What to expect from the BadgerNotes community moving forward

BadgerNotes is proud to announce our next chapter: unfiltered, long-form Wisconsin Badgers coverage, insider access, and the daily Talkin’ Badgers podcast.

General view of Camp Randall Stadium before a Wisconsin Badgers football game. Photo credit: Dillon Graff, BadgerNotes.com

If you’ve been with me on this ride, you know BadgerNotes started as nothing more than a little X account — just a place where I could talk Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball with people who loved it as much as I did. It was a passion project, pure and simple. Nothing more.

But somewhere along the way, that passion project took off.

Before I knew it, BadgerNotes had become the top independent destination for Wisconsin Badgers coverage on the internet and a home for some of the most talented voices and content creators covering the program. And as proud as I am of what we built, I want to be honest with you: when things grow fast, it’s easy to lose sight of why you started.

You start learning trends in the algorithm, understanding what drives traffic, and prioritizing the content that guarantees views and revenue. And while there’s nothing wrong with that on the surface, it’s not why I got into this. And I don't want that to factor into my decision-making.

Because if you’re just trying to be like everyone else, you’ll never build something that's truly unique. And if you’re not building something unique, you’ll never stand out alongside the biggest brands in the market.

So, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on what I want BadgerNotes to become, not just now, but down the road. I did the research, I observed what was working (and what wasn’t), listened to feedback, and invested a lot of late nights into shaping this platform into something meaningful.

And I can confidently tell you this: the direction we’re heading now is the version of BadgerNotes I’m most proud of. It’s the most authentic and the most true to why I started this platform in the first place.

Here’s what you can expect moving forward

BadgerNotes.com is going to be your home for long-form sports journalism, deep dives with all-22 film and advanced data analysis paired with the old-fashioned eye test, along with honest columns. The kind of Badgers coverage you won’t find anywhere else in the Wisconsin market.

Think of it like what Tyler Dunne has built at GoLongTD.com. An independent, subscriber-driven space where deep, authentic storytelling takes center stage, delivered across multiple platforms. He knew exactly the kind of content that he wanted to consume, so he went out and created it, and in doing so, built a home for others who were looking for that same level of insight, honesty, and connection.

That’s the vision here: to create something we’re proud of, something that speaks to fans in a way that the big outlets can’t, because it comes from people who live and breathe this Badgers fandom alongside you, but are no different than anyone you’d sit down and talk sports with at the bar.

We’re still going to be objective, but let’s be real: this is sports, this is fandom, and sometimes, you deserve stories that pull back the curtain and call it like it is. Players and coaches are getting paid like professionals now, and we owe it to you to cover them with the same level of honesty that strikes a balance between fairness and accountability, all without an outside media company telling us which lines we can or can’t cross.

And I’m not doing this alone.

I’m thrilled to announce that Seamus Rohrer, formerly of BadgerBlitz over at Rivals, has joined our team as a staff writer. Seamus is an outstanding reporter with boots-on-the-ground experience covering Wisconsin Badgers football and men’s basketball, and I know he’s going to help raise the bar for everything we’re doing from a journalism perspective.

Joining him is my good friend and colleague, Kedrick Stumbris, a talented sports writer and storyteller who you may know from our past stops together. Kedrick will be contributing as an on-the-ground presence and will also be the host of Talkin’ Badgers, a daily podcast that’s going to take our community experience to an entirely new level. More content, more interaction, and more ways to be part of the BadgerNotes family.

And we’re not stopping there.

We’re also entering a full partnership with Buckys Burrow, so if you’re looking for a message board environment with insider information, or just a place to talk Wisconsin Badgers, you’ll find me, my team, and some of the biggest names in the Wisconsin social media space, like Roll Badgers and Badgers Insiders, all posting in one place on their Discord channel.

If I’ve learned anything throughout this incredible journey, it’s this: the best content comes from following what moves you. That’s what leads to unique stories, and that’s what resonates with the readers.

BadgerNotes is going all-in on quality over quantity.

I also know I can’t do it all myself. That’s why I’ve surrounded myself with talented people who care deeply about this work and our mission. We now have the infrastructure, the talent, and a clear vision for BadgerNotes.com to become a full-service platform for Badgers' content. A place where every piece of content, from written stories to podcasts to insider boards, lives under one roof at a fair, modest price for subscribers.

We’re independent. We’re unfiltered. And we’re proud of it.

To our subscribers: thank you. None of this happens without you. Your support, your feedback, and your belief in what we’re building have opened doors I never could have imagined. Covering games as credentialed media still blows my mind, and it’s all because of you.

We’ve never tried to be like anyone else. We’ve just stayed true to who we are, and we’re going to keep doing it our way. This is just the beginning. Let’s keep building it together.

Here’s what you get as a subscriber:

✅ Unfiltered, independent Wisconsin Badgers coverage

✅ Deep-dive stories, film breakdowns, and informed analysis

✅ Daily podcast and on-the-ground reporting

✅ Insider message board access with trusted voices

✅ Fair, honest coverage — balancing fandom with accountability

We’re building a home for Wisconsin Badgers fans who want something different, something more innovative, something with a little bit more substance. And if that’s you, we’d love to have you along for the ride.

And hey, if you’ve made it through my incoherent ramblings this far, you deserve something nice: here’s 80% off an annual VIP subscription.

Don’t miss your chance to join the BadgerNotes community. It’s beyond humbling that anyone takes the time out of their day to read, listen to, or engage with the Wisconsin Badgers content we create here. Every click, every message, every conversation reminds me why this matters and why we keep showing up to build something special with all of you.

Thank you for being part of it.

Dillon Graff

Founder, BadgerNotes.com