Welcome to Athletics Nation, the top Oakland A’s fan site on the internet! Founded in 2003 by Tyler Bleszinski, this is the original blog of the entire SB Nation network and the seed from which the Vox Media empire grew. It all started here.
This guide is intended to help you learn about our site, find everything we have to offer, and get involved in whatever ways you wish. Thanks for visiting and we hope to see you around!
Signing up
Anyone can read our articles, but if you’d like to actively participate then you can click here to sign up (it’s completely free!). Once you’ve made your account, there will be a 24-hour waiting period before you can post comments.
Our community
First and foremost, Athletics Nation is a community. We’re run by A’s fans, for A’s fans. The stories published by our dedicated staff of writers are only the beginning — the discussions continue in the comments sections as the rest of the community debates and adds info and ideas. This is the core tenet of our site.
My name is Alex Hall, and I am the manager of Athletics Nation. You can find me writing articles (usually news, prospects, and big-picture team analysis), and every now and then you can hear me do a weekend segment on the A’s pre/post-game radio show on 95.7. My predecessor as manager was Nico, and he still serves as our community leader and “blogfather” — you can read his Eyeball Scout reactions on the front page, or find him making puns in the comments.
Some of our regular columnists (click our names to see archives of our work):
Game Threads
In addition to those columns, we also host a Game Thread each time the A’s play. The thread goes up half an hour before first pitch, complete with a preview and lineups, and the purpose is to give us somewhere to interact while we all watch our team. Scroll down to the comments sections of those Game Threads to join in the fun! Here is our rotation of gameday hosts, who also prepare detailed recaps after the final out:
Click here for an index of all our Game Recaps.
FanPosts and FanShots
Our comments sections give everyone the opportunity to join in the discussion, but what if you want to go beyond that and write an entire article? You can! Our FanPost and FanShot sections are open to anyone, so once you’ve signed up for the site you can feel free to contribute.
If you want to write an article, head to the FanPosts. Whether you want to analyze some stats or just tell a story of a fun time you had at the Coliseum, we’d love to hear what you have to say. We promote the very best ones to the front page, so you might even see your name front and center on the cover of the site!
If all you want to do is share a link, or photo/video, or relay some news, then head to the FanShots. These are based more around quickly sharing a piece of media, with minimal writing.
The rules
The primary objective of Athletics Nation is for fans to have somewhere to discuss their team with other fans. With that goal in mind, we have some rules for playing nice.
You can read the community guidelines here. Long story short: Be kind and respectful, open your mind to new ideas and constructive debate, avoid hateful or discriminatory language, and generally keep the topic to baseball. There’s other stuff too, but that’s the core of it. We don’t mind cussing in the comments sections, though; fandom is a deeply emotional experience, after all.
Our staff of moderators keeps an eye on the proceedings. If you wish to report the violation, click the “flag” button on that comment and it will be reviewed. Or, you can contact us directly here.
Write for AN
Want to become a front page writer? The door is always open! Show us what you’ve got in the FanPosts — most of our contributors started out writing comments and FanPosts before moving up to game recaps or full columns. We also hold auditions every spring, during the Cactus League, and each year we add several new writers that way.
Welcome!
The rest is up to you! Whether you want to jump in feet first via comments and FanPosts, or just read the articles and be on your way, we’ll be here to inform you about what’s going on with the A’s. Above all else: Have fun!
P.S. We made an awesome Khris Davis T-shirt. Click here to buy one!
