A Word of Advice To Underpaid SB Nation Team Site Writers & Managers

+ My Thoughts On Deadspin’s Article

Every 6-months, a journalist writes a long editorial on the ethics of unpaid labor in the media world. Back in January, a Darren Rovell tweet sparked a large, heated debate that Skip Bayless would be proud of.

Today, Laura Wagner from Deadspin released a lengthy expose on the unfair labor practice of SB Nation. She went through all the similarities between the NCAA and SB Nation in terms of not paying the labor that they profit off of.

Yes, obviously I wish writers were paid a fair compensation for their wok. But sorry, that’s just not how it works.

Biggest reason why this argument doesn’t apply is because nobody forced writers to work for SB Nation as a side job.

Most SB Nation writers fall into 1 of 2 categories: they are writing for SB Nation because it’s their first job in/out of college or they are writing for SB Nation as a labor of love.

Let’s break these two categories down:

SB Nation Writers Who Are In/Right Out of College:

Sports media is competitive industry and getting a foot in the door is extremely difficult. To quote LeBron, “nothing is given, everything is earned.” SB Nation offers green 20’s year olds the opportunity to prove themselves and use SB Nation as a springboard to eventually earn a full-time job. If the position was paid, these opportunities would be much more limited and some of the hungry young sports writers would never get that chance.

Bottom Line: SB Nation uses young people for free/cheap content and young people use SB Nation for experience/resume filler. Nothing wrong with this exchange.

SB Nation Managers Who Write As A Labor of Love:

Professionals who have full-time jobs and write/manage their favorite team site as a hobby had to have known going in that they would never make any significant money from this side hustle.

The problem these folk face now is that SB Nation managers/writers are being asked to work more for the same pay as news has become a 24/7 world. Since what started out as a fun hobby become a job, the stress and pressure of having to hit their ‘numbers’ has become a problem.

Nothing kills content inspiration and creativity like having a daunting amount of weekly requirements.

However, there is good news for all SB Nation writers and managers….

There is NOTHING keeping you from starting your own site!

SB Nation editor-in-chief Elena Bergeron says SB Nation gives bloggers “access to a platform that performs amazingly on mobile” with a “beautiful, readable” interface.

This is 2017, Elena. In 5 minutes, any SB Nation writer could create their own Medium-hosted website for free that arguably looks better than SB Nation’s site.

But what about gaining the viewership numbers that SB Nation sites get?

Most writers/managers have built up a rapport within their niche community. Many SB Nation website visitors don’t visit the site for the name on the front of the jersey, they go for the name on the back. If a writer/manager has done such a great job at covering their team, followers will go wherever they go.

When you leave SB Nation, the monthly stipend disappears — but so does their content requirement shackles which is worth much more.

If you want to chat about SB Nation, sports media or discuss favorite items at Taco Bell, tweet me @KevinEscalera.