They say that you should write about what you know, and for many of us that's sports. If you are the kind of person who watches the game, shouts at the TV, then rants about it to everyone you know (regardless of whether they're actually interested in the sport themselves), then a blog of your own to vent on and to use as a form of catharsis may be exactly what you need.
Here you can rant to your heart's content and make your opinions known, but unlike telling your disinterested girlfriend, you'll be able to share your views with other fans and enter into some lively debates.
Writing about sports is something that many of us could do then, and something that most of us would enjoy. That makes it a brilliant way to make some extra money and a perfect hobby.
Running a sports blog you see is very easy to do, and because it's such a popular subject you'll find that you can quite easily tart to find readers and discover new topics to write about. There's always something new to write about and the fans that come to your site are likely to be opinionated and passionate (about the sport) themselves. Do a little promotion then, write regularly and you could start to bring in some hefty advertising revenue. So how do you get started?
What You Will Need
What you will need to get started is a hosting service to buy your 'web space' from. Through a site like BlueHost, you'll be able to put your website files onto a server that anyone can access, and you'll also be able to purchase a 'domain name' that people will enter to bring up those files (choose something catchy and unique). One thing to look into, is that your hosting provider offers a 'control panel' with WordPress support. This isn't a requirement for creating a website, but it will make it easier to get started. The whole lot will cost you around $100-$200 for a year.
When creating your site, try to pick a niche that will be popular but that will set you apart somewhat from the bigger sports blogs. Focus on a particular sport, a particular league or even a particular team to reduce the competition you're going up against.
From here you can follow the instructions on the control panel or on the WordPress website to install the tool and begin using it. WordPress is a blogging platform and a 'content' manager that makes running and creating a website very simple. After installation is complete you'll already have the template for a website in place, and all you need to do from there is to edit the look of the site (by changing the banner and title for instance) and to start writing your blog (by clicking 'new post' whenever you have something to say).
Note that once your sports blog is up and running and has a steady stream of visitors coming in, you can monetize your site with Adsense (an advertisement platform) and start earning some decent advertising revenue.
A Few Tips
You have your site now and it's easy enough to update, so all that's left to do is to make it a hit. To improve your chances of developing a dedicated readership and making money, observe the following tips:
- Write often
- Don't be afraid to be controversial or heated (anything that sparks discussion or gets a reaction is good)
- Look for different angles that haven't been covered in the mainstream press
- Be quick on news
- Create a Twitter account to promote your new posts
- Work with other bloggers to help each other out
- Promote to your friends!
So there you have it, everything you need to know to start your own sports blog. The rest is up to you. Good luck!