This comes as a bit of unwelcome news: Neate’s considering hanging ‘em up.

“In 2007, Neate Sager is declaring that sports blogging is dead.Out of Left Field could continue next year, next week, but I have to get this out.  The first break-up never takes. It feels like it’s game over with the blogging. Big Media has lost a lot of key battles and it has had to adapt. We (whoever we are) had a few victories, but we don’t have the manpower and money to win the war….The time has come to try and find another way to spend off-hours. The quality of the readers and commenters has been beyond anything that could have ever been expected, even though I failed you. As a writer, you owe everyone your head and heart, nothing less.  Neither has been in this for a while.”

Of course, I respectfully disagree that there’s been any failure - quite the contrary.  Blogging basketball, baseball, football, NCAA, CIS, etc. - the depth, quality and style have been amazing.  And you certainly couldn’t beat the price of a subscription.  Unlike many bloggers, Neate never put out the “tip jar”, although I’m quite certain it would have been filled if he had. 

Clearly, as a fan of some of the local sports, this recent development is not good and it comes at the same moment that The Universal Cynic appears to have pulled the plug too.  The whole blogging gig is demanding - particularly when you invest the amount of time and energy into it that Neate clearly does.  There’s a very real sense of pressure to post - but to post with quality and quantity.  A glance at the counter on the web page brings some satisfaction and yet, more pressure; the pressure to deliver for the readers, the pressure to “keep them coming back”.  And then of course, there’s the occasional pressure of a libel claim thrown in for good measure.  The pay’s not good, and in Neate’s case the hours are terrible.

I’m confident that if he wants it, space will be made in the media room at Pecor Stadium (formerly known as Lynx Stadium) for Mr. Sager, come Opening Day. 

He’s earned it.

(cross-posted to the unofficial Can-AM blog).