U.S.S. Mariner T-shirt challenge
Many of you fine readers have volunteered to help us make up some T-shirts to sell as Officially Endorsed USSM Swag. I hereby accept your offer.
Short version: as you’ve noticed, our poor server’s falling over pretty much every morning as our rabid readership gets to work and, instead of contributing to their company’s stockholder value, loads the page. We need to upgrade. Upgrading to something that’ll stand up through the 2006 season is going to be really, really expensive. Don’t worry about how expensive just yet, but obviously, it’s above the threshold of what we can continue to pay out of pocket, so we’re looking to try and scrape up cash.
Here’s all the stuff you can put a design on. Anyone coming up with a cool hooded sweatshirt design gets extra points from me (which I will repay in the form of beer).
Here are the design templates.
I’m sure you’re asking: “Derek, wouldn’t this have been a great idea to do, say, before the holiday season, when quality USSM merchandise would have been the perfect gift for young and old Mariner fans?”
Yes. Yes it would. But I would respond “Is the spirit of genorosity and giving really constrained by time? Isn’t a gift, and especially a gift that displays the intelligence and considerate nature of the giver, even more meaningful when it’s not given due to a sense of obligation?”
So here’s the process:
– Work out some cool idea. Do not, whatever you do, do something that infringes on the Seattle Mariners’ trademarks, copyrights, or anything. Beyond our respect for the team’s creative work and knowing they make quality scratch selling that stuff, we don’t want to get sued, and you don’t want to get sued either.
– Send us the design. Mention what you want it slapped on — don’t assume we’ll figure it out.
– At some point, we’ll sort them out, either in public or among ourselves.
– If we’re interested, we’ll send you some official-looking form with a lot of legalese on it so we can use your design.
– As compensation, you get the satisfaction of a job well done, all the publicity we can slide your way, free entry to a USSM event in the next year, and a year’s subscription to the site. Seriously, there’s no money in this. We’re totally leeching off your creative talents.
We haven’t decided if we want to do limited-run topical designs (“I can outpitch Jarrod Washburn — where’s my $35 million?”) or not yet. If we decide to try that, I’ll post details.