Patrick Hennessy is an 18 year old man from Queens, New York. He created and writes for the blog “Unhinged Yankees.” Their twitter page has 1,064 followers and is slowly climbing. We share a common interest in the fact that we are both die-hard Yankees fans so I reached out to him. He gladly answered some questions for me. (Italics is me)
–When did you start blogging about this topic?
I started blogging about the Yankees in July 2016 for a site called The Greedy Pinstripes. Sports writing was something I was always interested in growing up, so I felt like it was finally time to take a leap and begin my journey. It was difficult to bring my ideas to life, but I was able to catch on pretty quickly.
-Why did you start this blog?
I created Unhinged Yankees in March 2018, at this point in my writing career I felt like I had acquired all of the tools necessary to take what I learned from previous sites I wrote for and put them together on my own platform. I felt like I had the right mindset to go out on my own and build a solid team of writers that were willing and able to cover all things New York Yankees baseball and so far, we have been very successful in doing so.
-What do you find is the most challenging thing about maintaining this blog?
I feel one of the most challenging things about maintaining Unhinged Yankees is making sure all of my writers are satisfied with their roles. Some writers have more privileges than others due to their hard work ethic and talent for being able to put together great articles, but I always try to make sure everyone is functioning on the same page. The most important aspect of a well-functioning site is to make sure there is a strong team behind it and that is what we have at Unhinged Yankees. We are like a family.
-What role do you think blogging should play in the future of journalism?
I think that blogging should play a significant role in the future of Journalism. It is an important outlet that gives even the average person the opportunity to voice their opinions and let themselves be heard. Blogging is taking big steps to become a staple in where people go for informational and opinionated articles.
-What’s the most interesting or exciting aspect of running this blog?
The most exciting aspect of running Unhinged Yankees is being able to meet and interact new people that have the same interests as me. Since launching the site, I have been able to make connections with some great people in the Yankees media world and even have been able to acquire media credentials for the Yankees minor league teams.
-What advice do you have for someone just starting to maintain a beat blog?
Some advice I would provide to someone just starting to maintain a beat blog is to always make sure you keep a level head no matter how much success you receive or hardships you may face. It is a journey that has its highs and its lows, so it is important to make sure you are fully committed to making your website the best it could be. It is also important to make connections in the area you are trying to break into and don’t forget about showing appreciation towards your audience because they are the reason you do what you do.
It was great to talk to him and learn more about the sports journalism scene, especially since that is what I hope to do with my future. Hopefully I can take some of his advice and use it to push my career.
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