This morning I bought an e mail from Vox Media, which owns Viola Nation and its guardian firm, SB Nation. The 2 paragraphs knowledgeable me that as a result of declining advert income throughout all platforms, our mini podcast has been canceled efficient February 28, 2023, although we’re welcome to proceed recording till then.

Not simply us. Vox reduces loads of protection. Most notably, the corporate is shutting down all of its MLS and all of its NHL areas. The podcast of each soccer web site on the community has been lower as nicely. in an analogous movement, Vox laid off 7% of its workforce today.

Though this is not one thing I have never seen coming for the previous two years, all of it got here as a little bit of a shock to me. Mike McCormack (Mac Mike), Mike Haynes (Producer Mike), and I labored arduous on this undertaking, pulling the stingers out. We’re making an attempt to determine what occurs subsequent. Perhaps we’ll restart it on a special platform. We’ll let you understand.

However on a bigger scale, I am occupied with what comes subsequent for this web site. If Vox cuts off their blogs (and a few MLS and hockey blogs have a a lot bigger viewers than we do), I am unable to think about anybody dedicated to Fiorentina would stick round for much longer. I do not know if I will obtain the e-mail at the moment, subsequent week, or in a couple of months, however I am anticipating it someday within the not-too-distant future.

I’ve run Viola Nation since 2016. This web site and the group round it have change into an enormous a part of my life they usually’ve been by means of some very tough private moments. I am not going to let Jim Pankoff (CEO of Vox) destroy that as a result of he needs to make more cash for shareholders.

I do not prefer to fall again on the light-hearted tone this weblog is normally meant to attain, however I additionally do not suppose it is truthful to go away everybody at the hours of darkness about what is going on on. The group surrounding Viola Nation is particular, and it is unlucky {that a} group of buyers in Silicon Valley appears hell-bent on killing it.

They will not. For these of you who’ve been round lengthy sufficient, Viola Nation has really survived a platform change. This was once Fiorentina Offside earlier than SB Nation bought it and moved it to their servers. We’ll survive, whether or not it is with SB Nation or in any other case. Simply in case, although, I arrange a Substack page. If something occurs to the VN right here, we’ll proceed to remain away there.

Till I get the official phrase that we’re gone, although, we’ll proceed right here. I will see you tomorrow for Turin.