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By Brice Burge
Managing Editor
An internet start up company covering the Detroit Lions has found a voice in MQT.
Cover32.com, a website that blogs about all 32 NFL franchises, is in their first year of reporting. Each team has an editor and group of writers. However, the Lions subsite is more connected to the U.P..
Northern Michigan University alumnus Will Burns is the editor for Detroit on the website. A former Lower Michigan resident, he came to MQT as a NMU student and stayed after finding different jobs in and out of media. After finding about the website through Twitter, he joined on as editor.
Managing Editor
An internet start up company covering the Detroit Lions has found a voice in MQT.
Cover32.com, a website that blogs about all 32 NFL franchises, is in their first year of reporting. Each team has an editor and group of writers. However, the Lions subsite is more connected to the U.P..
Northern Michigan University alumnus Will Burns is the editor for Detroit on the website. A former Lower Michigan resident, he came to MQT as a NMU student and stayed after finding different jobs in and out of media. After finding about the website through Twitter, he joined on as editor.
"It was was one of the most unique situations I have ever experienced," Burns said. "I received a direct message on Twitter from my current boss asking me if I was interested in covering the Detroit Lions, and if I was, I should email him back. At first, I thought it was just spam, then I considered just emailing and see what happens. Turns out I was wrong and I am happy I returned the call and got the job."
Including Burns, cover32 has a group of seven consistent writers for the Lions, four of which are based in the MQT area. Three are NMU students or alumni, while two have active jobs with other media sources in the area, including MQT Social Scene's Managing Editor Brice Burge.
MQT – along with the rest of the Upper Peninsula – holds a divided fan base. While those loyal to the state root for the Lions, those from the Western part of the peninsula are true Green Bay Packer fans. Broadcasting rights and abilities also shaped the U.P. into Green and Gold fans, as Packer games from Green Bay and Milwaukee were shown in the early days of television. Green Bay games are often selected over Detroit this season in MQT, which is in the smallest 20 percent of media markets in the United States. For Burns, a diehard Lions fan, the divide gets personal.
"It's a little challenging to live in Marquette and not be a Green Bay fan. Its even more of a struggle if you cheer for the Lions. Green Bay is clearly the favorite in terms of marketing and rightfully so. Marquette is an odd spot because while many Detroit fans are upset they can't watch the Lions each week, the area isn't a big enough concern for the NFL to bother with the scheduling. While cover32 does have a Green Bay site, I feel its important to try and level the fan bases as much as possible and bring a real sense of Detroit pride back to the western and central U.P.."
Twitter is an important aspect of cover32. A separate Twitter account is given for each team of writers, formatted as “@cover32_” followed by the acronym for each team. Detroit's handle is @cover32_DET, Green Bay's is @cover32_GB and the national account is @cover32_NFL. Between the 33 handles, the Cover 32 network has 14,909 followers as of December 31. There is also a weekly cover32 podcast.
Brice Burge is the Managing Editor of MQTSocialScene.com. He can be reached at [email protected].
Including Burns, cover32 has a group of seven consistent writers for the Lions, four of which are based in the MQT area. Three are NMU students or alumni, while two have active jobs with other media sources in the area, including MQT Social Scene's Managing Editor Brice Burge.
MQT – along with the rest of the Upper Peninsula – holds a divided fan base. While those loyal to the state root for the Lions, those from the Western part of the peninsula are true Green Bay Packer fans. Broadcasting rights and abilities also shaped the U.P. into Green and Gold fans, as Packer games from Green Bay and Milwaukee were shown in the early days of television. Green Bay games are often selected over Detroit this season in MQT, which is in the smallest 20 percent of media markets in the United States. For Burns, a diehard Lions fan, the divide gets personal.
"It's a little challenging to live in Marquette and not be a Green Bay fan. Its even more of a struggle if you cheer for the Lions. Green Bay is clearly the favorite in terms of marketing and rightfully so. Marquette is an odd spot because while many Detroit fans are upset they can't watch the Lions each week, the area isn't a big enough concern for the NFL to bother with the scheduling. While cover32 does have a Green Bay site, I feel its important to try and level the fan bases as much as possible and bring a real sense of Detroit pride back to the western and central U.P.."
Twitter is an important aspect of cover32. A separate Twitter account is given for each team of writers, formatted as “@cover32_” followed by the acronym for each team. Detroit's handle is @cover32_DET, Green Bay's is @cover32_GB and the national account is @cover32_NFL. Between the 33 handles, the Cover 32 network has 14,909 followers as of December 31. There is also a weekly cover32 podcast.
Brice Burge is the Managing Editor of MQTSocialScene.com. He can be reached at [email protected].
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