I’m not here to say much. But with August ending, and with this sixth season of having my website here coming to a close, I wanted to share some things!
I spent this past year sharpening my skills. There was a lot of activity this past year that cannot be described as brand new to me. That’s an awesome feeling. I got to work at the NFL Network for a full season. But my experience starting in December of 2014 was significant. I had a really good year as a researcher, until March. Once spring got here, I had big things planned.
Of course, not all of those plans went the way I wanted. I would say that 25 percent of my 2015-2016 year can be described like that. I really wanted to go to Rio. That would have been a new and exciting experience. But I failed. It was the first of many reminders this past year that I have a long, long way to go in my career.
A window did open for me to cover the Drew League once again. I got to run the verified Twitter during every single game; unlike last year, I didn’t miss any time for events like NABJ. 1 I was there for every single game at the Drew, so I took the initiative to interview a player from every winner. For one season only, I had “Live at #TheDrew”. The weekly compilations were very long, and I felt like my marketing shortcomings resulted in a lot of those interviews staying in the dark. But I enjoyed my summer. And my appetite for challenges led to a video I’m proud of. If I never get to cover the Drew League ever again, I’ll at least have this:
I also got to cover the Los Angeles Clippers again at ClipperBlog. I didn’t realize how much people were following the work of the site still until I went to the Sloan Sports Conference in Boston. Some folks that have done exceptional work in the field I’m mostly in still acknowledge the site. Which is nice. But it’s also a bit frustrating in this age of, “how many followers do you have?”
Doing high quality work with low quality results is something I’m all too familiar with. I work as if everyone is watching, though. This past year, I felt good. I cannot ignore the 25 percent of the year that made me feel like I was either ignored or forgotten about, whether it was because somebody forgot to pay me or that one time I traveled to Nevada and had a credential belatedly withheld because they overbooked, despite inadequate ways of making sure I knew.
Like I said, I had a good year. I had a lot of folks who supported me, gave me opportunities to be a better pro and to be a better Christian and citizen of Earth.
I’m ready for 2016-2017 now though. I am so focused. Not looking too far ahead like 2014-2015, and not looking in the rearview like I did all 2015-2016. 2 I’m back at the NFL Network as a seasonal researcher for a third season. I haven’t been at the same place three years in a row since college, and I can finally take advantage of my brief time at Marketplace and Fox Sports 1. I’ll be looking forward to having a 
year, because my patience has allowed me to be stronger and wiser. I’m in the best year of my prime, and I know that my moves aren’t in vain.
But I don’t have an announcement. I don’t know what I want to be professionally, or where I want to be. I have interests and I’m the 1 with the skillz. Nothing has changed, yet. That’s good. I feel like my tools are all caught up now.
This time next year, I expect to eliminate that 25 percent and be .
Thank you again to everyone who feels my positive energy and reciprocates it.
#TheNU