Like Red’s Army (a good guy who runs a great site), it took me a little while to get to this. Why? Blogs with Balls business, FanSided business and funny business. After meeting a lot of great people in the sports media industry, I’m back in Austin, TX, and nearly fully recovered. And all it took was a postponed returned flight, a make-up return flight with three stops (Syracuse, Chicago, Austin) and me limping through the airports on my badly sprained cankle to do so.

Now that I’m back, I’d like to discuss the conference in two different segments: A.) The “Power in Numbers” panel I spoke on. Most notably, to elaborate on what I wished I had the time/opportunity to talk about; B.) Some of the great people I met while in NYC at BwB. But before I dive into all of that, I want to thank Don Povia of HHR, Chris Lucas, Kyle Bunch and everybody else who helped deliver the biggest event in the history of the sports blogosphere. Even though we all seem to realize some of the immediate impact this event had on the blogosphere, we will likely never realize its full impact. I honestly think it changes things forever. It made a disjointed blogosphere connected in a way it has never been,  not to mention a way that likely scares the bejesus out of the mainstream sports media world.  You folks exceeded all expectations. Count myself and the FanSided gang in for BwB 2.0 in Vegas at Blog World Expo.

I’m the one on the far left who they didn’t even bother to light (joking!)

“Power in Numbers: Content Networks”

First of all, it was an honor to serve on a panel alongside sports media giants like Dan Kelly (CEO of Bleacher Report), Jarrett Meyer (co-founder of UPROXX), Jim Bankoff (CEO of SB Nation) and Pete Vlastelica (CEO of Yardbarker). All of the guys made it a point to introduce themselves, and did so sincerely. But what I mainly want to address is that when a guy and his brother can go from running a Chiefs blog with very little knowledge of how to do so to representing their company on possibly the biggest panel of the first ever sports blog conference, and do so in a mere two years, yes, anything is indeed possible in this game. More specifically, I want to explain how and why anything is possible in this game. This post will give me a chance to expand on my BwB comments, especially considering my goals this past Saturday were to be humble, short-winded and act like we belong. Here I can really open up a little more.

The question I got most often this weekend (in a nutshell): how do you explain the FanSided.com Sports Network’s success given the company is run by two guys and has no funding?

Honestly, it comes down to one very fitting word — balls.

Zach and I started this company with Arrowhead Addict, a stand-alone Chiefs blog, a little over two years ago. I was an aspiring sportswriter who had just been a finalist on FOX Sports’ Next Great Sportswriter II contest and, until that point, a frustrated idea machine. My brother was a web designer and entrepreneur. We wanted to pool our strengths together to further our careers in the above-mentioned areas, and believed that it would pay off if we stuck to it passionately and patiently. We were right.

We heard that “content was king” in the blogosphere. That is true, but that’s only half the story. When it comes to blog content, there’s what I call the Three Os: Blog Often. Blog Original. Blog Outstanding. Given that formula, funding, connections and man power are all fine and dandy, but you, the blogger, is still the biggest resource in the game. Given the fact that it is typically pretty cheap to launch and maintain a blog (it’s free with potential revenue sharing opportunities if you do so with us, wink, wink), anyone who has some talent, more patience and even more balls is pretty likely to make it in this game. Especially if that person has a lot of passion for the topic they cover, another must.

After seeing Arrowhead Addict become almost an overnight success, especially for a team-specific blog site, we decided to help others recreate our success and make a business out of it. Now, it hasn’t been easy by any means. I have done a little freelance writing over the course of the past two years, but for the most part I have worked seven long days a week on FanSided. My brother is a teacher and coach, but he spends about 90% of his free time on the company. I was willing to potentially starve in order to make this thing work. Willing to give up years of my life to make it happen. My brother was willing to spend every waking second working — dude probably works over 100 hours a week.

That’s the kind of sacrifice it takes. Many of you have fulltime jobs, sometimes more than one job, and families. But if you are willing to work around the obstacles in your life, create and execute a good blog strategy, and stick with it for at least a year, I will bet anything I have that you will enjoy success as a sportsblogger. I have seen it happen, both with us and with others.

That’s why I paid as much, probably twice as much, attention to the small fries at BwB as I did the power players and old boys club. It was definitely a pleasure to meet both, and I don’t think the major players in this game will be replaced any time soon. They are who they are for a reason — they are expectational at what they do. But at the same time, I know better than anybody that one minute you don’t even know somebody’s name, and the next minute they are your peer on a panel. You never know when that nobody blogger or sports media professional will become a blogging star (i.e. Matt Sebek, Joe Sports Fan) or CEO (Ben Koo, Bloguin). A year ago, I had never heard of Koo or Sebek (as nobody had really heard of us either). One year later both they and their respective companies/sites are players in the blogosphere.

When it comes to your blog or sports blogosphere company, remember the Three Os. Sure, you need a good look, too, and at least enough money to get up and keep up a good-looking site. But what’s most important is the Three Os. Arrowhead Addict worked because we stuck to the three Os religiously.

The Three Os

Blog Often – We made a pledge to offer more coverage than either the Kansas City Star or Scout’s Warpaint Illustrated, and as much coverage as Arrowhead Pride. During the formative period of A.A.’s growth we averaged 30 posts per month.

Blog Original – We had a niche, the Kansas City Chiefs, but we needed a sub-niche to stand out from the crowd. That sub-niche was to provide both Chiefs news and op-ed pieces with the football knowledge of Pro Football Talk, while delivering that commentary and news with the humor and outspokenness of sites like Deadspin.

Blog Outstanding – We felt working your ass off to bring it with every post was more important than writing talent. We made a commitment to always say something, not only in op-ed pieces, but also when linking gossip or news from other sites. Otherwise readers would just flock to those other sites. We also committed to making sure each post’s formatting looked flawless, from images to blockquotes.

I am now all but removed from the equation over at A.A., but sticking to the Three Os did much more than deliver a successful blog (both in terms of money and traffic); it also allowed us to make a business out of sportsblogging while lending other aspiring bloggers and sportswriters the same opportunity we provided ourselves. I highly suggest that every aspiring sportsblogger who hasn’t yet “made it” asks him/herself if they can adhere to the Three Os for at least a year. If not, this better just be a hobby you have for sh**s and giggles — which is fine if that’s what you want — because you’re not going to enjoy a whole lot of success. Well, unless you can write like the sports lovechild of Dave Eggers and Ernest Hemingway.

Other questions that arose at BwB:

Do sponsors prevent you from being totally, maybe even brutally, candid on your sites? If so, how do you handle that?

Personally, I have not once encountered this issue. That being said, if you know the subject well and are passionate about it, by all means go ahead and write. Look, you won’t find a following dancing on eggshells due to fear of repercussions from current or potential advertisers. Plus, if you don’t have a solid readership, who in the hell is going to advertise with you anyway? Stay true to your voice. You may lose an advertiser here and there, but you are going to keep and grow your audience. Ultimately, that is going to help you bring in a bigger piece of the advertising pie.

More specifically, if Vitamin Water is advertising on your site during the Finals, and you want to rip Dwight Howard for going all Shaq and bricking 72 from the charity strip, do it. (I had that exact example given to me by someone I met). Just try not to be too mean spirited if that advertiser means a lot to you. And if mean is part of your schtick, stick to it. Your advertisers are with you because you are credible. Vitamin Water knows Superman is anything but super from the free throw line. They won’t mind you being honest, especially since it will help you maintain your credability. And if they do, then f*** ‘em. You will still need your credability long after they’ve stopped paying to place ads on your site.

How do you successfully navigate the ultra-competitive world of the sports blogosphere?

By being ultra competitive when it comes to your content — not your competitors. I want our bloggers to strive to produce better content than the bloggers at reputable sports blog networks like MVN and SB Nation, not shut those bloggers out. I truly believe the webspace is big enough for all of us, and that we need as many connections as possible to grow both our blogs and the blogosphere as a whole, and the two are definitely connected.

I compare it to someone like Kobe Bryant (I already hear the grumbles along with “hear we go again”). At the Olympics, he shared his secrets and worked hard to be a team player. In return, he learned a lot from his teammates, especially when it comes to being a leader and playing unselfishly. The result? His fourth championship and first without Shaq. If you believe in your ability and work ethic, why not share with and learn from others? I can almost guarantee that attitude will benefit you more than your “competitor.” Why? Very few people go “all in” with that attitude. The people I know who have in this game are often the same people who are on top of this game.

Seriously, turn your attention to producing better content than other bloggers, and not your nose up at them. Just trust me on this one. When I said that the blogosphere wasn’t “zero sum” on the panel, I genuinely meant it. Be a whore; just try to be a better whore than all the others in the online sports version of the Red Light District. After all, everybody is sleeping with everybody. Well, except Sarah Spain and Lou Piniella.

What strength will get me the furthest in the blogosphere?

Persistence. Stick with it. For every month you do, there’s a ton of bloggers who will bail. Refine your craft. Learn from others. The first day you blog is the worst day you blog. Write that on your damn monitor if you have to. Overall, you get better with each and every post. Your site has been on Google longer with each passing day. And every day your site exists under the Three Os philosophy, the better the chance that your site will end up on Digg or Hot Clicks or With Leather and a ton of readers will be exposed to both you and your product. Sometimes it’s not luck. Sometimes it’s who can survive in the absence of luck for the longest. Sometimes Lady Luck is a cold, slow bitch. If you’re willing to wait on her longer than others, eventually she will show up.

My BwB Peeps

Coming in, I had no clue that many off my long-time blogosphere, e-mail and Twitter connections would become friends. I also was pleasantly surprised by not only how many people knew me, but also at how many approached me and said nice things about myself, my brother and our small (at least for now) company. Each of those moments meant a lot to me. It was also very cool to meet so many people who I didn’t know prior to this weekend. There’s almost a limitless pool of great, talented people who are working their asses off in this game. And I know how many talented people were unable to even attend BwB. Just amazing.

Rey Moralde and Jimmy Castro, The No-Look Pass: If there are two nicer, cooler guys in the sports blog world, please introduce me to them. Plus, they are fellow Lakers fans!

Ben Koo (CEO) and the rest of the Bloguin team: Ben is an awesome guy who I have known for about half a year now, but the rest of the Bloguin team was very cool to me as well. Just shows that I am not the only one who believes this isn’t a “zero sum” game.

Micah Baldwin, Lijit: A super nice and funny dude who works for an outstanding media company. He’s also a Twitter superstar from what I hear.

Zach Harper, Talk Hoops, Cowbell Kingdom: A great, great dude. He and I clicked instantly. Hopefully, we will be chatting up hoops for years, and getting P-A-I-D for doing so.

Phil, Gunaxin; Nick, PSAMP; Josh, Josh Q. Public; Will Brinson, Brahsome, FanHouse: These guys have been Internet connections of mine for quite some time now. It was fantastic to finally meet these fellas. Some of the best bloggers out there, too.

Shawn Norris, aka Douche Larue, National Lampoon, FanSided (somewhere and soon): A young gonzo sportswriter with a helluva future. Reminds me of myself. Just needs a chance to shine and maybe a little bit of direction. Trust me.

Shotgun Spratling, Blue Workhorse: This Southern sports nut was probably the crazy sportsblogger I met all weekend. But he’s a super nice dude with a very underrated blog.

Alex Curtis-Slep, NBA Tipoff: This 15-year-old blogger is way ahead of the rest of us when we were his age. When I was 15, I was an eff-up who got sent to boarding school. Just saying.

Diana Klochkova, YBN/Yardbarker: One of the best people to know in the sports media business. Will have her own sports-focused business someday.

Chris Illuminati, 9-to-Fried: Just an all-around awesome cat. I hope to see him in Vegas so we can resume our convos about dominatrix English stewardesses. My fault, not his.

Dino Markus, DBB Sports: My new drinking partner and a hilarious writer and sports personality.

Matt McCarthy, Meet the Matts: My new wingman and one crazy son of a bitch as a sports personality. Definitely a guy everybody should meet at least once.

Stephanie Bagley, ESPN the Mag, As Good As It Guests, pretty much everywhere – Fellow Herm Edwards survivor and a brand new buddy of mine. Bags can give just about any fella a run for his money when it comes to covering sports.

Dan Shanoff, Dan Shanoff, Sporting News: Shanoff probably didn’t know of me, maybe not even of FanSided, heading into our panel he moderated. But he made it a point to sit down and really chat with me heading into the panel, and then made sure I had a chance to speak my mind along with the four big dogs who were up on stage with me. Nice guy, especially considering how successful he has been.

Dan Kelly (CEO of Bleacher Report), Jarrett Meyer (co-founder of UPROXX), Jim Bankoff (CEO of SB Nation) and Pete Vlastelica (CEO of Yardbarker): Again, four big dogs who treated me as their equal up on that panel. Much appreciated.

Jeff Garcia and Michael De Leon, Project Spurs: Had a blast on these guys’ podcast, one of the best basketball ones on the Net by far.

Rich Gallagher, Taylor PR: A do-it-all P.R. guy who hooked me up with this story and this BwB panelist gift. You’re the man, Rich. We got your back.

Ted Leshinski, Sports PR 101: One of the newest FanSided bloggers and a helluva guy. I think his blog has a lot of potential.

Jared Wade, Both Teams Played Hard: My Reggie Miller bromance partner for Saturday night. An awesome guy with a pretty sick hoops blog.

Spencer Hall, EDSBS: Talking to this Southern gentleman for a mere five minutes was one of the highlights of the weekend. We’re going to have to continue that KSU/Ron Prince convo sometime.

Kyle Montgomery, Bronco Talk: Known him indirectly forever, but our “world peace” Broncos-Chiefs tequila shot was Earth shattering.

FanDome Team: Great to meet you guys and I hope we can get a discussion going soon on how we can collaborate.

Brian Bassett (Jets Blog), A.J. Daulerio (Deadspin), Matt Ufford (With Leather), Jason McIntyre (The Big Lead), Jimmy Traina (Hot Clicks): Great to finally meet all of you guys, just wish we had more of a chance to chat. Regardless, it’s great to finally be able to put a face with a name and you guys have been fantastic contacts.

It’s 6 AM and this exhaustive post has me exhausted. If I missed you, sorry. Either e-mail me or, hopefully, I remember and add you. Definitely don’t want to leave anybody out.

(Adam Best is the senior editor of the FanSided.com Sports Network and the twisted mind behind Fan Addict. Follow him on Twitter.)