Forgive my use of the cliche title. I’m excited. Too excited to act like a reasonable or rational human.
The NFL season is back! And it really is, by virtue of a 17th regular season game, bigger than ever.
It’s also one of the most anticipated years I can remember in a long time. We have a ridiculous amount of talent — and hype — in the rookie class, and at least two teams will have Opening Day starting quarterbacks that were drafted in April.
But we’ll get to all that at another time and in another column.
This article is for you. It’s a “thank you” and a “welcome back” — if you only drop in here for football content — and an update all rolled into one.
So, thank you. I write it every year but I truly mean it. I am able to continue researching and writing and building this website solely because you keep reading it. I can’t possibly express how that makes me feel as a writer — and, really, as a person — so please accept my extreme gratitude.
As far as a “welcome back”… Welcome back! If you haven’t been around for the last few months, then I’m happy to see you back on the website. Because…
Here are some updates:
First-and-foremost, I started the 2020 NFL season by offering free access to everything on the website for anyone who needed financial help because of the pandemic. That offer will extend through the 2021 NFL season. New or returning member. It doesn’t matter.
Basically, if you can’t pay for Sporfolio because of the COVID-19 pandemic, send me an email directly at contact@sporfolio.com — and keep sending it if I don’t respond or tag me on Twitter @Sporfolio since the email server isn’t completely reliable — and I’ll grant you free access. No questions asked. I already wrote about how important it is that people continue to read my work, and I can’t accept losing readers because of the insanity that we’ve seen in the world over the past 18 months.
As far as other updates, we have been quite busy over the past few months. I’ve been writing some NHL content in the form of line reads — where I go over the odds and point totals to decipher a particular slate’s edge — continuing to build out some future features that will hopefully get implemented, and we’ve entered the world of sports card trading! That last one is easily the most fun.
In getting into card trading, we have also created an Instagram account — sporfoliodotcom — which has largely been dedicated to trading cards, but will also show “behind-the-scenes” looks at how I put together certain articles. Some might be in the form of videos of my thought process while others will be pictures of my setups. Regardless, if you’re on Instagram, give us a follow!
Finally, I’ll be automatically adding a 20% discount to every returning subscriber on their next payment. As always, if I miss it before the payment hits, I will process the partial refund shortly after.
But, this year I’m also asking for a favor.
Customer testimonials go a long way in verifying that I’m not some random writer who appeared on the scene. If you can, I would greatly appreciate any form of a testimonial. Twitter is preferred — where I would also ask if you could tag @Sporfolio and, if you want, @MarioMergola — but I’ll even take it in an email. Obviously, I would use these on the front-page of Sporfolio.
As a thank you for going out of your way to write one — believe me, I know it is an annoying ask — I’ll take another 5% off your next payment. Of course, write something honestly!
On that note, it’s time to get back to work!
Thank you again for being here,
Mario
To sign up as a new member, please visit the pricing page and choose your subscription plan. New members can use the promo code “15NEW21” and get 15 percent off the first payment, but again, email me at contact@sporfolio.com if you need more than that.
Here are the results of the NFL Against-the-Spread Picks:
*Confidence Picks – 2020 Season: 53-42-3
(2019 Season: 57-43-3) (2018 Season: 63-48-4) (2017 Season: 53-48-4) (2016 Season: 53-67-3) (2015 Season: 69-45-2) (2014 Season: 61-46-2) (7-Year Total: 409-339-21)
All Picks Against Spread – 2020 Season: 132-128-7
(2019 Season: 142-118-7) (2018 Season: 137-118-12) (2017 Season: 137-119-11) (2016 Season: 123-136-8) (2015 Season: 143-117-7) (2014 Season: 149-114-4) (7-Year Total: 963-850-56)