An important announcement about the future of Extra Points

Good morning, and thanks for spending part of your day with Extra Points.

I have an important update to share, so please stick with me.

Normally, I take a little bit of time off around the holidays. Email analytics show that fewer people are reading the emails around Christmas, and after a long year, I like to take a few days to spend with my family, watch bowl games, and let my brain reset.

I am planning on taking a longer break this season. My current plan is to take a break from regular Extra Points publication after Friday, December 15, through the end of 2023. I plan to return to regular posting by Monday, January 8. I may have an occasional newsletter to share during that period (perhaps a freelance story or two, or a response to major news), but I will not be publishing on a regular, four-day-a-week basis.

There are two important reasons for me wanting to take this much time off, something I’ve never done since Extra Points started in 2020.

For one, we are hoping to release a major update to Athletic Director Simulator 3000 for Jan of 2024. This update will include new graphics, new customization options, new variables, and a significantly more in-depth simulation than the current version. I am not sure if I will be able to finish all of the updates before the 15th, so I also want to give myself time to really focus on debugging and rebalancing. 

I also need to take that time to find a new buyer or strategic partner for Extra Points.

D1.ticker is on board with the strategy of finding a new buyer or strategic partner with the preferred and optimal outcome that Extra Points continues to add value for athletics administrators, reporters, and fans across the nation.

I have spent the last few weeks having conversations with various private investors about potentially buying or partnering with Extra Points, and will continue to have those conversations. But I think it will be easier to give this process more time and energy when I am not also trying to write every day.

If we are unable to find a new strategic partner, Extra Points may revert back to my control. However, after doing this for three years, I believe that running a publication like Extra Points is too much work for one person to be the reporter, editor, audience engagement specialist, sales manager, and more. That is not a scenario that I think, right now, would work for me or my family. 

I’ve tried to build this whole newsletter in public, so in that spirit, let me try to answer a few possible questions.

Why is this happening? Is Extra Points a failing business?

In a literal sense, no. Extra Points generates north of six figures of annual revenue, has few financial liabilities, and has over 17,200 total subscribers. It’s not Morning Brew and it’s never going to become Morning Brew, but it’s a good subscription product. 

Without going into nitty gritty details that won’t be of interest, just because something is a good business doesn’t mean it’s a good business for every kind of business owner. 

What will happen to D1.classroom? Or Athletic Director Simulator?

The current plan is for D1.classroom to continue as part of the D1.ticker company, just without Extra Points. Athletic Director Simulator 3000 is also the owned IP of D1.ticker, even though I am still working to develop that product. D1.ticker shares my commitment to ADS 3000 and would love for me to continue working on it, even if we go our separate ways. I expect Extra Points subscribers will continue to have access to future versions of ADS3000.

What will happen to me?

Great question. I don’t know yet. 

I would like to continue to write and create Extra Points. But I am also considering other options. 

It’s entirely possible that I will remain with D1.ticker, helping with D1.classroom and other projects, while turning EP into more of a side project, supported by minority partners. It’s possible EP is acquired by another media company and folded into their efforts, and I write for somebody else (SBJ? Sportico? ESPN?  Now is your chance to hire a Matt Brown! The Athletic? Now is your chance to hire ANOTHER Matt Brown!). It’s possible I will leave the media industry, and go work somewhere else in college athletics. Maybe I’ll finally finish my second book. Maybe I’ll make other computer games. Maybe I’ll go back to teaching. 

I really don’t know. I’ve done nothing but eat, drink and sleep Extra Points since almost the day I started this thing back in April of 2020.  I have lots of ideas, but I don’t know what all is out there, because I’ve never tried to look. Honestly, I’ve barely even had time to think. 

Consider this my public signal that I am open to work. If you’d like to talk about future employment opportunities, be that as a reporter or anything else, I’m at [email protected]. 

Should I cancel my subscription now or…

I hope that you don’t! Again, in the immediate short term, nothing should change for you, the reader. I’ll continue to publish four days a week until the 15th, and will probably post a few times after that. We have 800 newsletters in our archives, and the FOIA Directory and ADS3000 still work. The second I have more concrete information to share, I promise I will do that. 

Also, selfishly, it will be harder for me to find a new partner if like, everybody dropped their subscriptions right this second…so I would prefer if you did not do that.

Hey, so I might want to buy Extra Points ..or maybe hire you. What should I do?

Shoot me an email at [email protected], and let's talk. A few things to consider:

• We are open to potentially selling Extra Points without me. That would not be my preference, but I’m open to the idea. If the buyer would like me to continue writing, I am only interested in potential partnerships that will allow me to be able to have editorial independence. I’m fine to talk about a job in PR, but I don’t want this newsletter to be a PR or a marketing newsletter. 

• I think the best possible fit for Extra Points is probably going to be with another media company. If that isn’t an option, the best fit would be with an entity that has skills and experience in college athletics, ad sales, publishing technology, live events, or related verticals. 

• I am fine selling all of Extra Points, or just a part of Extra Points. When I say “strategic partner”, that could mean somebody who helps out with the back office stuff like selling ads and doing A/B testing so I can just focus on reporting.

• I live in Chicago, IL. For an exceptional opportunity, I would consider relocation to Salt Lake City or Wisconsin…but that’s it. 

What's the TL;DR here?

The parent company of Extra Points wants to move in a different direction, a decision that I understand and completely respect. Both D1.ticker and myself love Extra Points and would like to see it continue, which is why I’m going public about this in a hope to find new partners. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. 

If you’re interested in hiring me, buying Extra Points, or some other arrangement, drop me a line, I’d love to talk to you.

Thank you so much for your readership, support, and patience. It has been the highlight of my career to run this publication and serve you. I don’t know what will happen next for me, or for Extra Points, but no matter how the story ends, I’m deeply thankful I had a chance to do it. 

-Matt