Capitalism Takes All Victims, With No Exceptions: A Response to Skyd Fund 2015

It’s a simple principle that every student learns in AP Economics, Econ 110, or even their basket weaving electives. If a market can support something, it will exist. If it can’t, so sorry, not our fault.

Econ 110

Capitalism is in its simplest form, a self regulating system. So when Elliot Trotter makes the claim “maybe the skyd readers would be willing to pay for it through a donation to keep us afloat” (paraphrasing) in his new piece A World Without Skyd, he’s giving basic economics the old college try. Because why don’t people want to pay for something they use and enjoy? Simple. They already get it for free.

Yes Ultiworld.com, i’m looking at you. The little brother that wanted to give big bro a run at backyard ball, and finally won (If you don’t think won is the right word, we’ll make you feel a little better).

Both these websites exist in the same Ultimate community, with the same cultural ideas, and the same thinning wallets. Neither exist in an environment that supports a full-time reporter of Ultimate Frisbee. The reason Ultiworld will survive and Skyd will not, is not a difference of content, morality, and financial sense. But the main reason is that Ultiworld is willing to grit it out until it works. Granted there are some strategical differences (we’ll get there), but the put the ultimate career on the backburner to contribute solid reporting attitude at Ultiworld may last just a bit longer.

So theres your daily lesson in common sense. People collectively are willing to pay something what they are worth. So no more complaining about Lebron James’ 42.1 million dollar contract or President Obama’s 400,000 dollar salary. News flash from a place where you really shouldn’t be getting news flashed from: That’s what they’re worth. To us as consumers.

So if Skyd deserves to exist they will. Advertisers don’t come to Skyd because there aren’t enough hits on the site, and if there aren’t enough hits on the site, do they deserve the kind of money that comes along with high profile advertisements? Thats for the people with the marketing degrees to judgeOH WAIT THEY DID. And Skyd sadly, just wasn’t worth it.

The Quantity, Quality Debate

Skyd recently turned towards a “name” heavy site, while almost simultaneously Ultiworld pushed more and more content like coverage and game analysis. So which one worked? Well let’s look at our present situation. Skyd requires an indiegogo campaign of 32,000 in order to function in 2015. Ultiworld requires an undisclosed amount, but we’ll say for now it’s something similar. Ultiworld reaches this goal by selling video, low level Ultimate brand advertisements, and selling sponsored stories. And while it can’t be called “making money,” they sure do save some money on columnists that don’t appear to be demanding much for the medium quality content they shove out the window.

Skyd needs a donation to exist. And of course, I encourage all eight of you reading this to donate because they make Ultimate more fun. But I can’t in good faith ask you to donate something you feel is above the risk of knowing what you’ll get back. Skyd has obviously stepped away from coverage and is moving towards high quality pieces written by high quality people. And not to throw out a major speculation but to throw it out anyway, you have to think that those columnists i’m referring to (Beau and others) demand some more pennies. And only time will tell if that makes any cents. *BA dum tis

Econ 111

This class is easy, trust me. ESPN and others can afford to take the risk of covering us plebes. Because eventually, it may pay off. Skyd, Ultiworld, and Blockbuster Video, can’t. They need money.

Got it? Great! You get a B+. Not an A because if I gave the eight of you A’s it might seem like I was going easy on you. But hey, as a college Ultimate player rocking a steady 3.01 in an enginerding degree don’t complain. Just go practice your throws.

Theory Time

Theory 1: Ultiworld will succeed because they’re not good enough players.

This is not meant to offend any of the writers for the little brothers, but it’s mainly an observation. Elliot Trotter and Ian Toner are well recognized Ultimate players in their own right, and long term have large aspirations for their playing careers that could at some point be slight less than mildly realistic. No telling how good Charlie Eisenhood and Keith Raynor could have been (ok some telling), but it doesn’t matter. They’re willing to not try in order to report.

Theory 2: Skyd raises the money.

Jimmy Valvano would have a hard time giving an inspirational enough speech to raise 32 grand for a frisbee website, but if his 1983 team showed us anything, it’s that anything is possible if you want badly enough to write such an enticing real life March Madness story that not even Steven Spielberg could correctly cinemate (new word alert).  It could happen. But heres the part deux. What happens this time next year? Ponder.

Theory 3: No one will ever read this.

This one is probably the most likely of the three. In the very likely scenario that no ones reading this except for that girl that I saw at Starbucks once, hi Kara. I know your names Kara because of the name on the pumpkin spice latte (#basic) that you bought . . . even though it was spelled Karay (what the hell did that woman at the counter hear?). I’m not great at talking to girls, so if you could find me on craigslist lost connections that would be just super.

Hope to stare at you from across the 8 by 10 foot room again soon.

Creepily,

FD

Epilogue

Go donate to Skyd. Because if your’e weird enough to be reading this, you obviously read a little bit of their stuff.

And go support Ultiworld with a video package.

As professor FD taught today, I don’t get to decide whether these great sites fail or succeed (mainly because I have no money [mom please help {dad too}]), but we as a consumers do.

Stay Classy,

FD