Not sure I've ever been more surprised by an editorial decision in sports journalism than I was by this particular move by The Athletic. That reflects both how I feel about Christian's work and the expectations and importance of the program he covered.
I'm really excited that he's going to keep covering the team. I say that selfishly as a devoted fan of the team, who reads everything he writes, but based on what I've learned about self-publishing, I think there's a tremendous business opportunity for Christian and I am absolutely here to support that.
I know this thread is about Christian's new site, but wanted to say that I am a big fan of the Say Who Say What podcast. I look forward to the new episode each week.
That being said, leaving Joe Mathis off your Chris Petersen UW Drafted teams was a tragedy. Pre-injury, I felt like he was a true game changer.
I also love Say Who, Say Pod. It's become must listen for me. You two are a great pair. I think Danny would agree that he can be...what might we say..."A LOT?" Haha. And calling Christian "understated" might be the understatement of the year. So you two create a perfect symbiosis of great Husky content. Love listening.
I am pleased to move my Athletic subscription dollars over here. Canceled as soon as I heard the news. Really looking forward to the great Husky fan community that will be created here. I'm sorry you were laid off. It really sucks. Praying this new venture goes superbly and is more than enough to sustain you and your family. Keep up the great work. I can't wait to see what you have in store.
I've been a diehard WSU football fan my entire life. And I've been lucky enough to consider Christian a friend since we crossed paths while we were both stationed in Pullman. I don't particularly like the Huskies, but I love great storytelling. From that standpoint, subscribing to this Substack is just about the easiest decision I've ever made. So looking forward to reading his coverage of UW and hopefully the broader Pac-12 conference. I know it will not disappoint!
Mar 2, 2023·edited Mar 2, 2023Liked by Christian Caple
Christians unite! I dumped The Athletic within minutes of reading your tweet last week. By starting to get rid of coverage for programs like the UW - it shows they are turning into nothing but corporate hacks whose direction is to simp for the Big 10 and SEC. Their west coast coverage outside of LA teams is horrible now and I think the podcasts of Mandel/Feldman/Andy Staples (and his network of related other people) talked about a top 10 team (UW) last year for about 13 minutes combined. Good riddance The Athletic.
Will there be a Founder’s Club Tailgate at a game this year?
Side point - the url you listed in your pod description (at least on Apple podcast) is “onmontlake.com” but that doesn’t work. You need to list it as “www.onmontlake.com”
Thanks Christian! And yes, the naked domain is still having some issues. Hoping to get that ironed out soon. I actually did hyperlink it with www, but didn't realize it would lose the link in the Apple bio.
Proud to say I have joined so many of you on here by canceling The Athletic and following Christian to Substack. Also was able to give The Athletic a piece of my mind through a very well-timed survey they sent me this morning. I’m going to miss a few other good writers, such as Jason Quick and Corey Brock. But I couldn’t pay for both and had to prioritize Christian and UW sports over the others. I really feel good about supporting someone who found himself unemployed for absolutely no good reason. Continuing to support a company who could be so short sighted over someone as talented as Christian was a non-starter for me.
I am am so glad that you started OnMontlake through Substack [I learned of your venture via a nod from the I-5Corridor]. Now I have paid Substack subscriptions to continue receiving your, Tyson Alger's & John Canzano's fine work.
While I disliked The Athletic's decisions towards Alger & you, I think that a-la-carte journalism is where things are heading. Consumers will pay for quality work like yours. Now you have full control over the where, when & how of your stories and we get to enjoy the ride.
Best of luck to you, your family & your new venture. I know that it starts OnMontlake, but it will lead to many wonderful places.
Canceling my Athletic subscription and subscribing to On Montlake were two of the easiest and fastest decisions of my life Christian. Happy to be a subscriber! Can't wait to read your work ...
"To say I was blindsided would be like saying Byron Murphy did a nice job of getting Britain Covey on the ground" - And this is why I am happy to hit the subscribe button. Great writing is the standard for you Christian, and I'm happy to support it. Fortunately you didn't actually get hit by Byron Murphy on a crossing route, but we'll be your metaphorical teammates to help pick you back up off the turf. I'm glad it was a fast turn around!
Cancelled my Athletic subscription on the spot with six months to go. Really glad to hear that you will be including other sports as well as football. When we are soul searching it is good to remember that many times things turn out for the best. Let this be one of those times
Not sure I've ever been more surprised by an editorial decision in sports journalism than I was by this particular move by The Athletic. That reflects both how I feel about Christian's work and the expectations and importance of the program he covered.
I'm really excited that he's going to keep covering the team. I say that selfishly as a devoted fan of the team, who reads everything he writes, but based on what I've learned about self-publishing, I think there's a tremendous business opportunity for Christian and I am absolutely here to support that.
I know this thread is about Christian's new site, but wanted to say that I am a big fan of the Say Who Say What podcast. I look forward to the new episode each week.
That being said, leaving Joe Mathis off your Chris Petersen UW Drafted teams was a tragedy. Pre-injury, I felt like he was a true game changer.
I also love Say Who, Say Pod. It's become must listen for me. You two are a great pair. I think Danny would agree that he can be...what might we say..."A LOT?" Haha. And calling Christian "understated" might be the understatement of the year. So you two create a perfect symbiosis of great Husky content. Love listening.
I totally agree, Danny. I couldn't believe that now is the time The Athletic decided to make this move. So excited this is the new venture, though.
Let’s go, Christian! So happy to continue seeing you tell the stories, and dig into the details, of UW Athletics.
I am pleased to move my Athletic subscription dollars over here. Canceled as soon as I heard the news. Really looking forward to the great Husky fan community that will be created here. I'm sorry you were laid off. It really sucks. Praying this new venture goes superbly and is more than enough to sustain you and your family. Keep up the great work. I can't wait to see what you have in store.
I've been a diehard WSU football fan my entire life. And I've been lucky enough to consider Christian a friend since we crossed paths while we were both stationed in Pullman. I don't particularly like the Huskies, but I love great storytelling. From that standpoint, subscribing to this Substack is just about the easiest decision I've ever made. So looking forward to reading his coverage of UW and hopefully the broader Pac-12 conference. I know it will not disappoint!
Easiest subscription ever. Your Athletic stories were "must-read".
Canceled my subscription to The Athletic within minutes of hearing the news...subscribed to On Montlake within *seconds* of hearing of the venture.
Good luck, Christian and I look forward to the continuation of some of the greatest beat writing in CFB.
Did exactly the same thing. Good luck with this. I hope it’s a resounding success.
Christians unite! I dumped The Athletic within minutes of reading your tweet last week. By starting to get rid of coverage for programs like the UW - it shows they are turning into nothing but corporate hacks whose direction is to simp for the Big 10 and SEC. Their west coast coverage outside of LA teams is horrible now and I think the podcasts of Mandel/Feldman/Andy Staples (and his network of related other people) talked about a top 10 team (UW) last year for about 13 minutes combined. Good riddance The Athletic.
Will there be a Founder’s Club Tailgate at a game this year?
Side point - the url you listed in your pod description (at least on Apple podcast) is “onmontlake.com” but that doesn’t work. You need to list it as “www.onmontlake.com”
Thanks Christian! And yes, the naked domain is still having some issues. Hoping to get that ironed out soon. I actually did hyperlink it with www, but didn't realize it would lose the link in the Apple bio.
Yesssssss. Especially excited to see your writing on other UW sports whenever it happens!
Proud to say I have joined so many of you on here by canceling The Athletic and following Christian to Substack. Also was able to give The Athletic a piece of my mind through a very well-timed survey they sent me this morning. I’m going to miss a few other good writers, such as Jason Quick and Corey Brock. But I couldn’t pay for both and had to prioritize Christian and UW sports over the others. I really feel good about supporting someone who found himself unemployed for absolutely no good reason. Continuing to support a company who could be so short sighted over someone as talented as Christian was a non-starter for me.
Christian-
I am am so glad that you started OnMontlake through Substack [I learned of your venture via a nod from the I-5Corridor]. Now I have paid Substack subscriptions to continue receiving your, Tyson Alger's & John Canzano's fine work.
While I disliked The Athletic's decisions towards Alger & you, I think that a-la-carte journalism is where things are heading. Consumers will pay for quality work like yours. Now you have full control over the where, when & how of your stories and we get to enjoy the ride.
Best of luck to you, your family & your new venture. I know that it starts OnMontlake, but it will lead to many wonderful places.
P.S.: Nice logo, too!
Canceling my Athletic subscription and subscribing to On Montlake were two of the easiest and fastest decisions of my life Christian. Happy to be a subscriber! Can't wait to read your work ...
I look forward to your stories! Also, I would personally love to see some additional UW sports coverage (softball and basketball especially).
Love it Christian! Glad you’re sticking around and we can 1) support you and 2) get our Husky Athletics fix.
just started my annual subscription after s**t canning The Athletic.
I'm glad I was listening to Softy when you were interviewed about the new site.
look forward to your coverage and comments
"To say I was blindsided would be like saying Byron Murphy did a nice job of getting Britain Covey on the ground" - And this is why I am happy to hit the subscribe button. Great writing is the standard for you Christian, and I'm happy to support it. Fortunately you didn't actually get hit by Byron Murphy on a crossing route, but we'll be your metaphorical teammates to help pick you back up off the turf. I'm glad it was a fast turn around!
Cancelled my Athletic subscription on the spot with six months to go. Really glad to hear that you will be including other sports as well as football. When we are soul searching it is good to remember that many times things turn out for the best. Let this be one of those times