No this is not an April Fool’s joke but I am certainly smiling. Today, I have multiple reasons to be in a good mood. This morning while doing reports for my clients at my SEO company Elite Rank Marketing, I ran the usual daily report for SportsRantz and saw that we were now #1 in Google for “sports radio shows”. A truly unbelievable achievement and a great indicator that a small group of dedicated sports fans that just love talking sports can go toe-to-toe with the likes of ESPN and Fox Radio, at least in the search engines.
Aside from that we are also celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of SportsRantz.com. Yes, last year on April 1st I officially launched the website.
It amazes me to see where things have gone from Day 1 to Day 365. When I first came up with the concept I wanted to combine social media and sports talk in a fun and easy format that empowered fans. No more being buried in comments, no more filtering, just pure intelligent sports talk. It has brought together multiple cultures, races, belief systems and people from all walks of life for the common theme of talking sports. In my firm belief I really think sports is the universal “common ground”. Where we all can find a bit of togetherness despite our differences in opinion and our differences in lifestyle.
It has been a crazy year for me personally and professionally.
On the professional level I have had a heck of an uphill climb to get to this point. Tons of website issues when we first launched led to a lot of stress, but in the end I learned invaluable lessons and learned how to make the site better and more fan friendly. Luckily, I have the benefit of working with UnTame, a company that understands my vision and has been a great friend to SportsRantz. I also am lucky to have been an SEO/Internet Marketing Specialist with several years of experience. It’s helped me structure SportsRantz in a way where I can easily say I truly believe we have a “leg up” on other websites. The understanding of what works and what doesn’t, the experience to employ it and the freedom to test my theories has been invaluable.
No company launch comes without a few bumps in the road. Aside from the website issues I have also been the target of some plagiarism where someone decided to take a ton of my hard work and post it as theirs (including my ideas, writings and concepts) but I figure it comes with the territory at times. At the end of the day if someone is copying you, you must have done something worth copying right? While most would retaliate I just used it as motivation to rise above it and I have. Just like every single obstacle that comes SportsRantz’ way, we do our best to clear it, learn from it and become better for having faced it.
If you had asked me last year where I thought SportsRantz would be in 2012 I would have probably said “I don’t know”. The truth is it was a hobby, something that was a fun outlet for me. I got to cover some local sports teams like the Albany Legends, Adirondack Phantoms and Siena Saints. I got to interview some cool athletes in the process. I would have never anticipated the group on Facebook (SportsRantz.net), SportsRantz Radio or SportsRantz Magazine being as successful as they have become.
I see something bigger than what SportsRantz currently is and due to the widespread acceptance and popularity I have decided to go “all in” on this. I am taking this concept and going to push it as far as it can go. There IS something bigger, better and more interactive out there for sports fans to talk sports. Where we can eliminate the personal attacks when two sports fans have differing points of view. Some call it “Smack Talk” or “Trash Talk” but I just call it unintelligent sports talk.
I have more faith in sports fans and their perspective than to buy into the perception that we can’t legitimately talk sports on a large platform and have it be successful. I have more faith in all of you and all of us than I do the major networks. I would rather give the fan with the jersey and face paint and outlet/voice than tune into a suit and tie reporter giving me a slant report. More often than not, the substance is with all of you!
That is why I live, breathe and bleed this. You all make it possible. You all believe in this concept, buy into it and participate in it. You all expect better sports talk, more involved sports talk and know you deserve the appropriate outlet to share your thoughts and opinions. It gives me the confidence and motivation to go stronger every single day on this. It has also inspired me to properly construct a business plan to get adequate funding to launch this as a full-fledged company. I’m not sure if you are all aware so consider this my official “announcement” but in the next year or so I am hoping to have a full staff working side by side with me to bring SportsRantz to heights I cannot even fathom at the moment.
I am so blessed for all of this, the ability to be able to launch and maintain an idea, the support of all of you and the amazing team of people that have worked with me throughout this. I cannot say enough how valuable Kristina Chambers has been, she has been here since Day 1 and has blossomed into one of the most talented ranterz I have ever come across. I knew it as soon as I read one blurb from you a year ago. Now she has a popular radio show on SR Radio and I couldn’t be prouder of her accomplishments! Thank you Kristina.
I couldn’t have done the show without my co-host Katy Mitchel who is equally as talented. Most of you do not know this but Katy and I have never physically met. But we had instant on-air chemistry and I couldn’t imagine doing this without her by my side. She is extremely passionate, intelligent and dedicated to sports talk radio and knows her stuff! Thank you Katy!
SportsRantz Radio wouldn’t have been possible without Frank Maniscalco who taught me a lot about radio and conducting a radio show. Thanks Frankie for believing in my idea and helping me construct SR Radio. I cannot say thanks enough!
To everyone else who has helped me out in any way shape or form in regards to SportsRantz this past year, thank you!!! In particular I want to thank Michelle Katz, Diamond Joe, Anthony Aniano, JR Enterprises, Melanie Madden, JR Rickert, Lei Clark, Holly Vuich, Steve & Lisa Miller, the Albany Legends family, Adirondack Phantoms, the IBL, all the callers into our shows, our bloggers, contributors to SR Magazine, all the groups on Facebook who let us share our stuff, our Twitter followers and every one else I may be forgetting! Thank YOU
I also want to thank the people who sent me nasty emails, plagiarized me/us, bashed me on air and everyone else who had something negative to contribute. Thank you! You motivate me to never quit and to strive to rise above all your negatives to produce a bigger positive and I will. WE will. I wish you all the best, every one of you, but as The Rock would say; SportsRantz is putting “Boots to Asses” in 2012 and moving forward!
The next year will be exciting and full of great things!
Thank you all for being along for the ride and continuing on this journey with all of us at SportsRantz!
Trust me, we will accomplish something extraordinary here at SportsRantz and we plan on changing things for the better!
One.Sports.Nation!
God Bless!
Anthony DiMoro
SportsRantz.com