Force Me to Blog for 30 Straight Hours at the Trade Deadline

Once a year, I ask for your direct help in keeping this place running the way we all like it. This is that time of year.

One of the most important parts of the coverage here at Bleacher Nation, in my opinion, involves the endless stream of rumors generated by the nature of Major League Baseball. From the Lukewarm Stove to the Obsessive Watches, I can’t help but cover every little rumor that comes the Cubs’ way. And we’re coming up on the busiest, rumoriest time of the year – the weeks leading up to the July 31, non-waiver trade deadline.

I plan to cover those rumors, obsessively, as always.

But, for just the second time since I started running this place as a job, I wondered if I might call upon my readers’ good graces to help keep the lights on. I hate the idea of asking for donations, but last year I had an idea that could combine your desire to get ridiculous amounts of trade rumor coverage and my desire to not have The Wife beat me with a frying pan when the site’s expenses outpace its revenues.

Since I hate asking for handouts, and you probably hate giving away money for nothing, what if we came to an understanding?

If you all collectively donate enough to Bleacher Nation to cover the site’s hosting costs (or, let’s say, get within 80% of the costs), I will blog at the trade deadline for 30 hours straight – no sleep, no breaks, minimum of one post per hour (even if it’s just to tell you how close I am to losing my mind). From 10am CT on Monday, July 30 until 4pm CT on Tuesday, July 31, I will be here. Constantly.

That is, if you help me out by helping me cover the costs of Bleacher Nation for one year.

Obviously the site’s hosting costs have increased considerably in the past year, as the site has grown. Our little home here costs about $120 per month to host, so that’s $1440 per year. Since your donation would be tied to the direct costs of running the site, I figured you might be a little more willing to give. Mom and pop shops like BN need advertising to survive, but donations help. And if the total donations go over that amount (which would be nuts), I’ll consider it salary, and I’ll thank’ya kindly.

We did the Blogathon last year for 24 hours (I’m stepping it up this year!), and, even though it was a relatively quiet deadline for the Cubs, I’d like to think you all had a good time. And, once I’d regained my sanity, I think I had a good time, too. (Here’s the wrap-up from last year’s Blogathon if you weren’t around and want a taste of what it was like.)

So here’s how you donate:




Just click there, and throw whatever bones my way you’d care to. And then laugh at me while I slowly go mad on July 30/31. Or do it because you like BN. It’s all appreciated.

Let me know in your donation if you don’t want me to give you a shout as a thanks; otherwise, I plan to sing some praises throughout the month. I’ll keep the amount anonymous, but I want to recognize everyone that donates.

I’ll keep you all updated on how we’re doing. I hope this works once again, though I’m not sure how excited I am by the prospect of blogging for 30 hours straight. I was seriously very loopy by the end of the last one, so we’ll see how an additional six hours go. What can I say? I don’t want to miss that July 30 morning window of rumors…

written by

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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