March 03, 2007

FanNation | The Republic of Sport: It was bound to happen. A fully-featured social networking site for Sport Fans, includes, ability to track community events on a regional basis, hot topic tracking, blogging capability, player tracking, and ability to gather articles and stories from favorite news sources. Overall, a nice set of functionality, even if at launch, it is only focused on US Sports. Our beloved SpoFi probably doesn't have much to worry about until this site builds a following, but it does seem to have something new to offer sports fanatics. [also posted to MeFi]

posted by psmealey to culture at 09:24 AM - 32 comments

This thing is pretty nice. I'm signed up just for the ability to target a town and find out a few of the top stories in it. Of course, I could have done that just as easily through Google, but I'm a lazy fuck.

posted by wfrazerjr at 11:20 AM on March 03, 2007

Where's the Web 2.0 checklist? I think this site used it as a template.

posted by mbd1 at 01:44 PM on March 03, 2007

That's pretty funny, mbd1, but exactly right. It seems like they tried to get ALL the functionality that's hip these days and stuff it in the same place. It has potential, but I think it's too narrow. They should really add spaces for F1, NASCAR, EPL and such if they want to make a bigger splash.

posted by psmealey at 03:32 PM on March 03, 2007

Web 2.0 -> The search for venture capital 2.0 -> Dot Com bubble 2.0 -> Dot Com collapse 2.0.

posted by Drood at 03:51 PM on March 03, 2007

The whole thing gives me a headache.

posted by justgary at 04:52 PM on March 03, 2007

I agree with justgary, but I join nearly everything just to protect my username :) I also set up a SportsFilter group just to protect that too. hehehe. password: spofi

posted by scully at 05:17 PM on March 03, 2007

I joined, but as it is totally focused on the US I doubt I'll ever use it. I also joined the SpoFi group, just 'cause :)

posted by Fence at 06:11 AM on March 04, 2007

Focused on US sports? It's focused on the few most popular US sports, and once again, it pisses me off to no end that yet another website, newspaper, magazine etc. refers to "NCAA Basketball" when they're only talking about the men's game. And take a look at the comments, while you're at it. The site owners may have (on some limited level) meant this to be "social networking for sports fans", but the knuckledraggers are already firmly established. Social networking for knuckledraggers -- what a joke.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:36 AM on March 04, 2007

Seems like there's just TOO MUCH unfocused stuff. I'd love it if they'd just ask me -- before ever loading a page -- hey, which sports are you into? and which teams in those sports? Then they'd do their magic and the only things I'd see are items/people/posts/stuff relevant to my beloved Oakland A's and Buffalo Sabres. Cause I'm certainly not going to do the work to get that far, so back to RSS we go.

posted by diastematic at 11:34 AM on March 04, 2007

After reading about it here I signed up so I could play around with it. I am getting a kick out of it today but I see a high likelihood that I will forget about its existance in a week.

posted by kyrilmitch_76 at 12:22 PM on March 04, 2007

The Throwdown feature is destined to end well.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:33 PM on March 04, 2007

I don't see what you mean: Mr. Masturbation is 4-0-2. The future of human discourse is nuanced debate like this.

posted by yerfatma at 02:48 PM on March 04, 2007

I love this throwdown feature. A chance to blast Brady Quinn is one I will not pass up.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 03:44 PM on March 04, 2007

The best thing about that Throwdown ma is that Jack is, appropriately, debating with himself.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 04:24 PM on March 04, 2007

Just had a browse round the site (despite the top warning me that I had Javascript disabled and would be unable to use the site) and dear god, it's a wasteland. It's what I imagine hell must be like, only the people are less interesting.

posted by Drood at 05:35 PM on March 04, 2007

Sigh. This is where Web 2.0 jumps the shark. SpoFi will be here long after Web whatever-point-oh (and associated parasitic sites) have come and gone.

posted by worldcup2002 at 06:12 PM on March 04, 2007

Jack is, appropriately, debating with himself. It's what I imagine hell must be like, only the people are less interesting. Makes me feel a bit better about the future of humanity.

posted by yerfatma at 06:13 PM on March 04, 2007

It's what I imagine hell must be like, only the people are less interesting. well, hell is other people.

posted by goddam at 12:15 AM on March 05, 2007

Every obnoxious sports debate seems to be well represented. It's like Jim Rome as a website.

posted by SummersEve at 06:15 AM on March 05, 2007

Every obnoxious sports debate seems to be well represented. It's like Jim Rome as a website. And from that perspective, it differs from SpoFi how? Funny, I just came across this site when I was doing some reseach on another matter, and thought to see what the experts thought, so I posted it here. Some great feedback here, but I never imagined such anger about it. Weird.

posted by psmealey at 06:23 AM on March 05, 2007

An...ger? Where? I see a reasonable concept, but the sort of people who comment on YouTube videos have already moved in and, as a result, features like the Throwdown look like a clusterfuck of enormous proportions. Still, I have the thing bookmarked and will drop by every few days to click on the Miami pin, but I doubt I'll go further in than that, in case one of them follows me home.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 06:39 AM on March 05, 2007

I expect psmealy is probably talking about me, since I said, "...once again, it pisses me off to no end that yet another website, newspaper, magazine etc. refers to "NCAA Basketball" when they're only talking about the men's game." I don't think anyone else said anything that could be construed as "anger". psmealy, you may not have anticipated it, but now that it's been explained to you after the fact, if you still can't imagine why there are off-pissing aspects to the site and want to label it as "weird" that someone would find it so, I'm not sure what more I can say to explain it.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:17 AM on March 05, 2007

Ah. You ball of hate, you.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 07:35 AM on March 05, 2007

Where's the dating forum? "Hi SWM seeks SF for watching hockey, baseball and basketball - and FOOTBALL!! Must enjoy jersey fashion, chicken wings and long walks around the concourse. If you too, think Tom Brady is a homo, you may be the one for me. No Yankee fans, please." This thing is bound to be a bastion of considered thought and polite discourse. Also - these things that try to be everything to everyone, usually end up being nothing to anyone. Which is my way of saying I hate it.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:04 AM on March 05, 2007

No Yankee fans, please. ah, such is life.

posted by goddam at 10:21 AM on March 05, 2007

Well, I'm not actually suggesting that would be my profile - just an average profile. For the record, I think Tom Brady is an attractive, successful man.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:06 AM on March 05, 2007

Where's the dating forum? Uhhhh...wait a sec...is this a potential revenue stream for SpoFi??? I want to be on the Profile Design Committee. And I want a bigger-than-average cut for having this brilliant idea that will make us all rich.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 11:28 AM on March 05, 2007

Funny, I just came across this site when I was doing some reseach on another matter, and thought to see what the experts thought, so I posted it here. Some great feedback here, but I never imagined such anger about it. Weird. posted by psmealey I don't hate it, and it'll probably sell for millions one day. It's just not my cup of tea. And with the amount of people they're going to attract, I have no doubt the discussion will be much more romish than sportsfilter.

posted by justgary at 11:23 PM on March 05, 2007

I wish somebody would respond to my throwdown challenge. It has been there since Sunday. *sigh*

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 02:22 PM on March 06, 2007

I wish somebody would respond to my throwdown challenge. It has been there since Sunday. *sigh* Your throwdown challenge was a little too elevated for that crowd, Yang, but I took care of it for you.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 05:35 PM on March 06, 2007

I thought about that after I posted. I figured I should have come off a little less strong and then laid it all out there once I had drawn somebody in. A little Venus Fly Trap mentality I suppose.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:31 PM on March 06, 2007

A little Venus Fly Trap mentality I suppose. i always preferred the Dr. Johnny Fever approach myself.

posted by goddam at 09:15 PM on March 06, 2007

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