The Call from HQ: Join the team!
Hello everyone, we are looking for writers to help discuss, promote and cover all things related to Raptors basketball. If you've ever wanted to see your name on the front page of an SB Nation site, now is your time.
What's the Deal?
The ground floor benefit of joining the Raptors HQ staff is easy: you'll be a leading voice in the boisterous and opinionated Raptors community. You'll get to have your work read by a voracious bunch of basketball fans. And maybe you'll even get to turn a passion for basketball and writing into a career.
That last bit is something to keep in mind as an end goal, but still, at the basic level we here at Raptors HQ are hoping to have fun writing and reporting on everything Raptors throughout the year. Joining the HQ team will not require you to drop all your other life commitments (unless you really want to; no judgment), but it will give you a chance to shape some of the discourse around the Toronto Raptors online. If you're looking for an outlet, be it for fun or for a potential career, we want to hear from you.
Minimum Qualifications
1. You are a huge fan of basketball and the Toronto Raptors
2. You spend too much time reading and commenting on Raptors stories, particularly those on Raptors HQ
3. You can write a complete sentence, and have an understanding of story-writing (beginning, middle, end)
4. You have opinions or ideas for stories that you feel are not getting the attention they deserve
5. You take pride in your writing, the analysis you can provide, and the accuracy and/or thoughtfulness that entails
6. You don't get offended easily, even when someone disagrees with you.
Preferred qualifications
1. You are an active member of the Raptors HQ community
2. You are active on Twitter and other basketball news sites, constantly scouring the internet for any Raptors-related news
3. You jump to Raptors HQ whenever any news breaks to kick start the conversation
4. You like to share your opinions and write comments in the Raptors HQ community;
The Writers We Need
News Reporting
What we're looking for off the jump are writers who can collect and report on the latest Raptors news items in a quick and professional fashion. The idea here is to be on top of any rumour or breaking story so that Raptors HQ can be (a) the online destination for any fan looking for the information basics and (b) a place for quality analysis both timely and thoughtful. Ideally the reporting will be fast and lead off the community conversation. Raptors HQ should be the place for a Raps fan to go when even the whisper of news about the team is heard.
To that end, we'd be looking for writers who have a reasonably flexible schedule, i.e. they'd be available to draft up a post within a couple hours of any news break, and would be able to potentially contribute to any conversation the post started. Follow up work, be it detailed analysis or features, can also be part of the workload as needed.
Game Day Work
Part of what makes the SB Nation and Raptors HQ community tick is the regular pre- and post-game coverage along with live game threads. As such, we're hoping to have some dedicated writers onboard to preview each day's game and provide a synopsis of the outcome. Again, as with the news posts, the writing here would be timely and efficient. We'd be looking to provide posts with insight and analysis while offering a starting point for the community conversation.
Rotation Work
We'll be developing a regular rotation of writers as the season goes on to produce the aforementioned game day work along with weekly features, roundtables, etc. This is still to be determined, so if you're a writer out there with a potential idea, now's the time to pitch it.
The Writers We Want
We're hoping to assemble a steady and reliable group of writers who can contribute something unique to Raptors HQ. Obviously, we still need to be on top of any news developments as well as the actual games, but we're also hoping to find writers that can contribute to a style found only at Raptors HQ.
Having a passion for writing is part of this equation, along with a passion for basketball, the NBA, the Raptors and, yes, even Toronto in general. The average reader can find straight ahead Raptors news at any number of publications; we're hoping, through our approach and coverage, to make Raptors HQ the first place they look.
Is It You We're Looking For?
So now, hopefully you've read all that and are thinking, Hey I can do that. If so, that's the first step. The next step will be to contact us to figure out a role for you on the staff. Then, we'd like to see some sample work or, better yet, get a chance to review a fanpost here on Raptors HQ.
At the outset, don't worry about spending weeks and weeks to develop the perfect long form column. While the deep analysis and thoughtful pieces are good, they can come in time as part of our season-long schedule. For any potential piece or fanpost, ask yourself: Does it offer insight or information? Is it concise? Is there some sort of unique angle to it that readers can only find at Raptors HQ? And, also, does it foster a community discussion?
Still Interested?
If after reading all of this you think you have the time, inclination and writing chops to contribute, please contact us by emailing raptorsHQsbn@gmail.com. While the Raptors HQ gig is voluntary and unpaid (though, with the potential for more), it is one of the best ways to have your opinions seen by a wide audience of sports fans.
And really, with the team on the brink of one of its best seasons, the 20th anniversary around the corner, and the All-Star game in the future, now is one of the best times to dive into a bigger role at Raptors HQ.
(Note: if you've already reached out previously and heard from us over the past few weeks, no need to contact us again, we'll be in touch once we've sorted through the responses. Thanks for your patience.)