Now, I can write about Luka if I want to write about Luka.

Writing for us and it feels so good.

"I want you to put the word out there that we back up. You understand me? We back up." - Stringer Bell

I am a very lucky human being that has been blessed a thousand ways. That’s why on June 12, 2023, when The Athletic walked away from me by deactivating my email address, log-on credentials, and told me I was done there “effective today,” it hit me in a way that I was not used to being hit.

I have never had an employer let me go before. Was I fired? Was I laid off? Does it matter? I left a few jobs for advancements in my career at different points, but since I left high school, things had usually been on my terms. So, this little reality check that someone had enough of me was a new experience.

Looking back, I realize it was a company-wide directive and not a personal evaluation of my contribution. But many of my colleagues have survived that directive from the New York Times. They remain employed there and I absolutely am not. It bothered me, if I am to be fully truthful and transparent.

And yet, had it not happened, I would likely never have wandered down my own path. I would have continued to do things the way I had always done and suppressed the desire to head in my own direction.

So, before I detail that, I want to thank the New York Times and The Athletic for pushing me into the wild blue yonder. Without them pushing me out of the plane, I would have never jumped. I love being conservative in my career choices and not walking away from a good thing. And yet, now that I am parachuting down to the earth and seeing how enjoyable and scenic this ride can be, I realize that this is what I have wanted to do for a long time.

For years, I have wanted to continue to carve my own writing path and take it into self-stimulating directions where my heart would lead. I hope you don’t get too worried reading this – especially if you are a Dallas Cowboys fan who thinks that beat is all I care about.

The truth is that I am a gigantic sports nerd. I have wanted to branch out into many directions while writing and have been told by my bosses that they would rather I stay in one lane.

I most recently had this conversation last year with the decision makers at my former company. I pointed out how The Athletic lacked a real DFW sports columnist voice. I could fill that void, given that is basically what I’ve done on radio in spoken form for more than 26 years.

They were kind enough in their response but made no mistake:

“Bob, we want you to focus on two things and please continue to just write about them: The Dallas Cowboys and the NFL Draft. That is what moves the needle for us.”

That’s what helped me make a name in this town, and I am clearly someone who loves covering the Cowboys and the NFL. But what if the Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, or Dallas Stars are doing something that has grabbed my attention? What if there is an amazing sports story that I care far more about and it’s happening in early June?

What if Dirk Nowitzki was carrying the Mavericks to a fairy tale title as he did in 2011 and instead of writing about it, I was told to finish up my draft profile on Cowboys 4^th round offensive lineman, David Arkin?

Respectfully, I don’t think that is delivering to our audience. I don’t think the answer to every question of relevance is “The Dallas Cowboys” but for years, I agreed to those terms because I agreed to terms set by others. On average, about 3-to-4 pieces a week and about 170 pieces a year would be turned out and every single one of them was about the Cowboys or the NFL Draft.

So, because of the push out of the airplane and such, I vow to now do it my way.

And I am doing it that way because I believe it is the most compelling subject matter to cover. And if I’m interested, you’ll be interested.

Joe Posnanski is probably my favorite sports writer on the planet and I will follow the lead from his own excellent Substack. Yes, baseball is the sun that his planets revolve around, but he cares about, and therefore writes about, so much more. So, yes, most of his posts are baseball, but you better believe there is a Carlos Alcaraz post when the time is right, plenty of NFL, lots of NBA, and even offerings on the World Cup or whatever. That is how he rolls – if he wants to, he writes about it – and there is no doubt that I plan on doing it the same way (of course, the quality drop from Joe to me is somewhat substantial) on a local Dallas/Fort Worth and beyond level.

The Cowboys will remain my centerpiece, but I also plan on giving you many offerings on the Mavericks, Stars, and Rangers as well as whatever else feels right. College Football? Yes. Soccer? Of course. Sports documentaries and sports history or whatever else? No doubt. If it is sports and I care about it, there is a good chance it will make an appearance here. Maybe even baseball cards from time to time. Who can say?

I still plan on writing about three-to-four times a week. I still plan on making sure you have everything you want (and hopefully need) during Cowboys season. But, once they are done, I don’t want to feel bound by “all Cowboys, all the time” during the long offseason. You know I will write about the good stuff, but if it is between a big Mavericks story and the left guard from Purdue in a draft profile, I want to follow the “most/most” rule.

What do most of my readers care about most? I don’t think most people want me to break down a third-round cornerback prospect from South Carolina when the Rangers just signed Jacob deGrom. And now I won’t have to do that anymore – thanks to those of you who are part of this community and trust me to follow the most attractive path.

I plan on keeping my tradition of Morning After columns from each Cowboys game and big Cowboys transaction. Additionally, I plan on adding Morning After columns for all sorts of events of great interest. Huge Mavs, Stars, and Rangers games and moves will get that same treatment. So will other moments like large college football games of local interest and who knows what else? Golf Majors? Final Fours? I’m just not sure.

See, that is the great thing about this start-up: It can be whatever we want it to be. I say “we” because I want to follow your lead at times. If you guys demand something and enough of you agree, I will take it seriously. I won’t always give in, but I understand that brand loyalty goes in two directions. If we do this right, I am essentially writing for you.

I plan on sharing items and information from my Monday Night Football job. Perhaps a weekly preview of the game that we have prepared for with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Not sure what that will be, but again, it can go wherever we want it to go.

I have big plans and am excited to bring back NFL Film and All-22 film study. Again, I think we must fully figure out what form it takes. But trust me, I wasn’t happy it was taken from me at the old place, I am insistent we bring it back. Football education is one of my passions and we will continue to educate and inform.

I also want some form of weekly mailbags which will cover any sports topic you want covered – not just the Cowboys anymore.

I am excited because I work for two parties. You and me. No corporate overlords that don’t know either of us and no arbitrary rules, because they told the Chargers guy and the Browns guy that this is how it has to be, thus Bob needs to fall in line.

No more.

If I care about something, I will write about it.

I really don’t see the point anymore in writing about things just because I am told to do it or because I have done it this way for years. I know some of you may be annoyed that the Sturm 60 or Sturm 75 is likely to be reduced or eliminated, but I just am not sure that the juice is worth the squeeze. I will keep getting ready and prepared for the NFL draft, but let’s allocate our resources with a bit more wisdom.

I hope you go with me on this journey. I really do. But, I also will tell you that I am making this up as we go along. I know I could have done something bigger if it was just marketed to Cowboys fans worldwide — but I don’t want to do that. I want to write about what I care about on any given day and I promise, during the NFL season there is nothing I want to write about more than the Cowboys. But, outside of the season? That franchise will need to earn its space like everyone else. If there is something to say, I will go after it, but we won’t just punch the clock anymore on those matters.

I have heard from too many of you for too long on this front.

“Please, write more about what you talk and tweet about all the time. Please write more Stars, more Rangers, and more Mavericks. More columns! More essays! More opinion pieces! More rabbit holes!”

I have always wanted to be a sports columnist and now I can be exactly that. I don’t need to worry about The Dallas Morning News telling me I am just a radio guy (they did) or The Athletic telling me I am just a Cowboys writer (they did, too).

This is our space and I promise you one thing and one thing only. I am going to write a lot on many topics. Hopefully, you know what makes me tick and you are willing to trust my judgement. The Cowboys will surely get the most of our virtual ink, but I also promise you that when any of our teams are on the front page, they will get our front page, too. No more force-feeding Cowboys just to check the box.

With that, I will ask that you to please subscribe. I write because I wish to write. But I write here because I don’t want to work for anyone but you from now on. I still want to pay for 12 years of college for my three college-aged students so I am not doing this all for free, but I don’t want to write for any company or corporation anymore.

This is it. I still want to write about sports I care about, but I don’t want to have any more arbitrary rules placed on my topics or rules.

So, if you think my content is worth the price we set, I would love to have you as a partner in our small but vibrant, new community.

Let’s do this together. It can go wherever we want.