Zander Freund's Sportswriter Profile

Zander Freund joined April 2006

Syndicated Writer

75,170article reads
Rank: 251
46articles written
Rank: 1,107
1,258comments written
Rank: 182

About Zander »

Hey guys—I'm Zander, Bleacher Report's Community GM.

I started the site back in 2005 along with three of my best friends from high school: Dave Finocchio, Bryan Goldberg, and Dave Nemetz. From the get go, our mission was to legitimize the "fan-expert," offering aspiring sports writers, bloggers, and die-hard debaters a place to publish their commentary in a highly professional and collaborative manner.

The four of us have always been sports freaks; we spent many of our Friday nights debating a wide range of sports topics, and by the time we graduated high school I'm pretty sure we knew just as much about the games we watched as the media personalities who were paid to cover them.

We were certain there were more fans out there like us; millions more. We'd seen them posting on message boards and fan sites since we were in our internet diapers.

Three years ago we decided to act on our vision of giving these fans a centralized voice in the world of sports media. Bleacher Report has since become the premiere destination for citizen sports journalism on the web.

We work out of an office in San Francisco. B/R's company culture is exactly what you'd expect it to be: a highly productive, energetic atmosphere where teamwork comes first and Budweiser comes a close second.

But the story doesn't end there...

Ken Armer, BabyTate, Alan Bass, Issac Barrow, Erick Blasco, L.J. Burgess, Nino Colla, Sean Crowe, Justin Goar, Gray Ghost, Lisa Horne, Ron Johnson, Andrew Kneeland, Andrew McNair, Tim Pollock, Salaar Shamsi, Saraswathi Sirginia, J.J. Stankevitz, Bob Warja, Ben Weixlmann, Michael Whittenberg, Dorothy Willis, and the rest of the talented and passionate Bleacher Creatures have given me the best job in the world. They continue to amaze me every day.

For those of you newbies who aspire to be like these studs: there's no such thing as a free lunch. The site's top contributors did not become masters of the network by accident.

They studied the games they enjoyed like a Rhodes scholar studies schoolbooks.

They learned from their mistakes and listened to the advice of those who tried to help them improve their work.

They practiced their craft—over and over again—then practiced some more.

They never gave up in the face of criticism.

You, aspiring Bleacher Creature, will not get to the Top Writers list if you don't give 110%.

Fully digest the Writer's Tips on our company blog. Work with the editors who are there to help fine tune your skills. Seek the wisdom of those who came before you and cemented a legacy for themselves here.

Feel free to lean on me whenever you need help. I'm always available to show you the ropes and answer any questions you may have. I can be reached at zander@bleacherreport.com, or you can just post a note on my bulletin board.

Thanks again to all of you who have made this Community what it is today—we're just getting started baby.

The Shortlist »

Favorite Athletes

Tony Gwynn, Steve Young, Larry Bird, Joe Montana, Ozzie Smith, Dominick Hasek, Hakeem Olajawon, Barry Sanders, Greg Maddux, Magic Johnson, Brett Favre, Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, Kirby Puckett, Ronnie Lott, Fred Couples, Bryant Young, Andre Agassi, Pavel Bure, Lawrence Taylor, Pudge Rodriguez, Reggie Miller, Brent Jones, Tim Duncan, Pedro Martinez, Allen Iverson, Jerry Rice, Ken Caminiti, Ray Borque, Andre Agassi, Clyde Drexler, Peyton Manning, Mark McGwire, Ray Lewis, Ray Allen, Arturs Irbe, Bruce Smith, Steve Yzerman, Deion Sanders, Trevor Hoffman, Garrison Hearst, Hersey Hawkins, Wayne Gretzky, Darrell Green, Don Mattingly, Tim Hardaway, Jim Edmonds, Mike Alstott, Dave Stewart, Igor Larionov, Reggie Roby, Mario Lemieux, Steve Kerr, Tom Rathman
Favorite Sports Teams

SF 49ers (88'-present), Oakland Athletics (89'-93', 97'-01'), Golden State Warriors (89'-95', 05'-present), San Jose Sharks (93'-99'), Atlanta Braves (97'-01'), San Antonio Spurs (98'-present), San Diego Padres (98'), Dallas Mavericks (01'-03'), New York Yankees (83'-88'), Green Bay Packers (08'), Houston Rockets (95'-98')
Favorite Coaches

Bill Walsh, Paul Brown, John Wooden, Phil Jackson, Earl Weaver, Tony LaRussa
All Time Sports Moment

Owens! Owens! Owens!
Most Memorable Game Attended

Michigan vs. Michigan State, 3 OT, 2004
Most Unbreakable Sports Record

511 wins (Cy Young)
Ruth or Mays?

Mays is more well rounded, but no one ever dominated quite like Ruth
Unitas or Montana?

Joe
Jordan or Russell?

MJ
Gretzky or Orr?

Tossup
Pele or Maradona?

Pele
Federer or Sampras?

Roger—though Rod Laver won the grand slam as both an amateur and professional, and is thus surely the best male tennis player of all time
Tiger or Nicklaus?

The Golden Bear—Tiger will probably be the best when he retires
Petty or Earnhardt?

Earnhardt—With all due respect to The King, The Intimidator faced fiercer competition
Schumacher or Senna?

Schumacher
Pac 10, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, ACC, or Big East?

SEC—college football was made to be played down south!

Latest Articles »

San Francisco NFL Draft Weekend: Living in the Past with Steve Young

04/24/2009

531 reads 11 comments 6 likes

Why Jayson Stark Is Wrong About Alex Rodriguez and Steroids

02/11/2009

847 reads 68 comments 13 likes

The Top 10 Reasons To Root for the Cardinals on Sunday—49ers Edition

01/30/2009

777 reads 44 comments 10 likes

National Disgrace: Graham Harrell Told To Stay Home on Heisman Night

12/11/2008

1,870 reads 76 comments 9 likes

View Zander's full archive »

View:
All Activity
Bulletin Board

DeAnte Mitchell said...

Delete

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/303872-steelers-down-but-never-out

1 day ago

Crabber 1967 . said...

Delete

Here's my latest article on Bleacher Report; a look forward instead of a look backward. Something a bit out-of-the-ordinary for me!

NASCAR and Fuel Injection: “Sustainability” or Survival?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/301903-nascar-and-fuel-injection-sustainability-or-survival

3 days ago

Michael W said...

Delete

Zander,

I just wrote a new article on the 10 best pitchers from the 1990s. Let me know what you think. Thanks

3 days ago

Victor Anderson said...

Delete

Hey, I wrote a couple articles about this weekend in college football. Hope you have a chance to check them out

6 days ago

Jack Laughter said...

Delete

You should read my article on the next great offense in college football

7 days ago

Austin said...

Delete

Arsenal cheat.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/300321-match-fixing-wengers-side-paid-to-lose

7 days ago

Apoorv Singhal said...

Delete

Please read my new article: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/299339-the-smell-of-leather

8 days ago

Tin Jia Jian said...

Delete

Hey got another article on Arsenal vs Chelsea

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/299704-arsenal-vs-chelsea-fair-game

thanks for reading

8 days ago

Tin Jia Jian said...

Delete

Hey I just wrote an article on Gerrard and Torres.... Hope you wouldn't mind to drop by and have a look.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/299200-liverpool-depends-too-much-on-steven-gerrard-and-torres

9 days ago

sam lu said...

Delete

Welcome to www.adidashome.com
Adidas Samba is an indoor soccer training shoe. It has been among Adidas' most popular, bestselling shoes in recent times. It is produced in a variety of color schemes, yet the classic black with three white stripes is the most popular. The shoe features a tan gumsole that distinguishes it from other Adidas shoes.
Adidas Samba Shoe was first produced in 1950 to enable association football players to train on icy hard ground. Its original design featured the classic three stripes, as well as the gold trefoil on the foldable tongue. As years progressed, the Samba evolved into the Samba Millennium (which was made without the extended tongue) and other series. Classic models of the shoe are still in production, under the name Classic M. While the original model is sometimes used for training, street play and futsal, Adidas Samba Shoes are more popularly worn as a casual wear shoe now.

9 days ago

Michael W said...

Delete

Zander,

I just wrote an article on the 10 best Starting Pitcher from the 2000s. Let me know what you think. Thanks

10 days ago

Lewie Pollis said...

Delete

Hey Zander,

I think this is a pretty important article, and I'd love to see what you have to say about it:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/298556-hotnukes-explosion-fallout-from-site-update-poisons-br-community

10 days ago

Evan Silva said...

Delete

My Week 12 Picks

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/298599-tom-brady-vs-drew-brees-silvas-week-12-picks-and-predictions

10 days ago

Michael Carvelli said...

Delete

http://tinyurl.com/y8rkcea

10 days ago

Tanner Thoms said...

Delete

Just put out an article about the top 5 candidates for the offensive rookie of the year award. Please check it out and let me know what you think of the rankings and such.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/298539-top-5-candidates-for-offensive-rookie-of-the-year

- Tanner

10 days ago

Zander's Achievements & Awards (42) »

Hot Read [article title]

Hot Read: Gold Medal

Why Josh Howard's Marijuana Confession …

Received 5,000 Reads • April 28, 2008
Hot Read [article title]

Hot Read: Gold Medal

The All-Time San Francisco 49ers Roster

Received 5,000 Reads • February 08, 2008
Great Debate [article title]

Great Debate: Silver Medal

Why Jayson Stark Is Wrong About Alex Ro…

Received 50 comments • February 11, 2009
Great Debate [article title]

Great Debate: Silver Medal

National Disgrace: Graham Harrell Told …

Received 50 comments • December 11, 2008
Hot Read [article title]

Hot Read: Silver Medal

Goodbye, Yankee Stadium: A Tribute to C…

Received 2,000 Reads • September 22, 2008
Great Debate [article title]

Great Debate: Silver Medal

Goodbye, Yankee Stadium: A Tribute to C…

Received 50 comments • September 22, 2008
Hot Read [article title]

Hot Read: Silver Medal

Memo to the IOC: Gymnastics Needs Sudde…

Received 2,000 Reads • August 19, 2008
Great Debate [article title]

Great Debate: Silver Medal

Memo to the IOC: Gymnastics Needs Sudde…

Received 50 comments • August 19, 2008
Hot Read [article title]

Hot Read: Silver Medal

Move Over Barry Bonds: That's Why I Pla…

Received 2,000 Reads • August 13, 2008
Great Debate [article title]

Great Debate: Silver Medal

Memo To Packers Management: Lay Down th…

Received 50 comments • July 11, 2008
Hot Read [article title]

Hot Read: Silver Medal

Why Kobe Bryant Should Give the MVP to …

Received 2,000 Reads • May 07, 2008
Great Debate [article title]

Great Debate: Silver Medal

Why Kobe Bryant Should Give the MVP to …

Received 50 comments • May 07, 2008

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Zander Freund joined April 2006

Zander Freund's Stats

About Zander »

The Shortlist »

Latest Articles »

San Francisco NFL Draft Weekend: Living in the Past with Steve Young

Why Jayson Stark Is Wrong About Alex Rodriguez and Steroids

The Top 10 Reasons To Root for the Cardinals on Sunday—49ers Edition