Name: Ian Bonner
Graduation Year: 2014
Major/Minor: Finance/Economics
Hometown: Wayland, MA
Favorite Sports Team: New England Patriots
Name: Patrick Coleman
Graduation Year: Year 2014
Major/Minor: Accounting/Mathematics
Hometown: Portland, CT
Favorite Sports Team: Connecticut Huskies Men’s Basketball
HC: What made each of you want to start your own sports blog? Is it just you involved, or do you have a team of people who work on it?
IB: I have always loved sports and enjoyed writing. One day, I mentioned it to my friend, he gave me positive feedback and we went from there. I have a team: Charlie Argast is the co-founder and we do most of the heavy lifting but there have been roughly ten other contributors. Everyone has their own opinion but I think what makes sports fun is that everyone augments and contextualizes sporting events differently. My blog is called The Full Court Press.
PC: I have been following sports all my life. I played a lot of sports when I was a kid, played basketball in high school, and I am always watching sports whether its UConn, the Patriots or Celtics. I always loved talking sports to whoever wanted to listen so one day my girlfriend suggested I put my thoughts into a blog. It is just me, myself and I working on the blog whenever I have the free time. My blog is called Freshly Pressed Sports.
HC: What is the breakdown of your blog?
IB: Our blog is a unique combination of reactions to current news and articles on a myriad of sports topics, rules, history, etc. In one day, the material will range from a huge dunk the night before to a piece on why the MLB should implement a salary cap. We write the articles in our down time or when we hear of something that we want to share with our readers. Some of the reaction based blogs are best written without much thought. Knee jerk reactions are genuine and capture the moment. Reflective pieces usually involve an element of planning.
PC: I focus my blog mostly on my favorite sports teams. I break down games, look into the future for teams, and just give my two cents on how the team is doing. From time to time, I will write about hot news topics, like the current NCAA tournament, but for now it has been focused on New England based teams. I try to write as much as I can whenever I have free time! So depending on the post, there could be a lot of structure and outlining but other times, I am just winging it.
HC: What would you say is the hardest part about writing? What would you say is the easiest?
IB: The hardest part about writing is finding the time to do so. Between classes, work, and football, free time can be hard to come by. There has been a direct correlation between time off and the amount of blogs. We maintain that quality is more important than quantity, so if we do not have sufficient time to develop a blog, we will wait. The easiest part is writing; I live sports and have strong opinions (which my friends will attest to), so putting my thoughts on paper is the easiest and best part.
PC: The hardest part about writing is finding time. A lot of my day is focused on work, classes, and homework. Whenever I have a busy week, I usually do not get to talk about as much as I want to. I try to plan out my days and weeks as best as possible to make sure I can find time to create a post or two. Once I have the time to write something, the easiest part is just sitting there and writing. Like I said before, I love sports. I could talk and debate sports for hours. Once I find a good thing to write about, everything just starts flowing.
HC: How important do you think it is to be creative and have things like a blog on your resume?
IB: To be perfectly honest, we didn’t even consider that until recently. We do it for fun but it can definitely be a talking point in interviews. I think that the ability to write and effectively communicate thoughts is a very important skill set in this day in age.
PC: I think it is very important. Although it’s for fun, it shows that you can be passionate about something which I think employers want to see. It might not be the highlight of your resume, but if you can display writing skills, I think that could be crucial. It could be a good conversation starter in an interview…especially if the employer is into sports!
HC: Which article(s) caught the attention of most of your readers?
IB: Some of the articles that appeal to the casual sports fan have yielded the most attention. Articles such as “THAT Guy At The Gym”,”5 Tips for Girls When Watching Sports With Guys”, and “Can You Believe This Letter Wasn’t Enough To Get Me A Tryout?” were all very popular. Additionally, Charlie Argast’s Lineman Grumble of the Week (published on Wednesdays) has received favorable reviews.
PC: The article that got the most attention on my blog was one that I wrote about the Bryant Basketball team called “The Season of Firsts“. It was an ode to the team and season since they have overcome so much and have finally made it to Division 1. I was pretty shocked at all the views and responses that I got from it
HC: Do you have future plans for your blog or is this predominantly a college hobby?
IB: We will continue to write to the best of our abilities. As I mentioned, time is the biggest key, so post-college life will definitely provide a challenge. However, it may still serve as an outlet for sports which will be a change in pace in the working world.
PC: For now it will be a college hobby. Who knows what is going to happen down the road. If I have the time to write articles, then I am going to keep writing. I love to channel my sports knowledge and opinions into the blog so I could see it lasting for quite some time.
HC: Lastly, any advice for aspiring writers?!
IB: Quality over quantity. Accuracy takes precedence over timeliness. It’s important to develop a voice so that readers can identify with you and even predict your reaction to something before they read what you wrote.
PC: Write about things you love. I could not write a 10 page paper on any accounting subject, but I could write 100 pages about UConn’s future or how the Patriots are the team of the decade. If you write about things you love, writing becomes so much easier and you put more thought and effort into it making it that much better.