Launch of The Classical

[SF_Express]

All: A bunch of sports writers are launching this site, and they say a model is The Awl. Not mentioned outright is the G word.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/101341727/the-classical

I'm not remotely knocking these guys, I'm asking: I'm not familiar with a lot of them. Is their current appeal regional? Younger? Am I simply under-read?

I'm curious as to who knows about most of them, and how people feel about their mission.

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

Ones I know are younger, more esoteric, bloggy. Very good though. Check out Free Darko books (which are pretty amazing visually) on basketball for Bethlehem Shoals, who has also written for GQ.

http://www.gq.com/sports/guides/201103/nba-guide/oklahoma-city-thunder

 

[Versatile]

These are mostly 30-somethings and late-20-somethings. I've read work by most, if not all, and I think the site could end up reading like a high-brow Deadspin -- that is, if they care enough to post regularly. I mean that in a good way. It could also end up being an even more pseudo-intellectual Grantland. I mean that in a bad way.

 

[Versatile]

I got some time to actually watch the video and read the post. Three things jumped out at me:

1. The grammar was worse than anything you'd see on Grantland, which seems exceptionally sloppy for a website that is asking for people to donate money to allow them to write. Having a professional book editor working for the site may help.
2. Lines like this make me cringe: "He is the only Cleveland Indians fan you have ever met and has stated that he plans to have a string quartet play Double Nickels on the Dime at his wedding (he is single)." Grantland has that writer, Carles, from the website Hipster Runoff, but The Classical seems to literally be a runoff for hipster sports writers.
3. Literally every single writer mentioned is a white male.
4. They want $50,000 to support a full year. That tells me that none of these people plans on making this their life's work. It's a side project, which implies a lack of full-time devotion to creating a good site.

I considered donating, but those concerns lead me to believe this will not be a particularly worthwhile endeavor, even if they do receive the remaining $38,000-plus they require.