Why Do We Have a Paywall?

Why Does Prep Hoops Next Have a Paywall?

We field questions every day about our paywall – why we require a paid subscription to read our content. We’re only writing about youth basketball. How can we expect someone to pay to read it? We’ve spent, and continue to spend, valuable time examining our model, trying to determine the best way to best serve the youth basketball community with a high quality media outlet. Through that examination, we’ve been able to come to a few conclusions.

 

A few truths…

There’s a void in the comprehensive coverage of youth basketball.

As the amateur basketball media ecosystem has expanded, high-school-aged players have benefitted from increased visibility and an enhanced experience. Unfortunately, large swaths of talented hoopers have been left behind and unable to reap the benefits of better technology and more coverage. Before Prep Hoops Next, a comprehensive resource for youth basketball coverage and analysis just didn’t exist.

 

Great coverage comes at a price.

The long, slow decline of newspaper circulation due to loss of ad revenue has been well documented, and the elimination of journalists from the staff of established outlets has put a premium on top talent. There are fewer journalism jobs to go around and the best writers are more highly sought. Thorough, well-written coverage comes from great contributors, and great contributors require compensation.

Prep Hoops Next is not the first-ever outlet attempting to provide this depth and quality of coverage on youth basketball. Recruiting services have existed as a resource for college coaches for years, but with a sticker price that can be 10 times that of Prep Hoops Next, with less depth and no content. Because of our consistency, reliability and depth, we have become the most trusted resource for college basketball coaches. We cover more players and publish more basketball-related content than any outlet in the country.

 

Your experience on our website matters

Our website is here to serve you. We do everything in our power to provide you a valuable, polished experience – whether it is your first time on the site or your 100th time. In addition to crafting high-quality content, we’ve removed all outside distractions. We are 100%  AD-FREE, meaning, no pop-ups, no outside advertisements, just high-quality content to provide the most comprehensive exposure to players at all levels.

 

Our content is specifically designed for the players, parents, and coaches who aim to be the most informed.

Our model is not about appealing to anyone with a modicum of interest in youth basketball. We exist for the parents who are invested in their children’s careers, the grassroots teams looking to maximize their teams’ basketball experience, and the flat out junkies looking to get their youth basketball fix. We’re not trying to maximize traffic to our site by any means possible. We’re trying to add value and grow the game among the communities in which we’re active. When you’re relying on traffic, quality is sacrificed.

 

Quality is of the utmost importance to us – something worth paying for.