Who You Are & What You Are Saying...
Joe Maxwell, Publisher
We at The Sporting Spirit thank you for all of the kind, encouraging words. It’s a pleasure getting to know so many great folks during visits statewide. (FYI: We now have 170 drop sites at parks, restaurants, and high-traffic areas, including in your area.)
Our recent reader survey told us more about you. Here’s a brief summary:
You spend about $2,300 a year on youth sports. Forty-seven percent of
you are ages 31 to 40; about 26 percent are 41-50, and most of the
remainder are 21-30. Two-thirds of our readers are female (c’mon, guys).
And you say you read the magazine more than an hour, on average.
But if you really want to know our readers, go to any youth sports event
in Mississippi.
There you will find the top business, civic, and social leaders in any
Mississippi town. Income lines blur, as do racial and social lines.
Advertisers are seeing this same thing. Please support the businesses
advertising in our magazine. They value you and want your business!
In fact, as we went to press, The Mississippi Business Journal planned
to feature The Sporting Spirit in its June 30 issue.
I told them what a great group of people hang out at youth-sports
events. And I thought you might like to read what some of folks like you are saying about the magazine.
• • •
I was waiting on my daughter at one of her softball practices and
noticed that there was a news stand with a newspaper/magazine called The
Sporting Spirit. Out of curiosity and boredom I picked one up. I really
enjoyed the pictures of the players with smiles, enjoying their sport.
—Madison, MS Mom
Whoa, our picture is going to be in a magazine! — Southaven Boy, age 10
I got it in the mail this afternoon and had to fight off my wife to be
the first one to look at it. You guys keep up the good work; it’s a
great magazine and each issue gets better and better. Again thank you
very much.
— Choctaw father/coach
Three of my players came running up to me waving a magazine all smiling
and talking at the same time. “Look at this, Coach, and we’re going to
be in the next one,” was the composite message. I worried they would be
disappointed when the next one came out and they weren’t in it.
A couple weeks later we played in Vicksburg, and here they came waving
another one and yelling even louder: “We’re in it, Coach! We’re in it!”
From the first copy I knew somebody somewhere was onto something
fantastic for the most important athletes in Mississippi: our youngest
ones. The Sporting Spirit has quickly become my favorite magazine, and
it doesn’t cost me a penny! — Crystal Springs Coach/Dad
I enjoyed the heck out of it.
— Oxford Granddad
Great idea! I can’t believe someone else has not already thought of this.
— Ridgeland Dad
I read the whole thing in my bathtub. — Jackson Mom
The photographs really revealed the heart and soul of team sports: to go out, play hard, but most importantly—have a great time! Thanks for the reminder in one of the articles that as parents we need to enjoy our time at the park, however remember our role. — Madison Mom
Don’t stop those cards, letters and emails! We’ll do our best to keep publishing character-driven
articles about your children, their sports heroes, and
the games we all love. SS
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