The Mid-Majority Season 9 Information

To dispense of any and all intrigue or mystery, there will be a Season 9 of The Mid-Majority.

It will begin on Thursday, November 1, 2012.

Kyle will not be going out on the road or writing anything for this. (The sabbatical is, indeed, totally permanent.)

Season 9 will be different from the previous eight, beyond each of us and all of us. It will be about the concept of team. It will constitute an exploration of the X-ing of the I necessary to create a larger and more powerful temporary entity, one capable of greater accomplishments than any available to first-person-singular. It will be about gestalt and tribal psychology, about the how and why of the team lifecycle: births, victories, losses, deaths. Essay Season (November 1-6) will feature ponderings on these subjects by writers who are good.

We Are, Together

During the 2012-13 season, the site will be led by several team captains, selected from those who are either on the 800 Games Project editorial board, or who finish in the top 20 of the games or mileage leaders. Each will pick their team's name and colors and logo, and each will be responsible for selecting four team writers. Team captains will be selected in April among those qualifying 800GP authors who indicate interest (via The Form™). Writers can ask to be picked to a team by contacting captains, or by lobbying via Twitter. (The operating hashtag for all Season 9 business will be #TMM9).

During the course of the season, teams will collect points based on in-person recaps of games below the 2012-13 iteration of the Red Line, as well as miles traveled, number of words written, and social media "buzz" (comments and retweets). To capture the championship, team members must come together, coordinate, and inspire each other to do what The Mid-Majority has been all about since the beginning: going to the games.

Additionally, each team will have a "sixth man" -- an actual mid-major basketball player whose statistics will be converted to points (via the NBA efficiency model) and added to each team's score. A draft will take place on the night of October 31.

A Season 9 standings board will be automatically and constantly updated so that competing teams can see where they rank at any given moment. At the close of the season, each of the five members of the championship team will receive $100 and a Golden Bally. Runner-ups receive no prizes.

Season 9 Membership Packages

The Mid-Majority continues to exist because of its reader-supporters, that small percentage of daily visitors who donate to the cause. As in years past, those who contribute financially will be rewarded with a package of items and resources that enhance the Mid-Majority experience. The Season 9 package will be the largest and most useful yet, with a record six items and immense buck-bang.

Season 9 Jersey Shirt
(Retail value: $20)
Reader-supporters have always been a team, but it's only now that we've finally recognized this fact with actual laundry. You'll receive a personalized blue-on-blue-on-blue shirt with the Season 9 six-pointed star logo on the front, and your choice of number and nameplate (be tasteful, please) on the back. Available numbers range from 1 to double zero and are first come, first served.

College Basketball Prospectus 2012-13
(Retail value: $20)
There are other book-sized annual college basketball previews, but they are not very good and are always outdated by December 1, you know? Tempo-free knowledge, on the other hand, is timeless. Season 9 Members will receive a paperback copy of the 2012-13 edition shortly after it is printed. The 2011-12 edition of the book is still available and still very useful.

One-Year Basketball State Membership
(Retail value: $20)
Since the Membership system began, we've thrown in full access for 12 months to The Mid-Majority's left-brained, bespectacled brother and sister sites. If you are a current Basketball State subscriber, your account will be extended one year. If you do not have an account, your new membership will expire on November 1, 2013.

Bally Club
(Retail value: $5)
This will be the fourth year of the Bally Club, that exclusive cardmembership that gives you a list of every sub-Red Line team on a wallet-sized card, as well as access to the message boards. This year's card will be blue.

2013 TMM Bracket-Calendar
(Retail value: $5)
Once again, the package will include a sturdy 8.5-x-11 sheet with our popular Julian calendar on one side, and our iconic As-You-Go Bracket on the other side. Here's what the 2012 calendar looked like.

The Mid-Majority Foam Finger
(Retail value: $10)
Nothing promotes the idea of team togetherness like a giant foam finger. For one thing, you need to be among others who are wearing them in order to not look completely ridiculous. Because it is larger than a normal hand and is usually worn by fans of teams that are not "Number 1," the TMM Foam Finger represents a playful reminder never to take this stuff too seriously.

There are a total of 100 available packages. Each package costs $100. Twenty dollars of each membership will go directly towards the construction, upkeep, maintenance and hosting of The Mid-Majority.

Shipping Note: The Prospectus book, shirt, calendar/bracket and foam finger will be shipped together in November. The Season 9 Bally Club card will be mailed in a small blue envelope come July.

We will sell out. We completely sold out of Season 8 Membership packages last October, and there were 170 of those.

TMM Scholarship Program: Hot the third straight year, we're offering students the opportunity to have their packages sponsored by mid-major graduates and concerned Mid-Majorians. Click here for full details.