My new project: "Mercy Rule"

The intersection of sports and parenting has never been more interesting (or intense)

If you are receiving this email, you long ago stuck with me after the Daily Quickie era, the DanShanoff.com blog era, the Quickish era and my initial attempt to start a newsletter at TinyLetter built around curation and recommendation.

First of all, thank you for that support over the years. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.

We’re all a lot older, aren’t we? That same kid whose birth I announced in the Daily Quickie in May 2006 is now a high school senior and headed to college in the fall. And there are two other kids, too!

When Gabe was born, I launched a side project - a blog called “Varsity Dad” that was about sports and parenting. It lasted a few years (I just checked, and good grief it was more than 150 posts), but then life got in the way.

A few years later, I was lucky enough to successfully pitch the editors at espnW to let me write a recurring sports-parenting column — about my own experiences and things I was observing around culture and society at the intersection of sports and parenting.

It was so enjoyable to write (even during 48-1 losses that ultimately inspire the name of email newsletters), and it reaffirmed that the topic was something I had endless enthusiasm and curiosity about — not to mention something that so many other people could relate to, especially as readers roughly my age and younger started to have their own kids.

When the ESPN column wound down, I found myself fully immersed in youth sports, accompanying my middle kid along his passion for basketball. I coached for five years at the highest level of youth hoops, an experience I found equal parts rewarding and eye-opening.

Along the way, I still can’t shake this enthusiasm and curiosity and passion for the intersection of sports and parenting, and I’m ready to commit more of my time and energy to pursuing it through this email and maybe some other related content.

That turned into this: “Mercy Rule,” a new weekly-ish newsletter about the intersection of sports and parenting.

My goal is at least one easily consumed thing per week, but I want to leave open the idea that I might be inspired at other times — I promise I won’t overload your inbox.

Two things I want to emphasize: First, I don’t plan on charging for this — I would rather make it easier for people to consume and easier for me to connect with people.

Second, I totally recognize that you might have originally signed up expecting some kind of recurring recommendations or curation from me about compelling things I’m consuming in sports. This might not be a topic of interest for you. I definitely get it. My one ask is that if you do know anyone who might enjoy it, please forward it or tell them about it.

Thanks for the many years of support — knowing there is a community of people out there I have a longstanding relationship with is part of the inspiration for launching this effort now.