Duck Sports Central: Coming Home

 

 

Who says you can’t go home? I’ve asked myself that often while weighing the path forward after the Rivals-On3 merger, as I mentioned in my DSA farewell. 

I shared then that I’d turned down multiple opportunities to write for On3—including one that was quite strong financially, both in present and future terms. Maybe that was about my writing. Maybe it was because I reached out directly to On3 President Will Crall. Maybe it was because I understood the long-term risk of internal brand erosion—two voices, one platform, one audience. Or maybe it was simply a calculated move to ensure that our entire subscriber base followed me. 

I didn’t say no out of dislike or disrespect for anyone. I declined because of a values mismatch. Everyone and every company have values. It’s not my place to judge them, only to determine if the alignment fits. Chasing a check while ignoring misalignment is a short road to burnout—and bad for both sides. Despite what Def Leppard said in 1983 it is NOT better to burn out than fade away!

After that decision—which came early—I explored other options. I had meaningful conversations with Ducks Rising. I admire their mission, leadership, and output. But to truly add value there, I would’ve had to cut even deeper into the time I fiercely protect for my family. I’d be chasing content nonstop—early, fast, always-on. 

We even discussed monetization strategies. But the more I thought about it, the more I missed what it was like at the beginning, back when I started writing about Oregon football in 2011. 

I didn’t ask for pay. I just created a blog. I shared thoughts. People found it. And I kept going. 

Eventually, the answer to “what’s next” started to look like “maybe nothing.” I could have simply passed our readers to Justin Hopkins and On3. There’s no shortage of content—Matt Prehm and Erik Skopil also do good work at Duck Territory. Walking away would’ve been easy. 

But I still want to share with you—my thoughts, my insights (however they land), a little humor, and the same conversations we’ve always had. So, I decided to rebrand my blog as Duck Sports Central and continue doing what I’ve always done—with one major difference: when it’s family time, work waits. This is a blog, not a race. I’m not competing for subscribers. I’m chasing personal standards. 

The phrase “You can’t go home again” comes from Thomas Wolfe’s novel of the same name, inspired by a line spoken by Ella Winter and drawn from an unpublished manuscript titled The October Fair. 

But I think the phrase misses the mark. “Home” is not just a place—it’s a mindset, a rhythm, a memory. And we’re always changing. The man I am now is not the man who started this journey. So no, we can’t return to something that no longer exists. But we can find what continues to fulfill whatever purpose we still feel burning inside. 

In my goodbye, I quoted a favorite line from Tennyson’s Ulysses. But this, earlier in the poem, might capture the moment more: 

Death closes all: but something ere the end, 
Some work of noble note, may yet be done, 
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods. 
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks: 
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep 
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends, 
'T is not too late to seek a newer world. 
Push off, and sitting well in order smite 
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds 
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths 
Of all the western stars, until I die. 

My purpose holds right here at Duck Sports Central. I’ve built this to feel familiar. It’s free—not because it has no value, but because I wanted to avoid the pressure of proving that value constantly. If you’d like to support it, you can do so through the Support Duck Sports Central link on the site. 

To everyone still reading—thank you. Your passion and your trust in our shared values are what drive me forward. 

Who says you can’t go home? Plenty of people. But I believe we can always find where we truly belong. If that place feels like a version of home—so be it. 

I am back home.