Sixers writer Derek Bodner, formerly of Liberty Ballers and Philly Mag, the latter of which just decided to let go of its sports staff, is arguably the best Sixers writer on the planet. He has earned his standing all while working a full-time job as an IT professional. So in order to continue his craft, he is asking for small, $3 Patreon donations to support his work. In under 24 hours, he has amassed 550 contributors at a total of $1,646 per month. Here’s how he describes the effort:

What do you get by donating?

The majority of content on my website (right now, derekbodner.com, although this URL may change at a later date) will be available to the public free of charge. Those who donate at least $3 per month will also get the following.

  • A morning newsletter email, sent Monday through Friday, which will provide links to articles about the 76ers written over the last 24 hours to get you up to speed. This email will also contain one mailbag-style question and answer each morning from newsletter subscribers. This will replace my typical mailbag column.
  • Exclusive access to my Sunday column, where I will go in-depth on a topic surrounding the team.
  • Helping those in need. Until/unless this becomes my only source of income I will donate 50% of all proceeds over $1,000/month to charity. More on that below.
  • The knowledge that you’re helping support independent journalism.

I do not want to go to a full subscription model. I do want readers to feel like they’re getting additional value by donating what amounts to the cost of one cup of coffee (Starbucks) per month.

This is an interesting model, one that has worked in other fields where high-value, in-depth reporting is needed. I’m not sure an individual, on a local level, covering one team, can get enough traction to turn it into a full-time gig, but Bodner should certainly be able to generate enough revenue for him to continue to provide us with excellent Sixers coverage. You should contribute here, if for no other reason than to support an alternative to this absolute slop from John Smallwood today:

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Make Sixers Writing Great Again.