 

For now. I can't see them staying that way.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Nope

[The Dean]

43 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

 

I think it's a good look into who a person really is in real-life conversation situations.  They're not writing a column, sleeping on it, having it proofed by someone, etc.

 

I don't think anyone is saying that Timmy is a bad writer.  From what I've seen, he's incapable of having an adult conversation with anyone who disagrees with him.  In my book, that makes him a jerk.

 

He seems otherwise reasonable in his columns because he has a filter and time between when he writes and when his work is published.

 

Social media doesn't afford him those luxuries and we've seen the result ... on this site and on social media outlets.  That's the real person.  A big baby when someone says, "sorry, Timmy; I disagree."  He has his thumbs and fingers, his computer/phone .. and nothing else between his real thoughts and the public.

 

And time after time, he's shown who, and what, he really is.  

 

I wouldn't pay one penny per lifetime to support that prick.

 

 

I have to say, I  mostly agree with your summary. But I met Tim a time or two, and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

 

I can't say that means I don't think his tweets are his "real self", but I get what you are saying. That seems to be his unfiltered, knee-jerk self. I have a knee-jerk side, too. I used to demonstrate it here, from time to time. It's one of the reasons I don't post too often, anymore. Because that's not really me. It is, in a way. And to those that know me, it's my "Mr Cruel" side. Honestly, it's mostly for humor, but it can come off as pretty brutal, to those who don't really know me.

 

That's also one of the reasons (but a small one) I don't have a Twitter account----or a gun. My basic knee-jerk self can be a bit of an !@#$. No need for me to add fuel to the fire.

 

 

[beerme1]

7 hours ago, Estro said:

No I do not.  I refuse to pay for content.  There ar4 different methods of making money off of a high traffic sports website and IMO the ones that have adopted a subscription model like the athletic will not work.  I much prefer a model like the Ringer, which has advertisements.  

 

As far as Tim Graham I had to unfollow him on Twitter years ago because he was such a smart ass.  I don't know the man at all but the way he comes across on Twitter was, IMO, not only petty but embarrassing.

 

I like Fairburn's podcast with Joe B.....and I'll just continue to listen to that for free.  If they decide to charge for that eventually I'll listen to the next guy who fills the non subscription model vacuum.  

 

I signed up today and in part because it's ad free.

 

5 hours ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

I can respect that but I have a different view.  At this point, I know I wouldn’t get the $40 out of the subscription.  I don’t spend a lot of time reading online articles to get value out of that.  Also, does Fairburn or Graham offer enough that other journalists covering the Bills don’t?  

 

 

The biggest reason for me signing up was Sabres coverage by John Vogl. He has been covering the team a long time and was the best writer at the News. Fairburn is a bonus. Timmah is a simply a dick.He does do some decent work though from time to time. His post showing the Harrington thing well that's super douchey. Makes me wonder how toxic the sports desk was at TBN. I'll try it and see for a year. Their app is actually pretty damn impressive. 

[bbb]

2 hours ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

It seems that Tim goes way too far on some of his Twitter attacks.  In his defense, he typically only goes after people who write something nasty to him.

 

Like Harrington, Carucci, and Biscuit? 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

13 hours ago, JGMcD2 said:

I saw today that Tim Graham and Matthew Fairburn will be covering the Bills on The Athletic. 

 

I have to say, what The Athletic is doing is amazing. They’re poaching all of the top talent, while other sports reporting entities seem to be faltering. They’re almost forcing folks who are interested in good sports journalism to subscribe, I’m very close myself. I’ve noticed all of the big time names they’ve brought in on the MLB side, and now they’ve got arguably the two best Bills writers in one place. 

 

What does everyone else think? 

 

Never heard of it

 

 

[bills522]

Signed up for the national offer today ($30/yr, no shirt) and don't think I'll be disappointed..especially come training camp/regular season, really like Fairburn, Vogl, Baker, and appreciate Turner's work.  Graham's...well, Graham, his work is usually great but I'm signing up more for the other people mentioned before...we'll see if it's worth while

[plenzmd1]

4 hours ago, bills522 said:

Signed up for the national offer today ($30/yr, no shirt) and don't think I'll be disappointed..especially come training camp/regular season, really like Fairburn, Vogl, Baker, and appreciate Turner's work.  Graham's...well, Graham, his work is usually great but I'm signing up more for the other people mentioned before...we'll see if it's worth while

at $2:50/month...can there really be a case made that it is not worthwhile? I read Fairburns article/interview with Beane today..my monthly investment made whole on just one piece.

 

I am truly staggered by the number of people who sweat $3.00 here..and i am sure all guys who drive cars way nicer than mine.