A media outlet asking for donations is always a risky move. In the sports media sphere, that was perhaps even more risky than usual for Vox Media, considering their long and extensively-reported-on history of underpaying contributors (which led to lawsuits covered here), furloughing and laying off top sports talents, parting ways with countless team sites that had long sustained them despite minimal compensation in return, and even having top “sports” executives state that they didn’t know who Nick Saban was. But yet, Vox issued an appeal for donations Monday, which includes options for $9 to $500 one-time donations, and $95 to $350 a year annual donations:
As of 5 p.m. Eastern, that tweet had received just two straight retweets and just 18 likes against 80 quote tweets. Here are some of the many replies and quote tweets that drew:
Y’all are getting absolutely smoked for this and rightfully so. pic.twitter.com/NODv7Nymgn
— TW (@twesq) April 10, 2023
we’ll pay you like you pay your employees for their labor: we wont!
— cocaine bear bryant (official accont)™ (@ericisbad_) April 10, 2023
You guys killed SBnation, which developed the vast majority of talented writers that worked for Vox.
— Nick (@tllkdwthglasses) April 10, 2023
L, ratio.
— Lance Hartzler (@lance_hartz) April 10, 2023
keeping vox free! starting at $9!
— patreon.com/SPORTSDRINK (@SprtsDrnk) April 10, 2023
https://t.co/mu9pGfPwOb pic.twitter.com/9sOE3S6nQU
— The Original Party Worm (@OG_party_worm) April 10, 2023
— Brew Hoop ?? (@brewhoop) April 10, 2023
I would literally rather take $9 and throw it in a furnace https://t.co/k1dpeGWHJ7
— Matt Burke – Burkus Circus Studios (@Matt_BCStudios) April 10, 2023
Have you considered *NOT* getting rid of your most-read and best content? https://t.co/wSmVdCCBFD
— Laura (@theactivestick) April 10, 2023
I diligently covered Gonzaga basketball for Vox for nearly a decade and the most money I ever received from them is when I joined a class action lawsuit centered on their refusal to pay the likes of people like me. But sure. https://t.co/NTysOe5kaJ
— sick of Woodburn after 1 article (@wernies) April 10, 2023
Instead of doing this, you could donate to @TheIceGarden’s tip jar (https://t.co/wOmtP2Onob) or subscribe for all their incredible analysis and content at https://t.co/y1iyurwwcb ? https://t.co/WSMcvIfUBB
— Anne Tokarski (@annetokarski) April 10, 2023
That last one is notable, as The Ice Garden (a women’s hockey site) is one of the many sites Vox ignominiously parted ways with amidst wide layoffs and cutbacks earlier this year. That particular site seems to have landed on their feet, but they still need some help, and it’s been a tougher road still for others.
And this year’s layoffs were just the continuation of a long tradition of Vox, a company built on a backbone of sports content, mistreating its sportswriters. That’s included them drawing class-action lawsuits over employee misclassification (eventually settled for $4 million), targeting sportswriters heavily in layoffs and furloughs, and even appointing people to sports oversight positions who had no idea who Nick Saban was. So it’s quite rich for many in the sports world to see Vox now asking for public handouts, and that’s led to the intense ratioing of that tweet.
[Vox Media on Twitter]