I'm not a UFC guy. I've told them that. I'll tell you that. I know precious little about their sport, even less about their participants.
So now they've got Ryan Shazier ready to throw me into an octagon.
On this very Saturday, via the grandest of grand openings, our Downtown HQ/shop has a new neighbor on Fifth Avenue in our friends at Western Pennsylvania's first UFC Gym. It takes up 35,000 square feet in our shared historic building, spanning three stories and stretching all the way into a corner of Market Square, and it comes with all the state-of-the-art equipment and training now globally associated with their brand, as this really loud Facebook guy details:
I love the structure. I really love the energy. One thing I've learned to appreciate about all their workers in the many months they've been both constructing the place and recruiting members is that the enthusiasm's real as it gets. It's easy to see why they've become what they have.
But what's got me super-stoked is this:
1. They're awesome for Downtown.
Especially for our two-block stretch of Fifth, which now has 100% healthy businesses that include our region's only 4-star hotel in the Fairmont, a new and second Downtown location for the Love Pittsburgh gift shop, a small European-style grocery, and even a brand new Starbucks right across from us.
But regarding Downtown, as Adam Sedlack, UFC Gym's CEO, told me yesterday upon a visit, "We plan on expanding in Pittsburgh, but we wanted to start right in the heart."
2. They're awesome for us.
We don't take the retail process too seriously, as I've shared here. But as long as we've got our HQ at street level in the heart of the city's central business district, might as well add to the revenue, and this will surely be a boost to that. It's more foot traffic, with lots of in-and-out -- unlike, say, our clients working for one of the major corporations who'll only pop by on lunch, etc. -- and it's people who are into fitness, activity and maybe sports. Even through their months of recruiting, a lot of which has been done right out on the sidewalk, we've seen an uptick.
3. Ryan Shazier's awesome for everyone.
He's being deployed as the gym's ambassador and, as Sedlack described it to me, "Who's a greater fighter in life than Ryan?"
The three of us shot this video yesterday at the HQ:
I missed the man. Hadn't seen him much since the injury. Now he'll be around all the time ... with the only catch being, for me, that his mere existence is inspirational. So that teasing that you heard from him in the video about getting this sorry, sluggish reporter into a healthier state of mind and body ... I have a feeling that's going to be taken seriously. Stay tuned.
MILITARY DRIVE: 174
Our annual Military Drive, aimed at connecting 1,000 veterans of our Armed Forces to a one-year subscription, got off to a strong start in its opening week with 174 already purchased, including 41 in the past week. And that's both appreciated and encouraging toward the goal of getting it done by Veterans Day, which this year falls on Nov. 11.
Here's how it works: We sell a military subscription for $20, covering a full year for any veteran. That's one-third of the regular price. However many you'd wish to donate, even if it's just one, email me directly at DK@DKPittsburghSports.com to let me know, and Dali will do the processing.
WEEKLY FUN APP HINT
To make accessing our new team/college feeds even easier, on that blue horizontal stripe across the app's home page, I've added buttons for all our live game files and for our all our feeds:
Couldn't be faster or easier to find!
INSIDE THE WORKS
• We're technically hiring all the time. And by that, I mean, even if there isn't an active search -- there isn't right now -- we're always open to being floored by a qualified candidate. Just sharing if that ever comes up in any conversation you might be having with anyone who'd be interested. One caveat: When we say qualified, we mean qualified. We're light-years away from being a startup or steppingstone or whatever. We're aiming high.
• I mentioned a week ago that we're on the verge of eliminating that problem with the stupid blank video player popping up on the app, and I'll share now that it'll involve switching ad servers for the first time in several years. I'm guessing that won't come without some pain at the start -- no tech change ever starts clean -- but we'll do our best.
• Can't repeat this often enough: If your subscription's expiring and you don't think you'll be able to afford it ... you can, and I'll make sure of it personally. We'll work it out. No questions asked. Just email me: DK@DKPittsburghSports.com
• We're often asked about our merch being available online, and yes, it's right here.
• Travel on tap: Taylor Haase, who's on vacation at the moment, and Danny Shirey will double-team our coverage of the NHL Draft next week, June 27-29, in Nashville, Tenn. ... Alex Stumpf will have the Pirates' trip to Los Angeles early next month. Corey Crisan will fly out for the series in Phoenix after that. while Alex flies north to Seattle for the MLB Draft and All-Star Game.
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our page views for the past week were 519,966. Our most-read original piece was my column from Milwaukee calling out Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton for the Pirates' collapse at 6,637. Broken down by team traffic, the Pirates brought 34.9% of our readership, the Penguins 13.9%, the Steelers 12.2%, Penn State 1.7%, Pitt 1.3%, .
• On the multimedia front, our podcast downloads for the past week were 98,230, and our YouTube video views for the past week were 71,587.
• Our company social media accounts are at 49,864 followers on Twitter, 39,289 on Facebook, 23,143 on YouTube, 14,875 on Instagram.
• We make mistakes. If you see one, email: Typos@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Anything you need, including lost/forgotten passwords, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
