On June 16, 2014, my first article for Baltimore Beatdown was published; It’s a travesty.
I used a CMS from my personal blogging days, wyomingraven.blogspot.com, then copy-pasted it into Beatdown’s CMS. The formatting is terrible. And now, more than a decade later, half the embeds are gone which makes it look worse. But I cried tears of joy seeing my article and byline on Baltimore Beatdown.
Now, more than a decade later, the tears return as I say goodbye to the site I call home.
This is my final week
as the Managing Editor of Baltimore Beatdown.
I was recruited long ago as a poster on the Baltimore Ravens subreddit, r/ravens. Former Managing Editor Matthew Stevens saw my submissions and offered me a tryout. I was overjoyed to join the site I was scraping content ideas from for my blogspot. A few test pieces later, I became a volunteer contributor. A year and a half later, Stevens joined USA Today for their launch of the wire sites, and at 21 years old with only a high school diploma, I was given the keys to Beatdown.
So, I begin my tour of gratitude by thanking Matthew, who gave me a shot. And thank you, Joel Thorman, who called me on January 27, 2016, promoting me to the Managing Editor role.
Because of Stevens, my career path changed. I went from wondering if I’d be bartending in Gillette, Wyoming forever to boundless opportunities, all from him responding to a reddit post. Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with bartending in my hometown. My mother was a bartender for 10+ years. Mama, I Love You so much and am so grateful. Thank you for your support. I’m so proud of you.
Looking over the past decade, there are so many talented individuals who came from Beatdown or made a quick byline stop before surging to their pursuits that I’m proud to have worked beside. Many who are still in media or football. Logan Levy, one of my first hires, is a college offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Jake Louque and Spencer Schultz are a media force with the Exit 52 Podcast; it was apparent when they became a duo that they’d outgrow Beatdown in a hurry. Kyle J. Andrews has covered sports all along the Northeast. Sage D’Amico stopped through for a little over a year to flex her editing prowess (and Kansas fandom) over everyone before heading to bigger ventures. Matt Cohen crushed it at Indiana (!) and now writes preps for The Washington Post.
Without them, Beatdown doesn’t succeed or become what it is today. Thank you for your contributions and brilliance.
Speaking of today, the current crew is some of the longest-tenured members.
Frank, I cannot thank you enough for joining Baltimore Beatdown. We’ve worked side-by-side for years, and your writing and editing were and are essential.
Zach, your fandom is what drives you to be such a great contributor. At its core, SB Nation is a community of fans who deeply care about their team. And you came to Beatdown with a voice needing to be shared. Your passion is a Ley line that connects to this fanbase in a way few others can.
Dustin, your contributions to the site over the years have kept me grounded. But more important than your work is who you’ve become. You joined Beatdown as a young adult and now you’re a husband and father! It’s incredible! I’m so happy to have been within digital distance of you.
It’s because of these individuals who are here that I depart from Baltimore Beatdown confident in the site’s future. Because of those named above (and the ones who weren’t), that Beatdown will become something more.
Baltimore Ravens fans, I love you. Baltimore Beatdown fans, I love you. It was providing you with the answers and content that drove me to getting my college degree and moving my life to Maryland. To gain credentials and being a part of the press corps. To working with some of the greatest journalists in sports. I loved it all. It’s because of you, your interaction and involvement, that it was possible.
As for what’s next? My time as a sportswriter is on hiatus, but I am excited to remain with SB Nation. I’ll be behind the scenes. And for the first time in over a decade, come Monday morning, I won’t be considering post-game coverage ideas, scraping for content and scouring social media.
Being honest, I’m a bit scared. This has been my life and love. I sacrificed everything I had until I was on the verge of destitution, virtually begging for support as I moved back to Colorado. But that fear pales to the excitement I have in joining SB Nation in a greater role as a new member of an incredible team.
Thank you,
Kyle Phoenix
