Letter from the Editor: There’s No Place Like Home
Most things in life are passing ships in the night. Relationships. Jobs. Fantasy football rosters. Then there are the few pillars that inspire sustained passion. For me, TheFootballGirl.com is one of those gems.
The site humbly launched back in 2009. Tom Brady only had three Super Bowl rings and fidget spinners did not yet rule the world. I launched TFG because of both my intoxication with football and the fact no media outlet existed to specifically serve 46% of the NFL audience in a way that wasn’t overly pink, condescending or both. I knew women who could break down complex schemes and women who were just learning basic fantasy strategy. We aimed to serve both with content that was engaging, irreverent and, once in a while, poignant.
I’d like to think we achieved our early goals. We grew. We gained respect with sharp commentary and analysis, enlightening interviews and plenty of quirky features from a bevy of compelling contributors. We won awards. We were a Jeopardy answer (seriously!). It was amazing, and just about two years ago we were inching toward the next step when…
In the summer of 2015 I received an out of the blue message from Sports Illustrated inquiring about my interest in their open digital NFL editor position. Quickly I had to make one of the most difficult professional decisions of my life and with some trepidation I opted for the legacy brand because I don’t believe in collecting “what ifs” in life. SI came with the typical highs and lows of any corporate media job but what ultimately led me back to TFG was the crescendo-like realization that I had unfinished business. TFG and its potential to reach an increasingly engaged yet still underserved female fan base became a far more powerful “what if.”
The NFL has changed greatly since we started in 2009 and issues that had always been compartmentalized have come to the forefront. Head trauma. Domestic Violence. A searing political underbelly. I think we are well positioned to cover it all while still providing analysis, fantasy advice, keeping you up on the news and having fun. The NFL media landscape has only become more jam-packed in the last two years but I am confident there is still plenty of room for a scrappy independent with flair.
So here we are. And hi, as the great Amy Trask would say. I am beyond thrilled to bring you TFG 2.0. We come without disruptive technology, and we’re not trying to alter the media landscape in a nanosecond. We are simply trying to bring you engaging, unique content that often transcends football on a minimalist platform that is easy to read.
You will read a lot from me but you will also dive into the mental side of football with Leah Washington, a brilliant sports psychologist, get top fantasy advice from acclaimed expert Pat Fitzmaurice, hear the mansplaining escapades of Columbia grad student Chloe Danielson, and many more.
We are going to take plenty of risks, and there will definitely be hiccups along the way. But I can promise you this: We will be working our butts off to deliver a site that treats all the kickass football girls out there in the way they deserve: like NORMAL NFL fans. I can’t thank you enough for your support – and believe me as a startup we need you! We’ll have plenty of social engagement (including Sunday pregame Facebook Lives in season) so hope we get to know each other on Twitter, Facebook, IG and of course, here.
Cheers to the 2017 season (and beyond)!
~Melissa Jacobs
Founder and Managing Editor, TheFootballGirl.com
A few more faqs about the new TFG
Q: Why do you have men writing for your site?
A: Why exclude over half the NFL’s audience? The whole point of this is to not alienate anyone in the way women have been for so many years. And by the way, our male fantasy writer, Pat Fitzmaurice, just so happens to be the best in the business.
Q: How can I contribute?
A: Awesome. We are always looking to curate content from strong writers who believe in our mission of empowering female fans. See this description for more.
Q: Why are there so many older articles?
A: Because we’ve been around since 2009. Where else are we supposed to put that content? Poke around for some cool vintage finds!
Q: Why didn’t you follow the paid subscription model like every other new site?
A: Because we’re idiots? Feel free to make a donation.
Q: I’m a VC and think TFG is awesome but not sure it’s investable. Convince me otherwise.
A: We have big plans in the works beyond the day-to-day editorial. Happy to discuss in private. Please send a note to info@thefootballgirl.com.
