Fund Nashville Predators Hockey Coverage

My name is Kate, and I'm the managing editor of On the Forecheck, a Nashville Predators hockey site currently operating under the SBNation umbrella. On the Forecheck was originally launched as a personal site in 2005, just seven years after the NHL started a team in Nashville. I came to it as a reader looking for news first before getting invited to contribute as a writer. Eventually, I stepped in as managing editor. I see myself as the latest link in a chain of talented, creative, passionate hockey fans--people like the community we still serve.

On Friday, January 20th, we got the news that Vox Media, the parent company of SBNation, was cutting all funding to On the Forecheck, as well as many of the other SBNation team sites, effective February 28th. Neither I nor any of my staff will be paid for any work done after the end of next month.

It's always been my dream to have the budget to pay all of my staff what they deserve for their hard work and skill. Going forward as we create a new On the Forecheck without SBNation management and funding, that's something I'd like to aim for.

We still don't know what the future looks like, or where or exactly how we'll be maintaining On the Forecheck, but I'm not willing to abandon it. For the sake of our readers and out of gratitude for the writers who made the site what it was when I first found it, I want to continue to provide thoughtful, informed, and entertaining content about hockey in an often-overlooked market.

On the Forecheck has been running on $600/month, which includes my own stipend as well as that of every paid contractor. What I'm asking for with this initial goal of $4000 is:

If we exceed our goal, depending on what we learn from Vox Media about their plans and assuming that there are no unexpected expenses, most of the extra funds will go into supporting the writers and other contributors, including people who are currently volunteering their time. We're seeking out ongoing funding for site backend maintenance but will also reserve some extra for that, as well.

All of the money raised from this GoFundMe will go into On the Forecheck, either as a website or to support the people who make it the place that taught me about hockey and gave me a community to love it with. Our current and future readers deserve the same opportunities I got for years to come. If you can help, we'd appreciate it very much.

[Header image credit: Stephen Yeargin, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image has been cropped and color edited.]