End of an Era - An Update on Box State Footy (May 2026)

Dear reader,
Thank you so much for your support throughout the years and this season so far. Box State Footy launched back in 2023 as a passion project, and I have struggled to give it the time and dedication it has required to really get it off the ground and become a consistent media staple within the Colorado soccer landscape. Despite my lack of time, this year we've made great strides and have steadily grown the page thanks to our small but passionate team. We migrated from Substack to Ghost, brought on some stellar photographers, started a live show, and across all our social media have an average of ~400 followers, slowly reaching that first K at the end of the digit. I am beyond proud of the work and our current position. It has been quite the ride so far.

Since December 2025, my life has been a whirlwind. I went through a breakup, moved into a new apartment, started my part-time position at Kickbase, and have been working through a personal matter (which I'm now thrilled to say I've overcome). I attended the Independent Supporters Council here in Denver, traveled to Houston for the American Soccer Insights conference the following week, and have been going full nose-to-grind-stone since March.

In between live recordings of Burgundy Banter, Newsletter drops, fan content shorts, and various MLS Fantasy duties, I would take on labor work to supplement my income. I then started coaching middle school soccer for some extra cash ( I really can't get enough of this sport).

Despite the growth of the page, it still isn't in a position to pay the bills, and, to be honest, I'm hardly in a position myself to understand how to get it there. BSF was not meant to pay the bills (though that'd be nice, wouldn't it?), but when it comes to scraping enough for rent, the content reluctantly had to take a massive back seat and recently had to be left behind entirely. (Notice how there's less writing on the site?)

My core tenet with BSF was that this was always meant to be fun. It's a passion project with the aims and goals of eventually being something bigger than I could imagine. My running list of "What could Box State Footy become?" is proof of my lack of business forethought, but highlights more than anything how much of a dreamer I am.

Dreams can only get you so far, though, and eventually you run out of steam. In the time I wasn't working, I had to decide between doing more content or taking much-needed time to recharge. I think back to the times when I'd come home from a grueling apartment move (often with no stairs!), warehouse work, or the long hour-and-a-half commute in the rain from my middle school team practice and dread having to then sit on the computer and write, edit, or learn business strategies for the page.

Juanners (@juanners.bsky.social)

I earned this

Bluesky SocialJuanners

As I said earlier, you eventually run out of steam, and in an effort not to completely lose myself to the system, I chose myself and my peace. That came at the expense of the page's growth, but at least rent was paid; I'm very fortunate in that regard.

With that being said, after taking some time to reflect and handle some personal matters, I have an update:

I'm thrilled to share that I have gone full-time with Kickbase and am no longer reliant on labor work to make ends meet. This news, happening so soon after the handling of my personal matter, was not expected, but it frees me up to pour a lot more time and resources into Box State Footy.

There is still a hiatus planned next week, but I wanted to come to you, the supporters and readers of this page, with the news and celebrate what this means to me. This means more time to edit content, more time to write, more time to learn the ins and outs of a successful business, no more back-breaking work, less wear and tear on the body, and, most importantly, more footy- more Box State Footy 💫.

So, officially (one can hope not momentarily), the End of an Era of my labor work. Since I started back in November 2022, I have worked 303 jobs (not planned, I promise!), achieved a perfect 5.0 customer rating, a near-perfect 4.75 rating among my co-workers, and a lifetime total of 1,027.48 hours of labor work - an equivalent to 42.8 days of work. Because I'll be sending this article to a bunch of my homies that I've worked with, I want to personally shout out Matt, Chase, Aaron, Miguel, Tony, Scott, Blake, Michel, Ryan, Dom, Alejandro, Ghssan, Keith, Jose, Ruben, and the owners, Blake and Josh, for providing me with some of the most memorable times working for Laborjack. From deep conversations about life, the bitch-ass "why are we doing this" jobs, the various rides to and from jobsites, and for the consistent commitment to getting in and doing a good day's work: it all meant so much to me. Best of luck to you wherever you are and/or end up in life.

Box State Footy will soon be up and running after next week. We will have one final push of content before the World Cup break. Stay tuned and, again, thanks for your support thus far.