Birm: Why I've decided to return to Lettermen Row

There are regularly moments in life where we’re reminded why we’re supposed to never say never.

I suppose this is one of those moments.

I am coming back to Lettermen Row, and via LR, back to On3. Really, I suppose, I’m coming back to Rivals as well, although that homecoming doesn’t feel as relevant today.

There will be plenty of people who speculate about the timing of this announcement and the impetus for it. I understand that and know that some will consider me a flake or job hopper. Coming back here was not my intention when I left Rivals back in April. The reasons for the change, while important, aren’t relevant today either.

Lettermen Row, however, is relevant to me. It always has been. When Will Crall approached me in the winter of 2018 about his concept for the site, I knew it was a special idea. We built a really great site over the course of three years and changed the way people in the Ohio State market covered the team by combining high-quality written work with engaging video content featuring a roster of former Buckeyes football players like Bobby Carpenter, Zach Boren, Michael Bennett, Cardale Jones and a host of others.

I loved my time at Lettermen Row. It became an intrinsic part of my identity. You couldn’t catch me in public or at home without the interlocked LR logo on my body somewhere. I was proud as hell of what we created. I was super excited when we joined On3 in 2021 as one of the first three team sites intended to build the network. It’s an honor when someone values your work and sees it as a cornerstone of their business.

Things didn’t turn out exactly like I’d hope back then, obviously. Being on the ground floor meant being a part of the bumps and bruises that come with being a part of a start up. Many of those bumps and bruises ended up changing what we built into something we didn’t initially intend it to be. I was probably a bit stubborn at the time, but I wanted Lettermen Row to be Lettermen Row. It wasn’t turning out to be that way, and I felt I’d been misled.

So, when I left in June of 2022, it was a gut punch.

But I felt strongly about what we’d built and didn’t love the direction it was headed. There was a public legal battle and everyone is aware of that. There’s been no shortage of Why would you go back to a place that sued you before comments from my family and friends. I get it. It’s a fair question.

But time and change have provided a pretty great deal of perspective.

Lettermen Row was my home and I wanted to protect it and was willing to fight for it. Shannon Terry and Will Crall were trying to do the same thing to try and protect On3 at that time. I get that, too. The public-facing side of that dispute is what it is. But privately there’ve been a number of great conversations with both Shannon and Will over the last three years. Those talks, including sincere apologies and an open door for a return whenever I was ready, provided me great confidence in where things are going. There’s a maturity and stability in the business of On3.

That’s what home is about. Growing. Developing. Correcting.

Anyway, that’s what Lettermen Row is to me. It’s what I hope it becomes to you.

Why come back to Lettermen Row?

As for why I am ready to return to LR now? We’ll just go back to that one word: Stability. On3 is absolutely dominating the sports media marketplace, and there’s no sign of a slowdown anytime soon. It’s a beautifully-designed product with a remarkable behind-the-scenes team that is laser-focused on continuing that dominance over the next decade-plus. In my conversations with Shannon Terry recently, I’m convinced this is the product he’s always wanted to build. If I had any doubt about its long-term future, I’d not stake my own on it.

Building a website is one thing. And yes, it’s hard, but folks do it every day. Building a community is more challenging task.

Back in 2018 when we started Lettermen Row, that was my goal. We had the pieces to build a great community four years ago, but it was just Austin Ward and myself and the simplicity of the website we had then didn’t really support that vision. We built our YouTube channel to supplement that, but it wasn’t quite the same.

I’m convinced now more than ever that community is what will take this next iteration of Lettermen Row into the future. In returning to Lettermen Row, I get to come back to working alongside great people who are passionate about Buckeyes football but also passionate about covering Buckeyes football. It’s been nearly 15 years since I last worked with Alex Gleitman, and I’m excited for that reunion. Spencer Holbrook — Chives — is Ohio-born and bred, and it’s been awesome watching him develop into his own voice over the last three years leading the site we hired him to help with straight out of college six years ago. I look forward to working with him again. Austin is back here again, thanks to the acquisition of Rivals, and that’s cool, too. We obviously enjoy working together.

And then there’s Mick Walker. I tried back in 2020-2021 to gather a consensus on the website to hire Mick but failed. I’m thrilled to work with him now. He sent me a DM on Twitter in November of 2018 — four months after we launched LR — and asked if the site was open to the idea of internships for aspiring recruiting analysts. We didn’t. I spent years talking to Mick and trying to provide tips on how and why I’ve chosen to cover this business in the manner I do. His writing was rough back then. But his work ethic — as it is now — was undeniable.

I’ve never had the chance to work alongside someone like Mick, and I am truly excited to do that. He’s as hungry to grow and get better now as he was seven years ago. This business can eat people up. But Mick is a star, and he’s only getting better. He loves to be called Micklelodeon, by the way.

On the national side, it’s super exciting to have guys like Steve Wiltfong, Chad Simmons, Sam Spiegelman, Greg Smith and others to work with. Steve and I have talked about this opportunity for years, and it’s great to see it finally come to fruition.

I’ve signed a three-year contract with On3. My hope is that when I turn 50 three years from now, I’ll sign another, longer deal. I have one goal: To make sure that this website is the place for Ohio State football fans to gather. The place to talk to each other in the best of times and in the worst of times. Whether that be football or recruiting-related or something else. That’s what community is about. If you’re new to Lettermen Row, welcome. If you’ve followed me from somewhere else, I appreciate you. Do you have a question about the change and need more information before you decide to follow me again? Send me an email at [email protected] and let’s talk about it. I understand that people will be frustrated or confused or mad. Those opinions matter to me, truly.

People aren’t always going to be happy about everything we do or say or why we do it. I love the Ohio State football fan community — even when I’m critical of it. I know some will be critical of me in return.

That said, I hope to see you in the Lettermen Lounge one day.

Never say never, right?