(It’s herrrrre! If you already know what this is and just want to donate to Make-A-Wish, click here and donate! Read on for Blogathon details.)
Time to get together and do something crazy to provide you over-the-top coverage and also make a REAL positive impact in the world! It figures to be another active trade season, and I’m just hoping the Cubs are buyers by the end of the month this time around …
Let’s get ready for this thing. Each of the last 12 MLB Trade Deadlines, your generous support to a good cause forced me to blog for a whollllle long time straight. No sleep. A bajillion posts.
It was 24 hours straight back in 2011, then for 30 hours straight in 2012, then for 36 hours straight in 2013, then for 37 hours straight in 2014, then for 38 hours straight in 2015, then for 39 hours straight in 2016, then for 40 hours straight in 2017, then for another 40 hours straight in 2018 and again in 2019. In 2020 we got a little creative with the pandemic urging caution, so we turned it into a Dogathon, when you made me eat 17 hot dogs – and nothing but 17 hot dogs – for two days at the Trade Deadline! It was really gross! In 2021, we were back to somewhat normal, and I was again at 40 hours for a very sad deadline. Last year’s edition, I decided to offer to eclipse the 41 hour mark, which was QUITE HARD.
We had some fun, got excited/disappointed about some trade action, and, most importantly, you supported a great cause. Through your efforts over past Blogathons, you’ve raised more than $163,000 for Make-A-Wish to transform your passion for baseball into some real, impactful good in this world. Your generosity blows my mind.
Let’s do it again this year, and make me look foolish in the process! I’ll even step it up a little …
Bleacher Nation is partnering with Make-A-Wishยฎ Illinois. The mission of Make-A-Wish is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Make-A-Wish cannot accomplish that mission without the help and support of others, and that’s where you come in.
I’m going to do SOME LENGTH of a Blogathon at the Trade Deadline, but it’s up to you to really get me to go wild. So let’s make a deal.
I’ll commit right now to blogging for 22 hours straight leading up to the Trade Deadline on August 2. No breaks. No sleep. Constant coverage. Writing. Tweeting. Commenting. Videos. The run-up to the deadline is among the most important times in the baseball season, and I intend to go crazy covering everything out there during the BN Blogathon on July 31 and August 1. You’re getting 22 hours right now, guaranteed.
But who wants 22 hours when you can have 32 hours? Or 40 hours? Or 42 hours?
Yes. That’s right. I’m going to try to go ANOTHER hour this year.
Maybe you noticed a trend there up top when I was talking about past Blogathons: I had been capping myself at 40 hours in recent years for health and safety reasons. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?! I can do 42. If we raise enough, I can bump that additional hour. It’s for a great cause, after all! An extra hour on top of last year’s extra hour may not sound like a lot, but whoooo baby. It is. This was me in hour 41 last year, looking a mess and barely coherent:
So, we’re starting at 22 hours no matter what. And then for every $500 you generous folks donate to Make-A-Wish, I’ll tack on an additional hour, all the way up to $10,000, or 42 hours total. My hope is we can get there, and then you force me to do all kinds of whacky ADDITIONAL things DURING the Blogathon so that we can keep on moving those donations up! One year, you made me get a tattoo. Another year, I worked outside Wrigley in a folding chair. All those hot dogs. That’s just too many sandwiches. I’m sure you can think of some crazy things for this year. But no more nacho cheese helmets:
But, hey. We gotta get there first.
Every dollar raised will go straight to Make-A-Wish, and the intent is that the funds will be used to grant a wish to a child who wishes for an experience related to the Chicago Cubs. We all love the Cubs, and it would be pretty amazing to help a child do something that will deepen his/her own love of the Cubs. Make-A-Wish Illinois does tons and tons of great work with young Cubs fans.
It’s up to you to make this happen.
Here’s how you donate:
Go to the BN Blogathon fundraiser page, and make your donation there by clicking on the “DONATE NOW” button.
Make-A-Wish is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, so, to the extent you were wondering, financial contributions may be deductible for federal income tax purposes. Just throwing that out there.
This is win-win for you, my friends. By giving whatever you can, you not only help change the life of a child and his or her family, but you also ensure ridiculous, over-the-top coverage at the Trade Deadline. The bonus is seeing if I find some other horrible food substance to dunk on my own head after 35 hours because why not.
Thank you for your attention, your support, and for telling your friends and family about this fundraiser!