The Next Progression: EST Enhances Comprehensive Coverage with Subscriber Content

It was only a matter of time, right?

In recent years, I've called Empire State Takeover an 'all-encompassing endeavor' in the girls' basketball world, particularly in the home base of upstate NY (but as we know, that coverage base has expanded into various parts of Pennsylvania & New England). It's moved from a summer league to other events, then incorporated basketball-specific media coverage with writing and photo/video content. It's parlayed into a greater level of visibility & recognition for the athletes, and at times, I've been able to assist in other outlets that provide recognition for their work (all-state teams, etc.). Among all of those things, the writing - which hasn't always been consistent, but is a constant presence during the HS hoops season - tends to be one of the most well-received avenues.

In more recent times, the basketball-specific writing coverage of upstate NY players & teams has waned. That's at no fault to anyone involved - lack of staffing leads to regionalization of what used to be local coverage, plus relocation of other respected media members that paid attention to the girls' game has led to this. With that, an opportunity to provide the level of coverage the players, teams, & coaches of the region deserve while expanding the footprint & growing the offerings of EST has presented itself.

As recognizable of a logo as there is among girls' basketball players in upstate NY at this point... it's time to take the next step in EST offerings & comprehensive coverage.

Ok, cutting to the chase here. EST will now introduce exclusive subscriber content with the utilization of another blog site beyond this one. This blog will still be active with 'free reads' and will be updated with some regularity! However, to receive the most in-depth coverage of girls' basketball coverage within my primary coverage region, the place to be is EST Blog (empirestatetakeover.com) (in high school season, this includes Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, & 10 in NY along with District 2 in PA and other areas, including Section 1, to a lesser extent). Expect game writeups from every game I attend in person, consistent roundups from what's happening on the high school scene statewide, individual player articles as the winter season goes on & I get used to the process of providing daily content, and much more as situations present themselves. During AAU season, the player articles will come to the forefront along with consistent reviews & writeups of events that I attend. Also, ALL PHOTOS WILL BE AVAILABLE AS DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT FOR SUBSCRIBERS TOO! There's plenty more beyond the few that I post on social media, and they'll all be available.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN SUBSCRIBER CONTENT

- Detailed game writeups & thoughts from every HS game that I attend in person (with rare exception of things like holiday showcases with 8 games in a day, at which point there will be an event recap) - will likely attend 200-250 games during HS season

- Statewide roundups to keep track of what's going on from section to section in girls' hoops (one comprehensive place to receive all info) - weekly at minimum, but will likely be 2-3x per week on busier weeks

- Individual player profiles & articles throughout the year, incorporating player/coach interviews with information & my own thoughts and evaluations

- Other scholastic-related articles as the situation calls for them, such as preseason previews (already complete for many sections) and postseason previews

- Event recaps/thoughts/notes during AAU season

- ALL PHOTOS taken at any game or event now available in one place

All photos, like this of budding Union-Endicott star Adriana Fontana - who also has her own writeup in the Section IV large school preview - will be up & available for subscribers.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE BLOG 'FREE READS'

- Game writeups & thoughts from HS games that I watch streams/game film of - think 'Views From The Couch' special introduced in February-March 2021 - will be done as time allows

- Any post made related to scrimmages I attend in person

- Any 'ESTers in Action' special article, which highlights the performances & accolades of EST event participants at the high school or collegiate levels

- Weekly 'The Week Ahead' articles, which will lay out my planned schedule for coming days

- Various other articles as situations present themselves, such as scholastic event previews/players to watch

- All comprehensive EST event coverage!

Don't worry, the caffeinated stick figure will be back as time allows - and for free on this blog!

This is a particularly large & time-consuming undertaking for one person that's already busy, so there will be a fee for subscriber content. The monthly subscription is $5/month, and an annual subscription is $40/year (equates to pay 8 months/4 months free). This can be accessed at various spots on the website - one was posted above - and another easy way to subscribe is through this link: Subscription Plans (empirestatetakeover.com). 

As always, the aim is to provide the highest quality content & coverage for girls' basketball now and in the future. With the knowledge base I've thankfully been able to acquire through the daily grind over the last several years, between 'recent history' & the present time, I think this will be a great resource for coverage in upstate NY & beyond. The work has already started, as several preseason previews are up on the blog - Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 (plus MMA) either already have or will soon have complete previews with contending teams/players to watch/games to circle. Sections 7, 9, & 10, all spots where I was pretty much unable to attend last February/March, will stop short of team previews but offer players to watch & games to circle.

As always, if there are any questions or thoughts, my social media/website DMs are open. Always open for suggestions on how to enhance the EST coverage & offerings! This is an expansion of EST that I'm particularly excited about, and I hope that feeling is mutual on your end. See everyone in a gym somewhere this winter!