Saturday, May 19, 2007

Fenerbahce Worldwide Receives Some Publicity

I was absolutely shocked to discover that there is an article in Saturday's edition of Hurriyet, the Turkish news outlet, about my site, Fenerbahce Worldwide. I was contacted by my friend Emre Kizilkaya, a journalist for Hurriyet, informing me of the article.

I am absolutely speechless about the attention. It's amazing, really....I am just an American guy who fell in love with Fenerbahce and decided to do a website about the club in English, since there was (and still is) very little content about this great club in English. My Turkish, as many of you know, is not very good, but I am actively studying the language and it's improving steadily. I decided last year that I could understand some Turkish enough to do some translating, and hence this website was formed.

The question I get most often in regards to my Fenerbahce obsession is "why?" I'll be writing an article very shortly about how a guy from a small town in the midwestern part of America came to love this Turkish futbol team; so much so that he would change careers and go to graduate school to study sport management, in hopes of one day moving to Turkiye to work for this great club. It's a crazy story, but it is my story. I hope to have that posted in the coming days.

Here is a link to Hurriyet's article: http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/6535943.asp?yazarid=233 Thanks to all of the wonderful and amazing people I've met through this site and to the other Fenerbahce fans worldwide: "Bir gun herkes Fenerbahceli olacak." :)

7 Comments:

Blogger falyanos said...

hi, today i saw an article in a Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. it was about you and your site. it is really interesting and good thing that an american guy is a fan of Fenerbahce. as a Turk and as a fan of Fenerbahce i am saying that we are thankful for your love of and work on Fenerbahce.

1:24 PM  
Blogger Nathan L. Redd said...

Cok tesekkurler, falyanos. I am thankful that an American like me can be a part of this great club. It is truly an honor for me. Sampiyon Fenerbahce!

2:30 PM  
Blogger Oz Kanka said...

Dear Nathan,
You deserve to bask in all the glory.

Really it was just a matter of time until the Turkish press picked up on a blog like yours. There are next to no blogs on Fenerbahce, let alone Turkish football out there.

What saddens me however is not the fact that the article was given a run in a national paper but the fact that the author didn't contact you before hand.

How cool it would have been for her to ask you all the sorts of questions that must be on the mind of a Turk amazed to find a Yank so passionate about Fener and Turkish football in general.

I'm afraid that while it was great to see your blog getting the publicity it deserves this article was yet again an example of lazy journalism.

The author resorted to a simple cut and paste job with a few of her observations added in. I reckon it took her all of 15 minutes to write the story and then it was off to the pub. Trebles all round!

At least you weren't totally misquoted as was Sir Eski Kanka's experience.

But again, bloody cool to see your name up in lights. God knows what they are going to write once they discover Gulay!

5:41 PM  
Blogger Nathan L. Redd said...

Thanks, Oz Bey. I had no idea the article was being published until this morning when Emre (the other guy in the article) e-mailed me. Yes, I would have loved if the author had contacted me first. Obviously, I love Fener, but I am planning to move to Turkiye eventually, so I have a great interest in Turkish futbol in general, as well as Turkish politics, etc. I am glad that it got some attention though - not for myself, but for Fener and Turkish futbol in general.

What happened with Eski Kanka? I don't think I have heard this story.

5:49 PM  
Blogger Tims@h said...

Way to go Nathan! Great article! One day I would really love to see you residing in Istanbul and covering or working for the Yellow Canaries. You've been blessed with the privilage of being a die hard supporter of the greatest club in football history, I'm sure you are well aware of this fact and you know this is not an over statement. Keep up the good work and wear that #12 jersey with pride.
Peace,

7:19 PM  
Blogger TURKISH FOOTBALL BY AHMET BOB TURGUT said...

Nathan, I am very glad for you and your site!... The other Gentelmen is Hurriyet's foreign press editor in Istanbul. he is also blogger and as a paper time to time they do visit turkish soccer site and if you remember when I found your site firs , I did write a little article and I email that article to my turkish press contacts!...
So,since Fenerbahce won the Championship this was good to write about you!...you being American who loves Fenerbahce!..
All the best to you.....
I hope , after your school you could work for Fenerbahce club!
Regards,
AHMET TURGUT

1:55 AM  
Blogger Oz Kanka said...

Nathan, I think it was brilliant that your blog got into Hurriyet. My criticism was not of you, or your blog. My criticism was of the writer of the article for not delving further into the story. As for Sir Eski Kankas story. Check out
this

6:05 AM  

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