Bleacher Report writers: Let’s raise our game in 2013

The days of being the little website posting opinions are over. In case you haven’t noticed the promotions on TNT, TBS and CNN, Bleacher Report is in the spotlight. It’s time to raise our game.

Like it or not, and whether we realize it or not, we’re all ambassadors of the Bleacher Report brand. I recently had an NFL offensive lineman text me, upset that a B/R writer called his season a disappointment after he notched a complete year without allowing a sack. Maybe you don’t think NFL players are reading your work, but thanks to the reach of BleacherReport.com, B/R email newsletters and the Team Stream app, they just might be. And anyone else you can think of might be as well.

If that doesn’t give you motivation to double-check before you fire off an evaluation, you might want to reconsider.

Of course, we’re not just writing for athletes. We’re writing for everyone. Bleacher Report is being read and viewed in record numbers by people who are interested in thoughtful, analytical, entertaining sports information. We have a rare platform where we’re all encourage to provide just that. To top that off, if your piece is good enough and interesting enough, there’s a shot it could land on the CNN.com home page.

This is why all of us should step up. Bleacher Report’s reputation has improved a lot since the early days of the site, when the quality was often quite rough. But that reputation still lags behind the reality of B/R’s steady improvement. It’s our responsibility as writers to change that. 2013 should be a year all B/R writers feel a call to action to hit all-time highs in creativity, research, execution and interaction.

I’m asked several times a week how I was able to go from paramedic to football scout to B/R Lead Writer, and the answer I give is that I never stopped working hard, no matter the circumstances. Instead of making excuses or taking shortcuts, we should all be grinding on a daily basis to provide the best material possible. We’re ready, as a brand, to compete with ESPN and the other mainstream outlets. We can do it if we make the effort to present reasoned, researched, entertaining opinions.

Let’s all work our asses off this year to make sure the positive, hard work we’re all doing is recognized.

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Matt Miller is Bleacher Report’s NFL Draft Lead Writer. He is the most-read writer in the site’s history. Check out The B/R NFL 1000, Matt’s exclusive ranking of the league’s top 1,000 players by position, and follow him on Twitter @nfldraftscout.