The Brooklyn Game
Why have we gone into the over-priced t-shirt business? This answer may be more than you want to know but for those curious, I thought I'd lay out why we're trying to raise money this way.
A few things to know about us. We get no money from the Brooklyn Nets. We get no money from Barclays. This enables us to be fiercely independent. The game grades just wouldn't be the same if we had to give everyone a B+ or higher every game, would they? But it means that financially we're on our own.
We get some money from advertising but most of that comes through ad networks, and you may be surprised to hear how little those pay. A typical site might get something like a "$2 CPM," which means that if an ad is viewed 1,000 times (which seems like a lot, no?) it generates all of $2 for us. (If you want to advertise, drop us a line!) But bottom line is, it's very hard for a local, niche website like ours to make enough money from advertising these days.
Some websites are trying to solve this dilemma by putting up a subscription "pay wall" -- say you cant read The Brooklyn Game unless you pay, say, $30 a year. We're hoping to avoid that. We want as many of you as possible to read us!
So we're trying an experiment. We're setting up a store with some pretty slick items -- some celebrating the Nets ("Big Up To Brooklyn"), some repping The Brooklyn Game. They actually look pretty damn good. We intentionally priced these items a little bit high, and we're not pretending otherwise. (How many stores do you know that broadcast that their items are "overpriced"!?? Points for honesty, please) This way we'd generate a bit more revenue for The Brooklyn Game. (Though, it should be said, our hoodie prices are actually lower than some in the Nets store).
Or you could think of it as if you were becoming a Member of The Brooklyn Game and get a t-shirt (instead of a NPR totebag) as a special gift. (And we have set up a quasi membership program: if you send us a picture of you in your gear, you'll get your picture in our Hall of Fame gallery and Devin will answer your question on line).
We need your support to continue to provide you all the great content on the Nets: player grades, breaking news, fan Rep Your Nets albums, highlights of fan opinions -- and, most important, the best analysis of the Nets on the planet. I really think that's true. I'd put Devin up against anyone for sheer basketball smarts, as well as sense of humor.
So please consider helping us out by buying something from the store. The gear honestly is pretty cool -- and you'd be helping us to serve you.
Best,
Steven Waldman
Publisher
Introducing…. The Brooklyn Game store!
The first thing you'll notice about our snazzy new store is our products are overpriced! Not as overpriced as, say, the Nets, but definitely not bargain basement. Why? As you may know, we are the exclusive partner of YES Network. But at the end of the day we're still an independent enterprise, reliant on our own methods to keep this ship afloat. A major chunk of that is advertising but that frankly is not nearly enough.
So we're selling some really cool stuff to make ends meet.
Think of it as a double Christmas gift: by buying a t-shirt or onesie, you'll be spreading joy to your favorite Brooklyn Nets fan (and that can be you) and helping your favorite place for Brooklyn Nets news & analysis keep up and running.
And there’s more! If you buy anything, you will automatically become a Premium Brooklyn Game Member. No, you don't get to hang out with Jay-Z. But if you send us a picture of yourself wearing the gear (devin@thebrooklyngame.com), you will have your most pressing Nets question answered by Devin on the site. They don't even have to be about the Nets -- they just have to be appropriate. Plus, you will be enrolled in our Member Hall of Fame, a special gallery depicting our loyalist fans.
You can think of it like giving to public radio, but instead of getting a tote bag, you get to sport the immortal words of Kevin Garnett who commented after his first Nets home game, "Big Up To Brooklyn!" Or you can think of as buying a subscription to The Brooklyn Game (willfully and generously forgetting that you can currently get the content for free).
We’ve got t-shirts, hoodies – men’s and women’s -- iphone covers, a baby onesie and a coffee mug – with The Brooklyn Game logo, the “Big Up To Brooklyn” message, or an ironic slogan combining the word "artisanal" and "Nets" in the same sentence.
You can get them in a variety of sizes and colors (though, of course, black looks best).
Anything ordered before December 13th will get to you in time for Christmas. Just some platelet-rich plasma for thought.
Best Wishes, Happy Shopping, and THANK YOU.
Devin Kharpertian
Managing Editor
Steven Waldman
Publisher
Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you're celebrating America's premier holiday in proper gluttonous fashion, just as our forefathers predicted. In proper patriotic fashion, I have a bunch of dead animals sitting on a gril that require consuming.
But as an improper patriot, I'm leaving the country tomorrow. I'll be gone for a month. Taking my place as managing editor/lead writer/joke teller of all things Ninja Turtles is Chris Hooker, formerly of Nets are Scorching fame and current podcaster over at Brooklyn's Finest, ESPN's TrueHoop Brooklyn Nets affiliate. Chris has already gotten started with some Nets free agency buzz, and there's lots and lots more to come.
Chris will be taking you through the remainder of free agency, summer league, any press conferences the Nets might hold for two incoming Hall of Fame players, and into August.
Give a warm welcome to Chris, and give him a follow @chrishooker9. He's a smart, funny dude who loves him some Nets.
We are trying out a new gizmo -- which will feature Devin and our other writers commenting on the game in real time. And you can join the conversation!
Look down in the lower right of your screen. You should see a little icon for "NowTalk." Click on that and open up the chat box.
You can follow along as our writers pontificate and crack wise, and join in yourself. You have to sign in using one of your social media registrations, or you can register anew through NowTalk. Obviously, if you join the conversation be civil (unless its about the Knicks, in which case you can be rude).
This is a beta version so let us know what bugs you find.
We need an intern to work with our super photo editor, Nicole Sweet, on various photo projects -- creating galleries, imagining new features and using social media to promote our work. You don't have to be an actual photographer (though if you are, this could be a good platform for you). If you're interested please send a note and resume to Nicole -- NicoleSweetPhoto@gmail.com
The Brooklyn Game's own Devin Kharpertian, who is generally uncomfortable speaking in the third person but makes it work for the sake of self-promotion, will be on web show HoopSpeak Live today, talking about the malaise that is the Brooklyn Nets. The show begins at 3:00 P.M., and Devin will be on around 3:10.
As the show begins at 3 P.M. EST, there's no link available now, but the show is broadcast live on HoopSpeak. So go there and refresh it around 3:00 to see my -- er, Devin's mug, chat with the hosts and Devin, ask questions, and generally engage in enjoyable discussion about a currently-not-so-enjoyable franchise.
Firstly, thanks so much for visiting this new Brooklyn Nets site! Devin and his band of merry contributors are working hard every day to get you the finest Nets news & analysis you'll find on the web, but they can't do it alone. So we’re looking for you -- people who love the Nets, Brooklyn, and building a exciting new enterprise:
Editorial Interns – We’re looking for people to help with a variety of regular editorial duties including writing, creation of photo galleries, research, help with our forums, etc. We’re happy to work with your school to help you get credit, but if that doesn’t work we promise that you’ll get solid editorial experience on the most fun topic you’ll ever get to cover. E-mail devin@thebrooklyngame.com
Advertising Sellers – We’re looking for a Brooklyn-based advertising sales rep to work w/ local merchants. Commission+ stock options. E-mail steven@thebrooklyngame.com
Marketing Interns – Apparently there’s The Twitter and The Google and Instafacebook and all sorts of other social media inventions needing attention on the Internet. We need interns with a head for marketing and business to help us promote the site and the great work being done by all the contributors. E-mail steven@thebrooklyngame.com
Contributors – Do you have a piece you’d like to write about the Nets, Brooklyn, basketball, or anything that would be of interest to our readers? We’d love to see it. We pay the princely sum of nothing. Well, nothing in the traditional sense of “money,” but we do offer gratitude, fame and the appreciation of Nets fans all over the word. E-mail devin@thebrooklyngame.com
Artists – We could use your help continuing to bring the Brooklyn Nets to life visually and technologically. E-mail steven@thebrooklyngame.com
PRESS RELEASE
November 12, 2012
Contact: Devin Kharpertian
Devin@thebrooklyngame.com
(973) 902 8242
MAJOR NEW BROOKLYN NETS WEBSITE -- THE BROOKLYNGAME.COM -- LAUNCHES THIS WEEK
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Will act as the YES Network’s exclusive web partner for Nets content
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TheBrooklynGame.com takes over content and staff from the popular site, NetsAreScorching.com
BROOKLYN, U.S.A. -- Brooklyn has a world-class professional basketball team, and now the major independent website to cover it. The Brooklyn Game, a new digital media platform dedicated to the Brooklyn Nets, provides fans & readers breaking news, expert analysis, fan commentary, community tools, photo galleries, and more.
TheBrooklynGame.com will be the exclusive web partner for Nets content of the YES Network, the official broadcaster of the Brooklyn Nets. In addition to the new content, the site has absorbed the articles and key staff of NetsAreScorching.com, a popular site that covered the New Jersey Nets since 2009.
YES will use TheBrooklynGame.com content on YESNetwork.com and will promote the TheBrooklynGame.com on air and on YESNetwork.com.
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So, some of you may be thinking right now, "Where am I? I just went to NetsAreScorching.com, my favorite Nets site for news, analysis, and Cialis medication, and for some reason I'm at this new website! I fear change!"
Some of you may have come here never having heard of Nets are Scorching -- and are maybe now intrigued by the Cialis -- but are curious about this new phenomenon known as the Brooklyn Nets.
You're both in the right place. Welcome to The Brooklyn Game, a comprehensive new site dedicated to the on-court and off-court evolution & impact of the Brooklyn Nets. A great city with a professional team deserves a world-class website, and The Brooklyn Game includes the full archives from Nets are Scorching and some of its staff -- but has added many new elements.
The Brooklyn Game brings you everything Nets are Scorching did -- including hardcore X's-and-O's basketball analysis, links to the best Nets talk around the web, interviews -- and more:
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