Starting a sports blog opens up an exciting new world – you can build connections through shared interests, self-publish unique perspectives on sports coverage gaps, and even create new business opportunities from your passions.
I should know. As a data analyst and tech geek, I constantly think about how advances in software, social platforms, and speeds are changing how fans engage sports media. After digging into the history and landscape, I‘m convinced now is the time for YOU to take plunge into blogging. Here‘s my deep dive into the hows and whys, with plenty of insider tips.
Let‘s get started!
Why Start a Sports Blog in 2023?
Sports blogs have seen hockey-stick growth over the past decade for good reason – they empower everyday fans to influence coverage of their teams, share little-heard voices, drive new revenue streams, and ultimately bring communities together.
Consider the sports landscape pre-blogs compared to today:
| Year | # of Indie Blogs | Avg Monthly Traffic | Est. Annual Rev |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | <100 | <1K | $0 |
| 2023 | >50K | 100K+ | $10K-$100K+ |
And the opportunity still feels WIDE open…mainstream journalism budgets face constant cuts despite 12% YoY growth in sports blog consumption (Comscore). That means you have a chance to report stories and provide analysis bigger brands simply don‘t have resources for anymore.
Not to mention burgeoning new platforms like podcasting remain massively underserved. Just 16% of diehard fans feel the sports podcast market adequately covers their favorite teams (Pew Research).
What specific coverage gaps inspire YOU that no one else is tackling right now? There lies your niche…
Now let‘s get into the step-by-step specifics for how to turn your passions into publishing reality…
Step 1: Choose Your Niche + Audience
As an aspiring blogger, forget trying to compete in massively-covered niches like "NFL Football" or "NBA basketball." You‘ll only get lost amid the bigger brand noise without a focused beat identical to mainstream outlets.
Instead ask yourself, what granular angles ignite YOUR personal interests within a sport that friends love debating for hours? Here are popular examples:
Hyper Specific Team/League Coverage: Obsessive analysis of a non-mainstream market team constantly overlooked by national press. Think the Portland Trailblazers craze post the Jail Blazers era.
Individual Player Performance: Say you have an eye for predicting NFL draft busts and steals. Share what mainstream scouts keep missing.
Historical Hot Takes: Re-analyze games, seasons, or careers that history wrongly remembers through today‘s lens.
League Innovation Concepts: Big market pro leagues seem resistant to fan-friendly changes? Describe how implementing reforms adopted by international leagues could modernize the game.
Granular Data Journalism: Unpack next-level sports analytics the average fan doesn‘t grasp. ELI5 and visualizations are your friend!
See how each niche stems from uniquely personal angles the general public overlooks? That‘s your edge to stand out from the crowd.
Now clarify exactly WHO you envision connecting with about these topics. Only other statistical nerds? Casual fans tired of shallow coverage? Share your vision to help niche down further!
Step 2: Lock Down Domain + Hosting
As a tech expert, you know that a blog‘s infrastruture forms the foundation for everything built on top. Let‘s ensure your site launches with speed, security, and scalability as traffic inevitably grows.
Domains: Keep it short and memorable while working in critical niche keywords. For example, your Portland Trailblazers blog could be trailblazersunlimited.com. Expect ~$10-15/year here.
Hosting: For a blogs I always recommend managed WordPress hosting plans starting around $100-$200/year. The extra costs provide WAY better page speeds, security protections, and technical support compared to cheap shared hosting you‘ll immediately outgrow.
Some top providers specifically optimized for WordPress include WPEngine, Pagely, and Flywheel. Let‘s compare options based on your expected traffic needs:
| Provider | Max Visits/Month | Page Speed Score | Storage | Cost/Year | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPEngine | 1M+ | 98% | 10-20 GB | $290 | High Traffic |
| Pagely | 500K | 97% | 5 GB | $149 | Medium Traffic |
| Flywheel | 100K | 96% | 3 GB | $108 | Low Traffic |
WPEngine clearly outpaces for bandwidth and speed tests. But Pagely likely makes more sensecost-wise for Year 1 as you build an audience.
Step 3: Install WordPress + Pick a Theme
You have smart hosting locked and loaded…now for the best CMS platform available: open source WordPress!
WP absolutely dominates the content management scene due to its ease of use and abundance of plug ins. Installation takes just a few clicks through your hosting provider.
For sports blogs specifically, you have TONS of built-for-purpose theme options. Let me analyze your best bets across several factors:
Site Speed: Faster load times keep readers on pages longer. Themes like Newspaper, Primer, and GeneratePress ace Google PageSpeed tests.
SEO Optimized: Built in meta tag editors, schema markup, and more help your articles surface faster on Google. Divi, Schema, and Thrive rank well here.
Features Checklist: For blog-specific functions like subscriptions, podcast integration, community forums etc – look at Blogrid, Herald, and SportsPress out the box.
Based on that analysis, I recommend either Primer or SportsPress themes to start. Extremely fast loads plus modern mobile responsive design and all the site tools needed.
Let‘s chat more about how I envision integrating podcasts, community forums, statistics widgets and other bells and whistles that set successful sports blogs apart…
Step 4: Create Quality Content
Now for the fun part – writing! But not just any clickbait or news roundups. To attract loyal, engaged readers you need consistent, HIGH QUALITY CONTENT.
For sports blogs specifically, THIS is what resonates:
Obsessive Game Analysis: Breakdowns picking apart key schemes, formations, drives with expert precision. Heat map graphics and markers to illustrate.
Film Study: Slice clips on repeat from all angles showing subtle technique/fundamentals the average fan misses. Arrow pointers and voiceover commentary.
Longform Storytelling: Profile series spotlighting athletes, coaches, hometowns shrouded in misconceptions. Humanize through rich details.
Investigative Fodder: Ask tough questions of team executives. Dig into suspicious injury reports, trades, contracts. Speculate on rumors.
Interactive Tools: Build line-up selectors, bracket predictors, GM simulators putting readers in the decision maker seat.
Fan Community Content: Enable readers to guest post response articles, vote on crowdsourced polls/awards, submit questions for mailbags.
See how each format provides a deeper level fans crave compared to Surface-level hot takes and news recaps? THAT is your ongoing content roadmap.
Step 5: Promote Like Crazy!
Even the best blog only succeeds if readers actually FIND your work. Thus self-promotion is mandatory daily practice every blogger must embrace.
Leveraging communities where your niche audience already exists is by far the best converter. For sports, be active daily discussing rumors, news etc on:
- Team-specific Twitter hashtags
- League message boards
- Fan group Facebook pages
- Sports betting Reddit threads
- Fantasy league forums
Share your article links with value added opinions to position your expertise over time. While also networking with fellow diehards who may contribute guest posts down the road!
Step 6: Monetization Runway
"How do sports blogs make money?" is likely top of mind for you. The business models supporting today‘s full-time independent sports bloggers include:
Advertising – Display ads (AdSense, Mediavine) pay per click or impression. Avg RPM ~$10-15 for niche sites.
Affiliate Deals – Referral commissions from sportsbooks, fantasy platforms, gear shops. 10-20% per sign up or deposit.
Sponsorships – Direct brand deals for social media endorsements, custom articles/video integrations. $100+ per post.
Premium Subscriptions – Ad-free reading, insider newsletters, access to extra analysis tools. $5-$20+/mo tiers.
Donations – Diehard niche fan bases happy to crowdfund via Patreon with exclusive content perks.
Consulting – Show casing your unique expertise opens doors for freelance gigs. $50-$150+/hr rates.
Merch – Once your blog brand resonates, sell shirts, mugs, hats to loyal followers. 25-50% profit margins.
Transitioning from side hobby to replace your full-time income likely takes ~3 years. Expect to focus mainly on building audience then optimizing income streams:
| Year 1 | 10K visitors/mo | Ad rev only ~$100/mo |
| Year 2 | 25K visitors/mo | $500/mo ads | Exploration of affiliate programs, sponsorships | Add premium subscriptions | Earn $5-10K |
| Year 3 | 50K+ visitors/mo | $1-2K/mo ads | Lock in anchor sponsorship deals | 25% of audience subscribes | $50-100K annual revenue |
The more laser focused your niche expertise, the better positioned you are to fully monetize its engaged readership eventually!
And there you have the complete guide to researching, launching and growing your very own sports blog! I‘m thrilled to help quarterback your startup strategy and provide any other technical advice along the way.
Feel free to reach out with questions about web hosting configurations, content formats, social promotion tactics…anything at all. This is just the start of an exciting journey ahead.
Let me know what inspires your passion and where you envision finding your niche. I can‘t wait to see your uniquely amazing sports community and perspective that the world so desperately needs.
Now get out there and start blogging!
