I feel alive when I’m with sports fans. I love the energy, the emotions, and the passion. I’m shocked at how quickly I can get swept up. I’ve been known to attend a game or a match and find myself holding my breath or trying to do some deep breathing, hoping that calm energy might contribute something positive to the team before me.

When I first heard about Basketball, She Wrote (Caitlin’s publishes her work on Patreon), it was during the Indiana Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals. Many people in my life are Pacers fans and her work piqued my interest because I don’t typically read or watch sports commentary by or from women. No matter who is contributing their thoughts and opinions to an art, a sport, or a fandom, I just respect anyone who does it well. And Caitlin does it well. So I reached out and asked if she’d be willing to chat. I was so thrilled she said yes!

In this interview, we cover what it feels like to mix work with fandom, why she chose Patreon as her platform, how paywalls can protect both creators and readers, advice for women navigating the world of sports media, and so much more.

Allie: Caitlin, I really enjoyed reading one of your recent posts titled Moving on from Game 7 without letting go of Game 7.” I was particularly moved by your reflection on what fandom can feel like. And, in contrast, what it feels like to be an analyst. They seem at odds with each other and in some ways they feel complementary. Do you think you could wear one hat without the other?

Caitlin: It’s interesting because up until this most recent playoff run it felt like I had been for awhile, in terms of my focus on analysis leading me to lose some of my fandom, just by virtue of being buried in the details that my job demands. As I wrote in that post though, there were so many high highs and, unfortunately, a very low low that came with the Pacers very nearly capturing the title this season, that I got reacquainted with that past version of myself and what it feels like to just … feel. 

After I published that piece, someone on X (formerly Twitter), shared my post and wrote, “Such a fantastic representation of what it means to be a die-hard hoops head! Caitlin is literally the best at what she does partly because she brings both head and heart to her work!” To be honest, I had never thought of myself in that way before, but I think that they might be right. Well, maybe not in the “literally the best at what she does” part. I’ll leave that for everyone else to decide. But, in the sense that, whether I realized it or not, my latent fandom was never completely dormant – it was always there, connecting me with my readers, the state of Indiana, and myself while allowing me to write in a way, albeit through my very analytical and incisive Xs and Os lens, that might not otherwise be possible.

Allie: To expand on that piece I mentioned above, the comments made me emotional. It was incredibly moving to read through them. For my own readers, one patron shared:

“This was beautiful, Caitlin. That Game 7 loss hurt more than I can put into words, but your piece helped me feel less alone in my grief. You reminded me why we do this, why we keep coming back, and what it means to truly love a team. Thank you for giving voice to the heartbreak and the hope. Your work doesn’t just cover our team. It adds depth, joy, and meaning to the experience of following them. You are as much a part of this journey as the players we cheer for. We’re truly lucky to have you.”

A Basketball, She Wrote patron

From helping fellow fans move through grief, excitement, nostalgia, and emotion, what do you get out of this type of feedback and shared fan experience?

Caitlin: For context, that piece was actually inspired by a mailbag question from one of my patrons, who asked, “Why do we do this to ourselves?” with regard to the pain of sports fandom. After the piece went up, that same person sent me a private message saying how much it meant to them that I devoted an entire article to their question, adding “It’s a gift I’ll always remember.” Over the next several days, I received several emails from fans, not only from Indiana but also from as far away as Venezuela and other parts of the globe, sharing their stories as fans and how/why they specifically connected with this era of Pacers basketball. It was all incredibly moving for me. 

As I lightly touched on above, in my line of work, I’m typically viewed more as a hyper-detailed analyst who explains basketball, rather than as a writer. With that piece, I not only got to show that I’m capable of doing both, but it also ended up being this really touching and cathartic touch point, both for the fanbase as well as from me to myself. 

To quote the patron who sent me the question, “It’s a gift I’ll always remember.” 

Allie: What does belonging look like in sports fandom, or more specifically Pacers fandom, and how has that changed over the years for you personally?  

Caitlin: I can’t speak for the entire state. In the area where I grew up, there were a lot of basketball fans, but not necessarily a lot of Pacers fans. In fact, the only person who I really talked to about the Pacers was my dad, a lifelong Pacers fan who also coached high school boys basketball in Indiana for over a decade. In some ways, the fact that the NBA was “our thing,” that we mainly just shared with each other, is what enabled me to do what I do now. We didn’t just watch the NBA – it was also our classroom. I learned to be curious and pay attention. 

Twenty years later, a lot has changed, but a lot has also stayed the same. When I get the chance to watch games with him now, the NBA is still “our thing” and, inevitably, it still sometimes turns into our classroom, but I’ve also created the community I always wanted and never had growing up. When I was in Indy to cover Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals, it was almost a culture shock for me. The line at the team store to buy gear was practically outside the door. It was impossible to go anywhere without hearing someone talk about the team, and there were numerous fans who were very kind in approaching me to tell me how much they appreciated my work at Basketball, She Wrote

For me, it was never that I didn’t belong, I just didn’t have anyone to belong with. 

The 2025 Pacers are always going to be remembered for the way they played like a team. 

In some respects, I think that also extended to the fanbase and the energy that pulsated throughout the city. Through the aforementioned high highs, and even the last very low low, we were all in this together.

Allie: Tell me about how you decided to launch Basketball, She Wrote on Patreon. Were you writing elsewhere beforehand? And what were you looking for in a platform?

Caitlin: Speaking of high highs and low lows… In January of 2022, I had just finished watching a clip of J.J. Redick’s podcast The Old Man and the Three, in which he was interviewing Bennedict Mathurin and referenced a piece I had written about the power and limits of his jab step. Within an hour of seeing that snippet, I received news that the lights were being turned off at Indy Cornrows, the Indiana Pacers blog at SB Nation, where I had been writing since the summer of 2013. At the time, I posted a note on Twitter (now X), letting everyone know of the sad news, in which I wrote, “It feels like I’m losing my childhood home.” The outpouring of support, including from Tyrese Haliburton, who quoted the post, saying “S/O Caitlin. An elite basketball mind w/ a real attention to detail. Hope somebody picks her up!” was overwhelming. 

A shoutout for Caitlin from Tyrese Haliburton on X

Unfortunately, Vox Media’s decision to shut down the blog also came at a very difficult time for me personally, as a close relative was dealing with a serious health issue. I remember turning to my sister, who is also my best friend, and saying, “I don’t know how to fix this.” This was her advice: “This doesn’t have to be over, unless you want it to be over.” I didn’t want it to be over, so after taking roughly a month “off” to weigh my options, I never actually took any time off. I started writing again, which I needed – not only for my job, but also as an outlet for what else was going on in my life. My sister was there, every step of the way, designing T-Shirts and making all of the art for the site. By the time the All-Star Break was over in February, I had launched Basketball, She Wrote and the rest is history. I still live in Indiana. I still write about the Pacers. I just get to do it my way now, as a direct link to the fans who have always supported me.

Allie: What is your audience like, and what has surprised you most about the people who support your work on Patreon?  

Caitlin: How caring and invested they are. This isn’t a cold, faceless corporation. This is a community of people, who are enabling me to, as I mentioned in my previous response, write about basketball my way – because they like the way I write about basketball. They may not always agree with each other or even me, but with very few exceptions, there’s almost always an appreciation for the fact that the work exists and that I’m a human being, rather than solely a human doing. 

Allie: When you’re choosing what to share publicly vs behind the paywall, how do you make that decision?

Caitlin: The answer to that question is always evolving. When I first launched, this is what I wrote in my “about” section on Patreon, “This type of work, while perhaps not always the most prolific, can be very time consuming. Watching film while doing more than just watching is a labor of love that I’m happy to share with you, but it does a disservice to the entire industry when love is all that is asked for that labor.” 

Three years later, I still wholeheartedly believe what I wrote. When anyone agrees to do this type of work for free, it incentivizes certain websites to underpay or not pay the writers who work there. I don’t want to contribute to that problem. At the same time, I want to be part of the conversation and introduce myself to new readers. During the playoffs, I pivoted a lot of the content to video for that purpose. In addition to taking advantage of an opportunity to work with my friend, Samson Folk, who typically covers the Raptors full time, I wanted as many Pacers fans, and really basketball fans, to be able to enjoy that run with me as possible while also attempting to grow the platform. 

With the exception of my more personal piece following Game 7, however, the written work remained paywalled and all of the written work since the playoffs has remained paywalled. I typically try to do a free trial at least once a month during the season, but I also owe it to the patrons who are supporting me to produce work that is exclusively for them, which is why I also put out a patron-only mailbag prompt every month. 

It’s a delicate balance, but I’m striving to do right by my readers and my fellow writers, as well as myself. 

Allie: Do you think fans value analysis differently when they’re paying for it? How does your space on Patreon feel compared to your experience on Twitter?

Caitlin: The paywall can also function as a safe space. For the most part, fans probably aren’t going to pay me if they don’t like me or my work, right? Unfortunately, that same ethos doesn’t always apply to the masses on social media, where along with what is generally overwhelming interest and/or support for my work, there can also be some very loud outliers, as a result of the internet being.. well… the internet. Some of that can be difficult to unsee once you’ve seen it, but I try to remind myself that my value doesn’t come from social media or even this job, although I very much value doing my job. Paywalls can be tricky to navigate, and in some cases, lonely, but they can also operate like a draw bridge for hurtful trolling, which I very much appreciate.

Allie: What have you learned about pricing and perceived value since opening up this space? Would you price or structure anything differently if you did it again?

Caitlin: My work, while certainly time consuming, doesn’t come out as often, which is something I weighed when setting up my tiers. Also, I’m very cognizant that this is a small market. I wanted to be economical. That’s part of the reason why I chose Patreon as my platform over Substack. Patreon allows for a lot more price flexibility, enabling me to maintain my $3.00 tier, rather than setting $5.00 as the minimum. It’s possible I would be better off financially if I had charged everyone $5.00 from the get go, but it’s also possible that not as many people would’ve signed up or stayed at a $5.00 price point. Hindsight is 20/20, and there might come a time in the future when I need to adjust to rising prices with new patrons while keeping the existing patrons at their current rate, but I wanted as many people to be able to read and share my work as possible. Hopefully that’s something that resonates with the fans in this market. So, no regrets, only appreciation.

Photo provided by Caitlin Cooper

Allie: What advice would you give to any women who want to build a voice in sports coverage?

Caitlin: Don’t get discouraged. I try really hard to focus on controlling what I can control, while leaning on some close friends in this industry who try to offer me guidance and support by acting as sounding boards. They’ve encouraged me to advocate for myself, when need be, and protect myself, where I can – whether that means seeking out the assistance of others to filter out negative, gender-based comments or overcoming my struggles with imposter syndrome that stem back to experiences I had growing up as a player. For me, believing in myself and not falling into the constant trap of wondering whether something is or isn’t happening because I’m a woman can be a stumbling block to heeding my own advice and recognizing that nothing about my gender enhances or inhibits my ability to do the job that, deep down, I always wanted to do. 

Allie: Do you see Basketball, She Wrote evolving or changing in the future? Do you have any big dreams?

Caitlin: For as long as I’m the author, editor, and publisher, I think Basketball, She Wrote will always be a blog about the basketball played by the Indiana Pacers that can be appreciated by basketball fans everywhere who may not even be fans of the Pacers. It may not always be only a blog, as there was certainly a vast amount of spoken content during the playoffs. But, I think the main theme will always be that I write and/or speak when I have something to say, rather than just saying something to say something. Part of the value in doing this independently is that I get to put out the content I always wanted to read while, again, also building the community I never had. For as long as I’m able, and for as long as the community will have me, Basketball, She Wrote is exactly what I imagined it would be; I can only hope that more fans and readers will continue to agree. 

Allie: And of course…I have to ask! Who are you a huge fan of right now (besides the Pacers, of course)?

Caitlin: Authors and independent bookstores! I’m an avid reader. A few years ago, I made a thread on X (formerly Twitter) of how I imagined famous authors would write about basketball. For example, if Leo Tolstoy was theorizing about how the three-point line revolutionized NBA defenses, he might write: “We can only know that we can’t take away everything and must live with something, and that is the highest degree of wisdom.” 

I’m not sure if that thread is my proudest or most embarrassing moment, but it’s me at my most me, intertwining two of the things I love most: reading and writing.

Caitlin Cooper is the writer and creator behind Basketball, She Wrote, a blog dedicated to deep, insightful analysis of the Indiana Pacers. Previously known for her work at Indy Cornrows, Caitlin has built a loyal following for her ability to combine sharp basketball analysis with thoughtful storytelling. Her work often goes beyond surface-level commentary, focusing instead on the actual basketball being played: the film, the strategy, and the nuance of the game. 

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