O/NSO: WeAreSC's Fight On3 Journey - special edition

The Obvious: Well, just when you thought the 2021 college football season and specifically the USC Trojans were returning to somewhat “normal” – if there is such a thing these days – you click on WeAreSC.com and suddenly you’re transported to an entirely different and innovative college football world, whose innovative Internet sports platform is called “On3.”

The Not So Obvious: Okay, maybe this WeAreSC Fight On3 journey doesn’t exactly rival Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments leading his people through the Red Sea into the Promised Land (cover photo above by Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images). Although we at WeAreSC truly believe we are leading you, good readers, to an even better place – our Promised Land.

However, for those of you that have some Internet nervousness and don’t like a change of scenery, let the old O/NSO assure you this move by WeAreSC to “On3” was not a fly-by-night decision. No, a move of this magnitude has been in the making, and every foreseeable stone has been uncovered and reviewed, so “let my people go!”

The Obvious: As many of you know, WeAreSC was founded by our late publisher Garry Paskwietz.

The Not So Obvious: What many of you may not know is that Garry, AKA GP, had a previously good personal relationship with On3 founder Shannon Terry and some of his support lieutenants from back in the day when Terry created Rivals and 247 sites. With the blessing of the Paskwietz family, the move to On3 gave WeAreSC the best possible avenue to grow, advance the cause, and keep all of you smiling – not to mention our own financial security.

The Obvious: As you are aware, when WeAreSC was founded, it was a company that relied on subscriptions to breath. Eventually, we left Scout and made a giant leap – because of Garry P.’s reputation and the overall strength of the site – to ESPN.com.

The Not So Obvious: The move to ESPN.com was a wise move at the time. It gave WeAreSC instant credibility in the still fledgling Internet world of college football – specifically USC football – and allowed the avenues we needed at the time to grow.

However, the ESPN move was not without its costs. What started out as a wonderful working relationship changed as ESPN altered from its original college fan team-site vision to something almost entirely different. As was the case, our Garry P. made the bold decision to eventually break with ESPN as that entity was trying to figure out what it was doing and where it was going.

The Obvious: As most of you know, WeAreSC departed ESPN with not a whole lot of love between us and the giant “mothership.” We certainly weren’t the first nor the last to exit ESPN with singed and disillusioned feelings.

The Not So Obvious: During that transition to an independent website devoid of a network master, Garry Paskwietz had some hard to decisions to make and make them fairly quickly from a technical and financial standpoint. GP no longer wanted to be indebted to a giant corporation that wouldn’t allow WeAreSC to be, well, WeAreSC.

GP also didn’t want to go back to readers having to subscribe to a site and hoped to accomplish this “free” site being funded through advertising. The staff was in total agreement even if our own personal monetary funding was diminished, keeping the site alive was the ultimate mission. 

The Obvious: In the winter of 2019, tragedy hit the site as our publisher, Garry Paskwietz, passed away from an unexpected stroke, and those of us remaining on a grief-stricken staff were determined not to go under and silence WeAreSC.  

The Not So Obvious: In the days and months following Garry’s passing, the staff was reorganized to keep us afloat. I became the short-lived interim publisher and was more than happy to hand over responsibilities to Erik McKinney, who has since done an outstanding job of which I know that Garry would be proud of today.

Some of the staff remained in this thense transition period while others needed to find other employment to keep their own families solvent. There were no hard feelings. Many of us remain in contact with each other and have stayed friends today.

Today’s remaining main staff of Erik, Kevin Bruce, Chris Arledge, and myself were all hired by Garry and will continue with WeAreSC as we continue fully transitioning to On3. Erik has acquired the respected USC basketball historian Rich Rubin to continue with basketball coverage, which is a real plus.

      

A special thank you to Bruce Bagni, who was the point man in the negotiations with the On3 folks along with WeAreSC lawyer Eoin Kreditor, who handled the legalese.

And certainly, last but far from least, the Paskwietz family, mother Kathy and daughter Kami, both of whom have maintained the goal of keeping Garry’s spirit alive and well through his website.  

The Obvious: Just prior to Garry’s passing, he had optimistically related to the staff his vision for the future of WeAreSC.

The Not So Obvious: Much of Garry’s original future for that vision has been put in place, and the O/NSO is proud to say that we all are friends and get along like a team should. As we head into the On3 network, it is hoped that this wonderful working relationship of this staff continues for forever and a day. It is certainly what Garry would have wanted; he was truly a team builder.    

The Obvious: As you can see for yourself, some of the WeAreSC On3 content will be part of a very inexpensive pay wall.

The Not So Obvious: Based on projections and our experiences, the paywall will very much give WeAreSC long-term solvency. The O/NSO believes that Garry would have supported the move in a very measured way given where we are today and the current state of economics.

We have been assured by On3 that not only will WeAreSC continue to be the WeAreSC you have come to enjoy and support  – with the exception of a new front page look – but it was agreed that Garry’s name would still appear on the front page, which I think is a very positive and appropriate move by the On3 executives.   

The Obvious: Another major move for WeAreSC has been the incorporation of recruiting guru Scott Schrader, former WeAreSC employee and former owner of his own publishing site, USC Scoop, which will now consolidate into an improved WeAreSC.com.

The Not So Obvious: The O/NSO has known Scott for a long, long time, and we have remained friends through thick and thin. The son of late legendary sports columnist and USC Athletic Hall of Famer Loel Schrader,

Scott has in his own right become a very accomplished and respected professional in the vast terrain and underworld of USC athletic recruiting. Make no mistake about it, having Mr. Schrader back on board is a major plus, so welcome back, “Scotty.”

Scott is also bringing the best from his former USC Scoop staff. Marc Kulkin, who the O/NSO has known since his early days as a WeAreSC message board poster, is also coming aboard. Some of you message board posters might remember Marc as the original “Trojan Warrior.” Mr. Kulkin still remains a devoted writing warrior today, and nobody I know is more passionate about USC football than this “Trojan Warrior”.

Schrader is also bringing with him to WeAreSC the hardworking Joshua An, a continuing and gifted USC student, who has excelled in videotaping and story perspectives.  

The Obvious: For all of us, the WeAreSC staff, and our readership, it might take a little getting used to when it comes to navigating our new home, but we all have managed to overcome these types of transition challenges before.

The Not So Obvious: For many of you that have understandable questions or comments, WeAreSC will be working overtime to make sure this transition is as seamless as possible. We know that each of you has your own comfort zone and patience barometer. As my dad used to say, “Greg, one step at a time.”

The Obvious: And finally, in this weekend’s WeAreSC transition onto the On3 platform, let’s not forget we still have a USC football season to cover.     

The Not So Obvious: It’s highly conceivable that WeAreSC will not be the only changes for the 2021 USC season. Whatever those changes may be – on or off the field – the O/NSO and WeAreSC will be there as your cardinal and gold liaison to cover it and analyze it. So, what’s left to say but…WeAreSC and Fight On3!