WE WANT YOU

A few questions for you…

1) Are you a smart and opinionated hockey fan?

2) Do you want to write about hockey on a major platform?

3) Have you ever read something about the Leafs and thought ‘I could write better than this idiot,’ maybe even on this very site?

Do we have the thing for you!

Ever seen those shows like American Idol, Top Chef, or Next Top Model? Well for a lack of a better name (I’m trying to think of one but my brain stinks) we want to have a TheLeafsNation.com “Next Top Blogger.”

The plan is simple: Anyone interested is welcome to apply to write for our site. We will sift through the applications and the best ones will compete against each other for a spot as one of the authors on this site.

The rules aren’t official yet but the plan is to assign a series of posts to the finalists to write. For each post, readers will get to vote on which candidate wrote the strongest piece on that topic. At the end of it all, the writers and the readers of this site will crown a new Voice of the Nation.

Most sports writers will tell you that if you’re getting into the business for the money then you’re going to be very disappointed. Those sports writers will then tell you “LOL at least I’m not a blogger!” After punting that writer in the stones I can happily tell you that besides becoming a regular contributer on the site, the winner will receive a $200 CDN cash prize. That’s better than a punt in the stones, right?

That depends. Do you want to talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs and hockey in general? Do you want to publish your content on a platform that reaches millions of readers every month? Are you willing and able to write at very least two posts per week? If you answered yes to all of those things then that’s a great start.

Don’t send us your resume. That demeans the both of us. Really? A resume for a blogging job? No. We won’t do that to you. Let’s have some fun with this. 

Instead of a resume, just write a quick one-pager on why you’d be great, relevant hockey/writing experience you have, and anything else you think is important or interesting. On top of that, try adding at least a couple of writing samples. Don’t aim for super formal stuff from when you reported on a track meet for your high school paper. If you don’t have any samples or you’re not happy with the samples you already have – just write something! 

This is important to mention, too: It’s not just about writing. We’re looking for all sorts of things that will make this site even more awesome. Wanna do videos like me? Go for it. Want to upload a podcast? Go for it? Are you good at cool or funny GIFs, cartoons, or photoshop? Go for it! It doesn’t have to be all text. Good content is good content and we want it in any form you can make it.

No sweat! You have tons of time. My wedding is next weekend and I’m in no rush. The contest won’t begin until at least early to mid August. I mean, unless you’re reading this and it’s already August then you should probably hurry up. We will set up an email and I will tweet it out when it’s all up and running. In the meantime just figure out what you want to put in the application.

That’s all there is for now, folks. The opportunity is there if you want it.