No matter what happens with the NCAA, mid-major programs aren’t going anywhere. There will always be compelling stories about those underrecruited gems, Cinderellas that slay the high-seeded dragon in the NCAA Tournament and teams that have struggled, yet don’t give up.
More and more, you see those stories being told on standalone platforms, be it blogs and podcasts for teams or whole conferences, as well as off-shoots of more prominent publications.
There’s always room, though, for more. And that’s where this concept of Mid-Major America comes in.
Like outlets in the past (and even some in the present), the idea can’t be any simpler: Amplify the stories of mid-majors from across the country and feature some of the most prominent voices around, all in one place.
If this sounds familiar to you, well, of course it is. The hashtag #AOUEOU (All of Us, Each of Us) didn’t come out of the thin air. It came at a time when the most prominent hub for mid-major hoops gave us a glimpse into what it looks like when we all band together.
And it’s high time we got back to that. We saw a little of that when the NCAA changed the rules on automatic bids for the NIT, and quite frankly, that same energy needs to keep going.
What would Mid-Major America look like? Here’s a breakdown of some of the targets:
Written Content: Mid-Major America would publish long-form stories from writers across the country. There’s plenty of material out there just waiting to be put together and published. And there are a large swath of talented writers capable of producing multiple stories to post every day.
Podcast: Every week, Mid-Major America would host a podcast featuring interviews from newsmakers throughout the mid-major landscape, including players, coaches, and media. Special and live episodes would also be a part of this as well.
Video: Like the podcast, videos covering stories that couldn’t be done justice with audio or the written word would be posted. There’s also the potential for live AMAs via platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
As you can probably guess, in order to get the best writers and the best content, we can’t expect it for free. That means the money to pay writers, hosts and various support staff would have to come from somewhere.
When factoring in the target audience, it makes the most sense to go with the monthly subscription model. Ideally, there would be enough paid subscribers to cover payments and operational expenditures. To those of you worried that everything will be stuck behind a paywall, fear not. That said, subscribers will naturally have access to exclusive content.
This brings us to the final piece of the puzzle, which is organizational structure. Unlike nearly every media outlet, Mid-Major America will be structured as a non-profit organization. While there will be one person in charge of daily operations (editorial, site management, etc.), there will also be a board of directors, comprised of members of the mid-major community. In the spirit of #AOUEOU, this venture will not be under the control of one individual, but rather a collective of people that are as diverse as mid-major programs are.
As you can see, there’s been a lot of thought given to this. However, as of now, this is only a set of ideas that, without the proper planning and execution, cannot be brought to fruition. As part of that planning stage, that’s where all of you come in. At the end of this piece, you will see a link to a Google survey that you’re highly encouraged to complete. In it will be questions about the type of content you’d like to see, subscription rates and gauging your interest in becoming a part of this, be it as a writer, podcaster, board member, etc. The survey will close on Friday, January 19, 2024.
While this questionnaire is completely anonymous, you do have the option of providing your contact information to stay informed as the process moves forward to to be notified when positions become available.
A full launch of the entire site will take place sometime in 2024, should it be determined that there is a path to move forward and stay sustainable.
Mid-Major America Survey Link: https://forms.gle/ZY5xBh62yrAxDugQ9
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