Thread by @TheOutsideGame

10 years ago, @HHReynolds, @bunch & @cwlucas came up with the insane notion that pseudonymous bloggers would get out of their parents’ basements, travel to NYC and convene with one another to share stories and best practices in the basement of @stoutbarnyc.

The trust & support of people like @PeteVlastelica/@yardbarker, @Gallagher_Rich/@taylorstrategy/@GuinnessUS, @CoreyPWilson/@GQMagazine along with @mrhall/@NESN, @Bankoff/@SBNation, @SNovak27/@SInow and others helped make that possible.

Talks included Confirm or Ignore: Social Media as a Tool [Who knew?]; Claiming Earned Media; Making it Big; power in Numbers: Content Networks; Make it Your Job; Show Me the Money; Why We Hate You: The Media’s Take; and a Keynote from @garyvee.

blogswithballs.com/bwb1

vimeo.com/5160607

See, back then, that was all uncharted territory. Digital media and traditional media were for all intents and purposes siloed and adversarial.

It was a weird time. blog.nj.com/jerseyblogs/20…

The event was unprecedented in its focus, tone and subsequent success.
vimeo.com/5655931

The team the put it together got asked to do it again 6 months later in Vegas at Blog World Expo. @FOXSports came on board. @JalenRose was there.

Then @espn asked if they could screen the @realDonaldTrump focused @30for30 “Small Potatoes”

We raised a few grand for @AnnieDuke’s Ante Up For Africa with a celebrity poker tourney thanks to @danlevy (and @CaptainMorganUS). (@adamcbest won)

Vegas was cool, but the conference room wasn’t really our vibe.

So thanks to @ProcterGamble we took the show to Wrigley Field the next spring. (And ironically put @whitesox’s Scott Reifert on a pane).

Of course we threw some shindigs. @BleacherReport stepped up.

It was good. We were having fun, building community. But there was more to this thing than just sports. Let’s get what we were doing out to the movers and shakers. @HHReynolds, @bunch & @cwlucas thought “let’s do this at @sxsw”

We were told “yeah, the @sxsw crowd really doesn’t do sports, but you can try.”

So we went big. Proposed a panel with @jemelehill, AJ Daulerio, @darrenrovell, @edsbs, @danshanoff. What do you know? They went for it. #bwbsxsw

This also kicked off a long friendship with Jemele, whose support has been immeasurable.

Even threw a Selection Sunday watch party.

@pepsi got into it and asked us to do some programming around their activation. Even our old friend @garyvee came through following his keynote.

Lo and behold. @sxsw people were into sports. Next thing you know they created a whole track.

Next up NYC again. Thanks to @joefav and @SilviaEAlvarez we kicked off a great relationship with @BloombergSports.

More importantly the industry was evolving and so was the influence of those once holed up in that Stout basement. We started talking about more social and crossover issues. We wanted and got more women active. Thank you @mhueter.

We got hustlers who were on the cusp (and beyond) and leading the way and showing candor. @JoshElliott32, @JamieMottram, @bomani_jones, @TasMelas, @jeskeets, @jonahkeri rock.

Even @FReeKobi0704 came to talk about his contract struggles (before a milk chug off with @jbacott).

@Deadspin was still going scorched earth with @espn? Let’s have Daulerio bring them all up and talk about it.

Party? Oh. Well @gqmagazine & Van Heusen just brought @DeionSanders along to style some bloggers and talk Xs and Os.

Not done yet.

Thank you @jeskeets, @TasMelas and the @TheStarters / @theScore for bringing us international. 🇨🇦

We added a diversity panel, a hockey panel, a metrics (#Moneyballs) panel.

@TikiBarber & @GeorgeAtallah were mixing it up with bloggers — in Toronto.

When we headed back to the States, we kept it rolling. Infusing culture, sports and business.

We localized in Chicago (@SarahSpain and @BarstoolBigCat didn’t harm one another).

Although @timmarchman and a @FreeBeacon editor almost did as our social panel of @JulieDiCaro, @greghoward88, @ProfBlackistone, @CydZeigler and @ChrisWarcraft watched on.

The following year back in Chicago, we brought more fire. Women discussed internet hate.

@PFTCommenter & @BarstoolBigCat did a live show.

@Eric_Edholm only LOOKED uncomfortable discussing the contrasting media treatment of @CameronNewton & Peyton Manning.

Even @drewbrees popped in (sorta).

(@ChristenPress actually did) espn.com/espnw/voices/a…

We took some time off. It happens. But the fire we like to think we helped start continues to grow. Last month we stoked it a little more. With new faces and a new topic and a new name (@TheOutsideGame). We were joined by @eazyengram, @erinasimon, @JeffEisenband to talk Esports

The OGs (@blogswithballs) are now The OG (@TheOutsideGame).

What’s next? Plenty. Plenty of disruption, influence, fun and frankness.

Multi time panelist @kbull53 is even spearheading an athlete-specific focus for (near) future events - hopefully year round.

(Here’s KB on our panel at a BWB/ @NFLPA / @GQMagazine draft panel at @Google HQ (yeah we did and will do stuff like that).

So we hope you’ve enjoyed the ride. And we hope you stick around for this next trip.

@HHReynolds @bunch @cwlucas