- It's August, 2020.
We're about to welcome you into our renamed YouTube channel
and brand new community website
"Secret Base".
Before we do, we should remind you who we are
and reflect on how we got here
to explain how and why Secret Base came to be.
We need to rewind.
So, first of all, what do I mean when I say we?
Well, we're the people who make SB Nation's YouTube videos.
Some of us have been working on videos
almost since the beginning of this channel.
Our YouTube outfit has taken many forms
since it debuted in 2011
and seen some pretty amazing people come and go.
Some of us were part of those original productions.
See this horse gently thrusting
behind legendary Mensch Dan Rubenstein in 2012?
That's Will.
He's our executive producer now.
Jon and Alex, here they each are alongside
our friend Matt Ufford.
This is 2012 long before they settled Dorktown
Phil has been making us beautiful graphics
and animations since 2012,
and he's still cooking.
Some of us were doing other SB Nation stuff
around that time.
I'm Seth.
I started SB Nation's Knick's blog for fun back in 2007,
long before I worked here for real
Graham, the editor-in-chief of Secret Base
was blogging about the Mariners back then
and went on to Found our Chelsea blog
before editing sbnation.com.
Jon made some things too.
Multi-talented director Ryan
worked on all kinds of productions
in the Vox Media Studios before joining SB Nation full time.
Kofie got his start on the social team
while also making videos for his own YouTube channel.
Some of us got hired straight
into the most recent iterations of SB Nation video.
Mike is a brilliant filmmaker
who started making motion graphics with us in 2016.
Jiazhen came straight out of college
to bless us with his boundless enthusiasm
and keen editing eye.
Clara joined us as a producer in 2019
with a diverse writing background
that includes comedy and podcasting.
So that's us.
We're the collective behind this new thing,
Secret Base.
We really hope there will be more of us someday soon.
Maybe you.
In the meantime,
what is it we do here?
Well, let's go back a bit.
A few years ago, Jon started producing videos
that examined sports history
and explained weird sports stuff.
In early 2018, Ryan Nanni gathered us and said,
"Hey, what if we all made videos like that?
What if we put aside the everyday churn of news and rumors,
scores and rankings?
What if we gave context for those things
by telling stories,
explaining sports
and experimenting with new formats.
What if we plumbed the absolute depths of sports failure?
Recounted the tension between famous sports figures
to better understand them.
Teased apart the strangest rules and anecdotes.
Dove deep into strange and fascinating data.
Relived buildup to iconic moments.
wrapped our heads around how great teams fall apart.
Exploded video games.
Scrutinized how and why certain sports legends
never won a championship.
We study old games, devour books and newspapers
and comb through stats to find stories
that will help us and you
understand and appreciate sports inside and out,
past and present.
And we're going to keep making these series
while trying new ones. Like Overlap,
which investigates the brief, surprising,
and little known connections
between important sports figures.
So that's all cool.
And if you've joined us along the way,
we thank you so much,
which gets to one more thing.
What was missing?
Why do we need Secret Base?
Well, we know you're out there.
Dorks like us who enjoy sports,
not just for the winning and losing,
people who want to learn and explore and break shit.
We've seen you in YouTube, comments on Twitter and Reddit
and in our email inboxes, dispersed.
We want a place where all of us can hang out together,
somewhere safe, inclusive, and relaxed to enjoy our videos,
but also enjoy each other's company and try out new stuff.
It's a place for more video,
but also chats and blog posts and merch
and newer, bigger weirder stuff.
We're so excited to show you in the future.
You have always been a part of our community.
Now we're inviting you to come join us in our new home.
So, welcome to a moment in history.
Welcome to Secret Base.
(upbeat music)