Defending Big D: 2.0

My name is Taylor, I am the Managing Editor of Defending Big D, a hockey blog that has covered the Dallas Stars since 2007.

On Friday, January 20, we were informed that our site would no longer be "managed and monetized" by our parent company, Vox Media. This means that our contributors will no longer be paid going forward. Paid contributors will receive their last monthly stipend for February 2023, and beyond that we are on our own.

Additionally, we've been given no details about the future of our site. We've been told that we may be able to take ownership of the brand, but SB Nation and Vox have provided no details whatsoever. But we aren't ready to hang them up just yet, so we are planning for our future, whatever that will look like.

Over the last decade, Defending Big D has become more than just a website. It is a community, made up of loyal fans, brilliant minds, and interesting personalities. We intend to keep that community alive, and that is where you come in. We know that there will be some cost for us to build a new home for all of us -- for all of you. We have no reason to believe that Vox will be giving us the brand we built for free. So we need a little help.

These funds will help facilitate the creation of Defending Big D 2.0, and will also go to ensuring we can financially take care of the writers who are impacted by this as we make the move to a new home. Our monthly budget from SB Nation was $800 which paid our site manager, our credentialed press box representation, and other content creators that have helped make DBD the best place for Stars fans to find interesting analysis and thoughtful conversation. Every dollar we raise here will be used to ensure that we can continue to bring you coverage for the remainder of this season and move us toward our goal of keeping Defending Big D alive for seasons to come.

It will take time, but we are happy to have a passionate support system of readers and commenters who are active participants in our community and we want to make sure that we have a new place for them to come to.

Thank you so much for reading, spreading the word, and giving what you can if you can.