Hello readers of Welcome to Loud City and fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder. I am the SB Nation Network Manager with overall responsibility for 33 individual team sites covering the NBA, women’s basketball, and the D-league.
Our goal with these sites is to provide a place for passionate fans to share their ideas, discuss their teams and stay informed. These sites have become real communities where people of differing backgrounds and ideas can come together and discuss the subjects they care about.
WTLC site manager Marina Mangiarcina and I recently came to the conclusion that it was time to make a change, and as such she is stepping down from her role.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Marina for about eight years. I want to thank her for the dedication, passion and insight she brought to this site and the wider basketball community. She writes with passion and integrity and, in my opinion, lives her life in the same way. We are big fans of Marina and wish her all the best.
Taking over as site manager is long-time editor J.A. Sherman. Along with the rest of the staff here at WTLC we are confident that Sherman will continue to provide Thunder fans with insight, information and community that they’ve grown to expect and love.
We asked Marina to provide a statement to include in this announcement. I’m publishing the first few paragraphs (unedited) here:
I would like to announce that I am quitting Welcome to Loud City, shortly after being suspended. I have nothing but positive things to say about my colleagues here and at SB Nation corporate. In a post-apocalyptic media landscape, SB Nation stands as one of the lone paragons of quality sports journalism and punditry.
In an ideal world, my life would be about basketball. I like to think of an idealized version of my life sometimes. A life where I was able to live as the gender that I truly am. A life where I was able to get psychological help before I was 23 years old. A life where I wasn't obese until I was 23 years old. A life where SB Nation could pay the bills. A life where I could have a real role in the development of this Thunder team that I care so much about.
But my life has finally come to a point where I can't talk about just basketball anymore.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a multi-million dollar distraction from Oklahoma City's real problems.
I'll be the first to admit that I was suspended from Welcome to Loud City before I decided to quit. I became combative with commenters on Facebook, to the point where SB Nation was not comfortable with the way I was behaving. I respectfully disagree, and don't think anything I've said has been over the line. I wouldn't do anything differently, and I have no regrets. If you wish to view the relevant comments, you can do so here.
Because I don't believe in apologies that aren't genuine, I am forced to step down out of moral obligation. There's simply no way that I can guarantee I won't act that way again.
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