Sport Seasons

It’s never a bad time to be from the area of the Mid-South, but these are some special times. The area is growing, and becoming more diverse and cosmopolitan. Our influence on the nation by exporting our culture is growing, and the area is becoming one of the more desirable places to live in the country. And to add the cherry on top, our sports teams are doing us proud.

Marc Torrence is a native of Franklin, TN and a graduate of Centennial High School. Currently enrolled at the University of Alabama, he’s studying  journalism as a Sophomore. He’s already getting his practice in covering the Crimson Tide for BamaOnline.com, and Crimson White. And if that isn’t enough, he’s a contributing writer for SBNation’s Nashville Predators affiliate, OnTheForecheck.com.

(Totally jealous… this guy gets to get in the mix with the Tide AND the Preds? I barely have enough time to make breakfast.)

A blooming writer and a rockstar on social media, Marc has a following among both fanbases, and has seen quite his share of stories develop in such a short time. As said before, it’s a good time to be in this area.

Lucky for us, he was nice enough to answer some questions.

Sport Seasons- You’re a native of the Middle Tennessee area. What made you decide to attend Alabama? Did you encounter any push back from your friends up here?

Marc Torrence- I never really had any SEC loyalties growing up. Sure, I attended the occasional UT game, but I was never too enamored with the orange and white. I grew up a Tar Heel fan, but that was mostly for basketball; I’ve always loved the SEC though. No other conference can compete with it in athletics.

I absolutely love it in Tuscaloosa and wouldn’t trade that decision for anything.

SS-  We grew up in a time where our area of Nashville evolved from a town with no pro sports to a town with two successful franchises right as we were in middle school. Did that sway you in your choice of major?

MT- It definitely did. I’ve been going to Titans and Preds games since the teams came to town – literally. I was at the Titans and Preds inaugural games in their respective seasons and still have the tickets to prove it. Because I’ve been around sports my whole life, it really gave me that passion to be around the game of football, hockey and everything else.

SS- Who are your most prominent influences in your writing?

MT- Oh wow, that’s a tough one. I think the key to being a good writer is to be yourself and find your own voice, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do in my short journalistic career. But there’s a ton of great people in the Alabama and Predators press corps who have been awesome to talk to and learn from.

SS- Alabama has received a ton of media attention from national and regional sources, as well as higher interest from fans and opponents alike, what’s the most out of the ordinary you’ve seen around Tuscaloosa this football season?

MT- Probably the craziest thing was the night Oklahoma State lost and put Alabama back in the national championship game hunt. Down on the strip that night, people were just cheering and high-fiving; a couple of people rolled down their windows and just shouted, “Go Iowa State!”; and every bar was playing “Cyclone” on repeat. It was just crazy. Alabama wasn’t even playing that night, and Tuscaloosa was crazier than it was after any home game that season.

SS- You are involved with the basketball coverage down there, and the basketball program is back on the rise under Anthony Grant. Now that the football team has NEARLY finished its season, what’s the interest level this year as opposed to the past few years?

MT- It’s been pretty big. The hype machine really started when five-star prospect Trevor Lacey committed to the Tide this summer. Even during football season, people were talking about basketball and how they were excited for the start of the season. The Georgetown game drew a sellout, and the student section was full 45 minutes before tipoff. Even though Alabama lost on a last-second shot, it was a great atmosphere.

SS- For those who have yet to go down to Tuscaloosa for a game, what advice would you give them?

MT- I would definitely recommend that any college football fan put Bryant-Denny Stadium on his or her bucket list of stadiums to make it out to. It’s not the manically-insane atmosphere you get in a place like Death Valley or The Swamp just because many of the fans are older alumni, but when you walk in, you can just feel the rich tradition and history that no other football program can match.

SS- (On the Predators) It’s a younger team this year, but there’s some real potential with the rookies and call-ups from Milwaukee. Who is a player that the casual fan should watch in the coming months to make an impact?

MT- The young defensemen are certainly the ones to look out for. I loved what I saw from Ryan Ellis in his NHL debut, especially playing on the first power play unit. Roman Josi is another great puck-moving defenseman who has looked fantastic in his short time up in Nashville. And of course Craig Smith has shown his uncanny ability to make plays and shoot the puck this year.

SS- Given that you are in the Birmingham metro area for much of the year, what is the exposure of the Predators this year compared to last?

MT- It’s tough to tell. Because the Thrashers left and moved up north if anybody’s a hockey fan down in Alabama, and they’re choosing based on proximity, they’re a Preds fan. Having said that, nobody really pays attention to the NHL, especially during football season.On campus though, the NHL is pretty well-represented across the board. Walking across campus, you definitely see a few pieces of NHL apparel, but most of that is people who came out of state to go to school at Alabama and are supporting their home teams.

SS- Lastly, what jerseys do you own?

MT- I actually got my first Predators jersey for Christmas this year. It’s a gold Shea Weber jersey.

It’s hockey night in Smashville – are you game ready?

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Seems like every year the beginning of the NHL Hockey season sneaks up on us.  We won’t lie to you; football season takes precedent in the south and at Sport Seasons.  It’s a huge portion of our business between September 1 and the end of January.

This year feels different though.  The NFL just ended a lockout, and that did affect business, no matter what anybody says to the contrary. College is going through a period where it seems like every school is struggling with minor or major NCAA infractions.  People still support their football teams and want them to win, but maybe they are playing the wait and see game.

Hockey is another story. This last season was incredible with the Preds getting past the first round for the first time in their history.  Sure they’ve lost some incredible players like Steve Sullivan and Joel Ward, but they’ve retained Shea Weber and have a lot of hope last season will be a springboard to the future, starting in a few weeks.

The other reason this year feels different for us is simple: Hockey fans are awesome. We have really enjoyed building a relationship with some fantastic folks. Our local Predators fans are great at letting us know when we do well and when we don’t, what they’d like to see us carry and what we are missing.

The Predators announced they would be unveiling a new logo, to go on new Home and Road jerseys. The jerseys were unveiled in June, but would not be available until the fall. Fans didn’t want to wait for something with the new logo, so we brought in some key pieces. The response has been great.

On Thursday 9/22/2011 Sport Seasons will be the Nashville Predators’ Exclusive Retail Partner in the sale of the Home & Road jerseys to the public. We are very excited to be involved with the Predators organization, and to be able to serve such a tremendous fan base.

The new jerseys will be available first thing the morning of September 22 at all our Nashville stores. We also have the home & road jersey available for pre-order on our website, with free shipping. Orders will ship September 22^nd.

If you’re a Nashville area hockey fan, you’re probably used to going to blogs for the in-depth coverage of your team. There’s no shortage of great websites covering the Predators, the area is spoiled with an embarrassment of riches in that category. Adding to that category is the new Smashville247.net, the brainchild of Ryan Porth. Ryan resides in the Franklin area, and has been doing side work for high schools to bide his time until hockey season starts.

Of course, you might already know this. His main website, Red Light District Hockey (rldhockey.net) has been featured on YardBarker, FoxSports.com, and other sites. His radio show has also enjoyed a banner year with other national journalists and high-profile players as guests. His site also features interviews with Ryan Kesler, Bobby Ryan, Shane Doan, Jeff Skinner, Erik Johnson, Tyler Seguin, Brooks Laich, and a host of others outside of the Predators whom he also has interviewed.

What’s the most impressive part about Ryan’s achievements? He’s just now able to legally to toast some champagne to his accomplishments.

Sport Seasons: Thanks for the interview. What made you start covering the entire league instead of just the team you like?

Ryan Porth: To be honest, when I started RLD Hockey back in 2008, it never even crossed my mind to have a site just for the Predators.  At that time, I was oblivious to social media and didn’t follow any Preds blogs.  I’m such a big fan of the sport itself and I wanted a place to put down my thoughts and predictions, etc.  To see how the site has grown since then is something I could have never imagined. In the middle of last season, I pondered starting a Predators blog because of the access I was given by the team. Instead, I opted to wait until the off-season to create Smashville 24/7, where you’ll be able to find Predators news, features and analysis in the 2011-12 season.

SS: What kind of response do you get from the older journalists?

RP: There’s a thought out there that all of the mainstream media, specifically some of the ‘veterans’, per se, despise bloggers.  That’s not entirely true.  While there are some traditional newspaper writers that can’t grasp the concept of a blogger sitting in a press box, others have entertained the idea. Kevin Allen of USA Today, the president of the Pro Hockey Writer’s Association, has been one mainstream writer that is very pro-blogger.  I met him in Los Angeles last summer at the draft and was blown away with how outgoing he was to me; before then I had that assumption that all of the media ‘big boys’ weren’t fond of bloggers. It was really nice to see because internet media is quickly taking over print media.  Where do fans go to get their coverage nowadays?  The internet, not newspapers.

SS: Who was your favorite player you’ve ever interviewed?

RP: I can’t think of one player that stands out above the rest, but there is a handful.  Dealing with Shane O’Brien here in Nashville last year was great.  He got a bad reputation in Vancouver, but we saw none of that.  He was great with the media and you could rely on him for a good quote after every game or practice.

Some of my favorite visiting players that came through Nashville last year included Jarome Iginla and Brooks Laich. They are both soft-spoken and care about what kind of answers they give you, which is a treat for the media. Nicklas Lidstrom, Tim Thomas and Shane Doan are also great to talk to.

As far as coaches go, there’s no one better than Barry Trotz.  The man loves to talk.  When we were in Vegas this summer, he spoke for at least 40 minutes; he probably answered two questions in the process (not really).  No other award nominee talked for more than 10 or 15 minutes.  When Vancouver was in town during the second round in May, one of the Canadian writers said aloud after a press conference, “He makes (Toronto coach) Ron Wilson sound like Osama bin Laden.”

SS: Biggest influence?

RP: The biggest influence on me writing was a teacher at Franklin High, Diane Fender; she was my English teacher in my sophomore year.  One day she approached me to write about sports for the school newspaper (which she also taught).  It was something that had never crossed my mind.  Before you knew it, I was on the staff and even had a guest article in The Tennessean’s Williamson A.M.  I wouldn’t be where I am today if she hadn’t come up to me and suggested sports writing.

SS: Next challenge?

RP: Operating two sites at once is going to be enough of a challenge for me this season.  One never-ending challenge of blogging is trying to get more people to the site, increase the traffic and create more revenue.  Once you take one step in the right direction, you’re looking for that next step.

SS: Favorite event you’ve ever traveled to cover?

RP: It’s neck and neck between the Awards and Winter Classic… but I have to go with the Winter Classic.  I covered last year’s historic game between the Penguins and Capitals in Pittsburgh, and that was pretty cool.  Not only was the event/spectacle fascinating, but to see and be a part of the media coverage – how big the scrums were, how every little detail was a huge deal, etc. – it was a great experience to see all of it first-hand.  Though it was only one game on the 2,460-game NHL calendar, it was treated like the Super Bowl. The Awards, which I’ve been to twice now, is a totally different experience.  Most of the stars are there and it’s a laid-back atmosphere, which is a great changeup to some of the other events.  Here’s to hoping the NHL keeps the Awards in Vegas!

It’s important to remind us that more goes into the total experience of athletics than just the product you see on the field, court, or rink. There are bunches of people working together and independently to ensure the sport is well represented and well covered. Ryan is part of a growing community in Nashville originally founded to ensure the survival of hockey, and now works to enrich the community with the sport. Sports journalism is a field so competitive that many younger writers are discouraged from even attempting. But with the emergence of blogs and social media, talented writers and other journalists are finding their way to the top.