You might be aware Raw Charge doesn’t care for political discussion on-site too much, and one part of politics (the vote) is the process of getting on to a ballot to begin with. Well, there’s a different kind of vote that’s forthcoming that isn’t directly about politics; it’s about the best.
Local indie newspaper Creative Loafing is conducting its 25th “Best of the Bay” reader survey that looks for citizens choices of the best offerings of arts, charities, entertainment, personalities, politics, retail, reading, services and sports among other things. This year, it’s a multiple stage process that’s moved on to the basis of the survey – nominations from the readers going toward the best of the best in the Tampa Bay metro area.
For Tampa Bay sports fans, the relevant section of the nomination process is the “People, Places & Politics” nomination page of the survey. While local personalities (best couple, best Twitter account, etc) and politics are part of this page, blogging, sports and sports writing are also nomination categories. You’re able to nominate the best pro sports team, head coach, college sports team, best blogger and best sports writer.
Now, normal readers on the site are likely Lightning fans and I don’t need to encourage you to submit your love for the Lightning or head coach Jon Cooper. For the sake of pushing the envelope a bit, however, I’d like to encourage everyone to consider voting for a writer on an SB Nation sports blogs (Bucs Nation, DraysBay, Voodoo Five or here at Raw Charge) as the best sports writer in Tampa Bay. This doesn’t guarantee any of us would actually make it to the final voting ballot (the voting on nominees begins in August) but it does grant a little attention and respect toward some of the great coverage of the for the local teams from sources besides the Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune.
Of course there’s also the Best Local Blogger category on that “People, Places & Politics” page. It’s another place individual SB Nation writers could be nominated (instead of or in addition to best sports writer). I’d like to encourage your nomination in that one for our own Clark Brooks. He’s covered games in person here for a few years along with contributing his occasional pieces on the Bolts, but Clark also has long-running contributions to the local blogosphere. His personal site, Ridiculously Inconsistent Trickle of Consciousness, showcases his voice and humor regarding personal anecdotes, reflections on the area and pop culture. He’s also contributed on other sites for years and should be recognized for his work.
Of course we can’t make the decision of who you ultimately nominate (or if you even participate in the process). All that can be done is point you to the Best of the Bay page or to the individual categories of (Arts & Entertainment, Food & Drink, Goods & Services, and People, Places, & Politics) and encourage you to nominate people, places and things before the cut-off date of July 21st.
Voting on the final ballot begins on August 6 and ends in September.
