A thank you from Began in '96

Today, Began in '96 recorded its 20,000th read. We hit this milestone in just 10 months (to the day), encompassing 118 stories from 14 different authors.

Those are sentences we never would have imagined writing when we started the site with just four writers, a vague idea of what we wanted to do and absolutely no idea how to go about doing it. To say this has been a learning experience is an understatement, and it continues to be. But from day one, the enthusiasm was there: from our writers, from our editors and most importantly, from our readers.

Began in '96 was originally just a place for a few of us to vent about a subject that we love. Truthfully, who knows how long that would have lasted, if it was just us writing for one another. People get busy. Things fall to the wayside.

We soon realized, though, that you were reading as well. And not just reading, but commenting and questioning and sharing our stories with others. Our circle of four slowly expanded,to the point where we're now averaging 2,000 reads a month. Those aren't faceless clicks. They're a support system of readers just as passionate about sports and writing as we are.

That support system kept our contributors going when the clock hit 1 a.m. and there were still 500 words left to write, or when our editors knew there were still two stories left to proofread at the end of a long day at their real jobs. Without an engaged readership, it would've been easy to let those things slide until tomorrow. It would've been easy to say 'fuck it,' and throw a weak ending on what could have been a strong story. But you've kept us motivated and honest, and I hope you'll continue to do so.

To the writers and editors, you constantly amaze us. Almost none of our contributors are writers by trade, and yet we're still bowled over by the thought and skill put into every piece. We read an unhealthy amount of sports articles every day, and would put many of your articles up against any of the columns published in newspapers or online. I hope that all of you have gotten as much out of this collaborative experience as we have, and that you will continue to play an active role in Began in '96's growth.

As far as growth goes, we believe that this is just the beginning. Twenty thousand reads is cool, but you know what's really cool? Twenty million reads. We think we can do that, and more.

We also want you to be more involved. We want more writers and more editors. We want PhotoShop experts and graphic designers. We want feedback about what we're doing right, what we're doing wrong and what we should've been doing from the start. We want Began in '96 to be that little site that's suddenly nipping at the heels of the big guys.

Thanks again, and here's to quality sportswriting and quality people.

--Adam and Joe