One Year Young
Thank You
PLEASE READ THIS ALL
I didn’t start this newsletter to become a writer. In fact, I hated writing. My sole purpose was to share my passion for sports.
On October 12, 2023, I began Sports Square here on Substack to “give sports news to the world, for FREE.” I never in my wildest dreams thought it would go this far. Maybe right after the MLB Postseason ended I would shut this whole thing down, and go back to my life.
Yet, here I am, writing this on October 12, 2024, with 178 editions under my belt. I’m still learning and growing, relying on my love for sports as my driving force.
I’ve never held a New Year’s Resolution for more than a minute. If I’m trying something new that I’m not good at, I usually quit after a day. The only thing that kept this train going was the passion I had for sports.
I wouldn’t have been on
without and who’s newsletters I subscribed to before even joining Substack. I was looking for a platform for a while before I finally found ’s creation in . Thanks to all of you guys who indirectly helped me find a platform.Next, thanks to
who was my first collaboration partner. Royce has been a big inspiration for me ever since I started my newsletter (which I actually detailed in our Magic edition). We talked about the Orlando Magic and how they’re building an amazing team (related to the 2023-24 NBA season). The advice you gave me when we worked together was so insightful and I’ve implemented it wherever I can to this day. is next. We worked on a collaboration piece, but what felt most important to me was that he was the first person (I didn’t know in real life) to subscribe to my newsletter. He has not missed even one post and has been engaged with Sports Square content since day one. Thank you a lot Rylan.Now,
. We love our basketball teams for sure 🤣. Noah has been a good friend for me during this year and we’ve worked on a few pieces as well. I’ve never seen a writer like Noah. This is one of my personal favorites. Noah has also been a big inspiration for me during my time. Thanks a lot! is another one. I love statistics, but when I started this whole thing, I wasn’t interested in ELO Ratings and advanced stats. Fast forward to 2 months ago, I finally started embedding okay advanced stats and creating my algorithm in the Outcome Oracle. All of that was because of Neil. Thank you for all the help, Neil!2nd to last here is
. Okay, y’all probably know this, but I don’t have much knowledge in the draft aspect of sports. I probably have like 3% draft knowledge. Without Nic, I wouldn’t have known anything. The insight in his work is top-notch. He’s also a huge helper for my Substack and we’ve worked together on a piece too! Check that out here! Thank you, Nic!Last but not the least. Before I mention his name, I want to tell you a bit about him. Through this one year, he gave me everything I needed; Help, inspiration, confidence, criticism, and more. He helped me through the hard times (there was an altercation) and been the most supportive of the content I write to this day. We’ve even done a podcast together. Thank you a lot
. There aren’t many words I can use to describe how much you’ve helped me. This whole Substack wouldn’t have grown without your help. Thank you, thank you, thank you.Here are my 3 favorite Substack publications that are not above.
- Newsletter. (The analysis from is spectacular.)
- . (Oh my god, is an amazing writer.)
- (’s insights are amazing.)
Some people who I didn’t mention above, but have been helpful to me recently:
. This guy challenges me after every NFL post. He makes me think in so many different ways. Let’s look at his latest comment in my article about Jalen Hurts being the most overrated quarterback.[…] So if the turnover rate isn't up, and situationally, Jalen is nowhere near the top of the league as far as having his turnovers come at the wrong time, this leads me to believe that turnovers are not the problem, and I'm correct. They're not. When including turnovers, Jalen is 21st in EPA/Play right now. Entirely excluding turnovers, he only jumps to 18th, meaning turnovers are not the problem, so what is the problem?
You are correct about the sack rate comments. It is creeping up, but we are only four games into the season. If it continues by about week 10 or so, we can be concerned about it then, so what is the problem? Quite frankly, I don't know. This is not like Geno Smith, a player who is fantastic on first and second but horrendous on third and fourth downs. Jalen isn't particularly good any time results-wise. As far as 2024, I'd like to give it a little longer to play out, because he was fantastic last season dragging along a defence hellbent on destroying the season to double digit wins, in a carry job that nobody seems to want to talk about. […]
You can read the full comment on my original article which is here. My point is that he makes me look in an entirely different way. That’s exactly what I envisioned when I started this newsletter a year ago, and I hope this continues with not just one person, but many others.
. Throughout the summer when sports were in full swing, Icee helped me with everything. Without him, the Paris Olympics and the MLB would not have been covered at the same time. Thank you.. He’s been one of my most loyal subscribers, opening 122 out of 122 emails sent to him and reading everything, instead of just opening and closing. I’m honored to be one of his most-read publications. Jarrett. There’s a gift coming your way.Goals for the next year!
Convert
to a subscriber. (🤣)Get to 100K views per month
Get to work with a real NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL player
Get to work with one of the biggest sports analysts.
Some of these goals are almost impossible, but let’s just set them.
Now. My letter.
I don’t consider myself a good writer at all, but with all the comments I’ve received from people reading my newsletter, I know that lots support me.
This year brought a range of things to me. Starting with LWOSports, the company I write for. I cannot believe that just one year in, my pieces are already pretty influential. I’ve received multiple other offers to write in other places as well. I’m extremely happy.
I’ve always been a sports buff, and I’m happy I’m now able to express it in writing, not just talking. Most of all, I’m able to communicate with people that have the same interests as me. Whether it be football, baseball, or basketball.
Thank you for being a subscriber to Sports Square. I really appreciate it. Here’s to another year of sharing our love for sports!
If you can please answer this survey, I would greatly appreciate it. One year in and I know we can accomplish way more. Thanks so much!
Appreciate the kind words, Smayan. Here’s to the next year!🙏🏼
Congrats Smayan. I’ve only been reading your stuff for a couple weeks, but your passion and authenticity has been so inspiring. I’m excited to see what the next year brings for you! 🙌