The unofficial online home for fans of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

I'm leaning towards subscribing to Chad Brendel's BearcatJournal next time they're offering a good discount and was looking for opinions from Banter.. who here subscribes? Is it worth the price? How does their message board compare to Banter? Deeper info? I assume their subscribers get access to insider stuff they're advised not to share? From what I can tell, the free articles they put out every now and again are really well done, (unsurprisingly), and I imagine the ones behind the paywall are just as good.

For inside information I don't think it is really worth it. As soon as they release it the info hits Twitter anyway. The interviews and practice writeups are very good.

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It’s worth it if you want more intimacy with the two revenue sports and can’t wait for breaking news. I think they are at 50% off right now for a year. Sometimes they do shorter promotions like $1/1 month if you want to give it a test run.

The best part about BCJ is the recruiting information like no other, practice reports, player background stories, etc.

Several of the posters on BCJ are former players and family members.

The general coverage is the best you'll find, with the one exception maybe being Justin Williams (the Athletic). They have good practice recaps and interviews.

Their message boards are much more focused than ours. Brendel doesn't have much tolerance for threads going off topic.

As far as "inside info" goes, it's tough to say. Brendel is a friend of many inside the AD and if someone in the media is going to receive a tip on something Bearcat related, he'll be the first to hear it. However, he's also very cautious (professional in a sense) about 1. protecting information and 2. Not throwing crap at the wall.

That means that sometimes you'll get some really neat insights. For instance, you can get a good feel on most of the recruits we're targeting a few days in advance. And the 247 staff helps out as well. But there's a downside, too. They won't jump a kids commitment and they almost never explicitly say "this kid will be committing tomorrow". While that's commendable, it also means that sometimes news will leak at about the same time as you'll hear it on Bearcat journal. The crystal balls are typically a good indication of what the "insiders" are hearing, and since those are free to look at, you can generally get a good sense of what's happening from that.

As it pertains to more sensitive issues, it's hit or miss. They really shined during the Fickell coaching search, shooting down rumors and such. Also, without saying too much, they also had a good idea of where the decision was heading well before the rest of us did.

Their biggest flaw is that they aren't great about disseminating info to their members. Sometimes you have to read multiple message board posts to understand whats going on and sometimes you have to read some context clues because the staff is reluctant to explicitly say anything (both to protect sources and make sure they aren't feeding you crap). For instance, the Ben Bryant start vs. Memphis was a pretty well kept secret in the AD. But a few rumors popped out that even made their way on to this board. Obviously, if they would've leaked that info then it gives Memphis a huge tip. So sometimes rumors remain just that.


Hope this all helps. I subscribe (for now) because I appreciate the extra coverage and take it for what it is. But don't be fooled into thinking you're going to hear groundbreaking information every day.

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Cue GameTime_21 in 3...2...1...

Personalities aside, it's a terrific investment. Think of it as a less expensive version of subscribing to the Enquirer, with all of the dollars you spend going toward coverage of something you love.

Definitely worth it if you're a Bearcat fan. It takes a minute to understand what is said without being said, but if you're not dim you catch on quick. I've never been surprised by something happening with UC, even if it wasn't explicitly said

(04-26-2020 03:17 PM)Cataclysmo Wrote:  The general coverage is the best you'll find, with the one exception maybe being Justin Williams (the Athletic). They have good practice recaps and interviews.

Their message boards are much more focused than ours. Brendel doesn't have much tolerance for threads going off topic.

As far as "inside info" goes, it's tough to say. Brendel is a friend of many inside the AD and if someone in the media is going to receive a tip on something Bearcat related, he'll be the first to hear it. However, he's also very cautious (professional in a sense) about 1. protecting information and 2. Not throwing crap at the wall.

That means that sometimes you'll get some really neat insights. For instance, you can get a good feel on most of the recruits we're targeting a few days in advance. And the 247 staff helps out as well. But there's a downside, too. They won't jump a kids commitment and they almost never explicitly say "this kid will be committing tomorrow". While that's commendable, it also means that sometimes news will leak at about the same time as you'll hear it on Bearcat journal. The crystal balls are typically a good indication of what the "insiders" are hearing, and since those are free to look at, you can generally get a good sense of what's happening from that.

As it pertains to more sensitive issues, it's hit or miss. They really shined during the Fickell coaching search, shooting down rumors and such. Also, without saying too much, they also had a good idea of where the decision was heading well before the rest of us did.

Their biggest flaw is that they aren't great about disseminating info to their members. Sometimes you have to read multiple message board posts to understand whats going on and sometimes you have to read some context clues because the staff is reluctant to explicitly say anything (both to protect sources and make sure they aren't feeding you crap). For instance, the Ben Bryant start vs. Memphis was a pretty well kept secret in the AD. But a few rumors popped out that even made their way on to this board. Obviously, if they would've leaked that info then it gives Memphis a huge tip. So sometimes rumors remain just that.


Hope this all helps. I subscribe (for now) because I appreciate the extra coverage and take it for what it is. But don't be fooled into thinking you're going to hear groundbreaking information every day.

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I'd say that's a fair assessment. I would add in response to your last sentence that I've never claimed for it to be "groundbreaking info every day". The info is distributed as it is gathered and vetted. There's never a timetable on when that happens, but you get the scoop well before non members far more often than not.

On the recruiting side, social media really changed the game and there was a big shift in how to handle things from the inside. Kids are now essentially their own news source with their social feeds, and I do go out of my way to protect their ability to make their decision public on their terms. I'd also add that jumping a commitment these days is how you lose any ability to know what is happening from the inside. Now you basically have no choice but to do the work on commitment articles in advance and hold them until a kid makes it public.

I'd love to go back to the days that sites like BCJ were in the breaking commitment business, but doing so now is suicide if you want to have any contacts speak to you in advance...

Been a member for 5 years now. Even though this board is my main site, there are portions of the season and offseason that the info at BCJ just can’t be beat. If you’re a Bearcat fan, less than $10 a month is the best value you’ll get for all things UC.

What? We're not good enough for you?

"Is it worth it?" That's sort of a subjective question. I signed on about four years ago, with the intention to subscribe for recruiting season and then quit shortly after, ended up staying on ever since as being a die hard fan like all of us, the information and the write ups are too good not to keep up with.

I don't get into to the message board as it is a bit of a different crowd than over here and honestly just prefer to stick to one board and not be blogging all over the interwebs with having a family and kids to tend to. If you are like me and need the scoop on whats going on with the Bearcats, then yes it is definitely worth it.

I love the recruiting information, which Chad does a great job of telling you if a kid is actually in play or not, etc. but does it in a subtle way without blatantly saying it. You learn to figure out what is being said and more often than not it is pretty much on target.

(04-26-2020 06:14 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  Been a member for 5 years now. Even though this board is my main site, there are portions of the season and offseason that the info at BCJ just can’t be beat. If you’re a Bearcat fan, less than $10 a month is the best value you’ll get for all things UC.

I share an account with Billy. I concur.

yes. do it.

(04-26-2020 06:47 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(04-26-2020 06:14 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  Been a member for 5 years now. Even though this board is my main site, there are portions of the season and offseason that the info at BCJ just can’t be beat. If you’re a Bearcat fan, less than $10 a month is the best value you’ll get for all things UC.

I share an account with Billy. I concur.

(04-26-2020 11:10 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  

(04-26-2020 06:47 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(04-26-2020 06:14 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  Been a member for 5 years now. Even though this board is my main site, there are portions of the season and offseason that the info at BCJ just can’t be beat. If you’re a Bearcat fan, less than $10 a month is the best value you’ll get for all things UC.

I share an account with Billy. I concur.

Your account has been flagged for review, Billy...

If you are a fan, then I think it is worth it. I joined during one of their introductory specials, but now I am hooked. More depth there than anywhere.

I subscribed to the Athletic on a deal also. Good, well written articles and interviews, not just rah, rah. Hard to give up when it jumps back to full price.

I still like coming back to this board, however.

(04-27-2020 09:27 AM)ucbandguy Wrote:  If you are a fan, then I think it is worth it. I joined during one of their introductory specials, but now I am hooked. More depth there than anywhere.

I subscribed to the Athletic on a deal also. Good, well written articles and interviews, not just rah, rah. Hard to give up when it jumps back to full price.

I still like coming back to this board, however.

I'm a member and find it to be wonderful. I look at this board and the athletic. This board has the most ranting and raving by members and has more lively conversation. BCJ is mostly info driven. The Athletic focuses on more in depth pieces. All of the three are great. If I had to choose just one, it would be BCJ.

I subscribed for awhile back when realignment was going strong. I liked it, but I decided to give it up after football season no real reason other than my life got busy.

The insider info is pretty good, and the articles provide some decent insight into the various programs. A lot of the info gets leaked hours or a day later from twitter or other message boards.

There is good insight usually and the board is cordial. I think it is worth it if you are a cats fan and can spare the change.

IMHO, the Moose over there has some insight, but is far from an insider. I think the guy reads a lot of articles and tries to put 2 and 2 together.

(04-26-2020 11:48 PM)GameTime_21 Wrote:  

(04-26-2020 11:10 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  

(04-26-2020 06:47 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(04-26-2020 06:14 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  Been a member for 5 years now. Even though this board is my main site, there are portions of the season and offseason that the info at BCJ just can’t be beat. If you’re a Bearcat fan, less than $10 a month is the best value you’ll get for all things UC.

I share an account with Billy. I concur.

Your account has been flagged for review, Billy...

Gotta choose your friends wisely.

Excellent site that is getting better...Mick Walker is doing a very good job on the football recruiting front...his coverage of the Golden Ticket Event was outstanding.

Chad has been growing that site since it came over from Rivals and continues to add value to Bearcat fans.