A Notre Dame View to Finding Free Information About Your Favorite Teams

The economy is down and you want information about your favorite team. Don't waste your money at a pay site. Use a couple of simple research tricks and find the information for free. It's out there! I'll show you how, using Notre Dame as my example.

There's a problem with pretentiousness among some Notre Dame message boards. They're negative, aloof, and holier than thou. Where should you go if you want to find out about Irish football or Irish recruiting without having to pay a monthly price and be berated for your views?

We'll show you.

First, we'll tell you where you shouldn't go. You shouldn't go to a site that requires a payment, because there are plenty of free boards out there that make their money the right way—through advertisements.

You don't need to charge a monthly fee if you can show that your site brings in more traffic than the next guy's site. You simply need to have a good business plan and have marketable value for your patrons. There are sites that don't trust that model, however.

Irisheyes with Mike Frank, a Scout.com affiliate, and Irish Illustrated, a rivals affiliate, are two sites that violate the cardinal rules of a well-run website. They rely on their subscribers AND advertisers to generate revenue when they should rely solely on advertisers. If they have valuable information, they wouldn't need to charge their readers.

They do, however, and lose traffic in the process. You can find everything rivals and scout offer with a few simple mouse clicks. How?

First, every press conference with Charlie Weis or Mike Brey is published on the Internet at Notre Dame's Web site, with questions and answers from every reporter at the press conference. You can watch the press conference or you can read the transcript. These press conferences are the source of almost any article you'll read about the Irish.

Secondly, you can watch the game and make your own conclusions about the Irish. How did the line play? Did the defense look good? What about the playcalling? There are multiple ways to analyze the game.

You can rely on your first impression by watching the game, you can re-watch the game at NBC.com, you can read an article by the Associated Press for free, or you can do all three to formulate an opinion about the most recent Notre Dame game. Your impression will be based on the same set of facts as any scout reporter or rivals reporter. Why pay?

Do you need more insight? Visit a message board. Free message boards are everywhere, so there is no need to pay for information you can glean from fellow Irish fans and alums elsewhere. You do have to be careful which boards you visit, because you will find a different taste for the Irish at each; but you can find everything talked about on pay sites at free boards, from how the game went to recruiting. In this day and age, information travels fast.

Now, you must know a few things about the free boards. I will start with the most infamous, yet most negative board I've experienced: NDNation. 

NDNation is a great site if you want to read numerous articles about the Irish from across the country, but beware of the discussion boards entitled "Rock's House" and "Cartier Field." NDNation's boards are filled with pretentious posters who are disgruntled that they are not coaching the Irish, but doing something else with their lives.

If you have an opinion not in line with theirs, watch out! They'll make you think they're experts because they have more conviction than the average preacher, but eventually, the negativity will overwhelm you. If you browse for a week or two, you'll understand. Most notoriously, you'll get to know ACross, a babbling fool whose anger spews all over "Rock's House."

The embodiment of NDNation's pretension is "Cartier Field," a discussion board they built so a poster could earn his way into the "real" discussion.

And, if you're looking for recruiting info, good luck. They're in bed with Mike Frank at Irisheyes, so they have an agreement to monitor the board for any recruiting information that could cut into Frank's business. Apparently, he thinks you can have an informational monopoly on a 16 or 17-year-old's life. I humbly disagree.

Brief mention should also go to the first board I frequented in college: UHND. While you can find bits and pieces here and there, I have found that its substance is the most lacking of all. Check out the following boards if you want to find valuable information and respectful posters more in line with Notre Dame's fanbase.

Domerdomain is my absolute favorite Notre Dame board on the Internet. Click "Forum" to enter the discussion boards, where you will find everything you need to know about the Irish football team in "General Discussion" and "Recruiting." 

Both have powerful, respectful, and knowledgeable posters who can really offer most of the insight you would ever need about Irish. Additionally, their moderators, like the legendary Sir John, do a great job of cleaning up filth and maintaining peace among posters without limiting dissenting opinions.

Similarly, you can visit irishenvy. As a visitor to all of these sites, I give irishenvy the same rave reviews that I give domerdomain. While I prefer domerdomain, I certainly enjoy irishenvy for the same substance and sense of respect it offers is posters and all Notre Dame fans. Nobody is pretentious and everybody listens.

Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the fantastic opportunity to read articles and comment on them here at Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report isn't just another news site, but a place where fans can articulate the arguments and insights found within the discussion forums. 

Here, you'll find concise articles that are user driven, both from a writer's perspective and a poster's perspective. Make sure you get involved and start your own lively discussion!

There is no need to pay for practice reports or recruiting news, no matter what school you support. You merely need to do a little research. For Notre Dame fans, you can find all the information you need by reading article headlines at rivals or scout, reading articles at NDNation or Bleacher Report, getting details on discussion boards, and watching the game for yourself.

It's a tough economy, free information is out there! Don't waste your money! Go Irish!