Beyond the Bylines: Getting to Know the Nothin’ But Nets Team

Nov 18, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) is seen on the floor during player introductions prior to action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) is seen on the floor during player introductions prior to action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
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Nov 18, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) is seen on the floor during player introductions prior to action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) is seen on the floor during player introductions prior to action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

 It’s Thanksgiving, so here’s a real treat for all of you: getting to know the Nothin’ But Nets team! Here are our author profiles from most of our writers.

Letter From Co-Expert Sandy

It’s Thanksgiving, so I guess I’ll start off by listing what I’m thankful for: the Brooklyn Nets, FanSided, and Nothin’ But Nets. I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I came to FanSided and Nothin’ But Nets in August, and it has been one heck of a journey. I’m thankful for getting the opportunity to run this wonderful site, our readers who sometimes drive me crazy in the comments section (I still love all of you), and being a part of the FanSided network.

Let me elaborate a bit about FanSided. Before FanSided, I never felt like I was part of a community. Sure, I have my school newspapers, but I’ve never seen so many like-minded individuals in one place before. Connecting with other experts on FanSided have led to some more great opportunities and friendships, which I am grateful for. I’m thankful for two experts in particular: Tamb and TJ, who both keep me grounded in times of crisis. Tamb, you’re like the older sister I never had (oops, I do have an older sister). TJ, you’re great sometimes.

When I started on NBN, I thought: what could be better than this — covering my hometown, favorite team for a beat, and getting paid to do it? Perhaps the only thing I love more than that is the NBN contributors. Many of them have been here since before I came, but it’s been fun watching everyone grow into the writers they are today. And I’d be lying if I said that I started off as a fantastic writer on the site, because I didn’t. Growth and improvement have taken form in all of us here.

The excitement that I had from my very first piece that got featured on Bleacher Report to any piece by any of our writers that gets picked up by B/R now has not faded. Ever since our huge offseason pickup rate by B/R, I’ve made it one of my goals to get every NBN contributor featured at least once on B/R. However, since the season started, B/R has been picking up less and less pieces. B/R, notice us please.

So since it’s the month of giving, I came up with the idea for this roundtable. All of our readers see our pieces and the writers just by their names and pictures, but there’s much more of a story to each of us than that.

Letter From Co-Expert TJ

I joined NBN in June, 2016, because I wanted to continue to branch out within the FanSided Network, and was ecstatic with the opportunity to cover the Brooklyn Nets. I learned quickly that, even though the Nets were coming off a tough 2015-16 season at the time I joined, there is a passionate community of fans who love their Nets and love the content we produce on NBN. This was both exciting and challenging for me. I like that people enjoy our content, and at the same time, it motivates me to always put my best work on the site.

I came to NBN after largely covering MLB and NFL since early 2014. I had covered the NBA previously, but joining NBN was an opportunity to expand not only my platform but my responsibilities. I embraced the opportunity to cover the Nets, and for the past four months, I’ve covered the Nets alongside our contributors. So far, it’s been such a fun ride. Since October, I’ve been working with Sandy as the site’s Co-Expert. Being a Co-Expert has given me an opportunity to collaborate even more with our great staff of contributors. Our team on NBN is always coming up with new ideas and angles on how we can cover the Nets from a unique perspective.

With this being Thanksgiving, I’d like to take this time to say that I’m thankful for FanSided giving me this opportunity, I’m thankful for Sandy, who is so talented and works so hard as a site expert, and I’m thankful for our contributors. Our contributors are fantastic. They’re always wiling to help out when needed, and they’re a joy to work with. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shoutout to the Nets fans who read our work. We truly appreciate each of you who visit the site to check out our posts each day, and those that comment as well.

I love the idea of this round table because it gives us a chance to show that we have all a unique story. Happy Thanksgiving.