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YouTube’s ‘True Blazer Fan’ offers more than just a Portland Trail Blazers highlight reel

By Spencer Wu

PORTLAND, OR - MAY 9: T-shirts for the fans are displayed before Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors during the 2016 NBA Playoffs on May 9, 2016 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - MAY 9: T-shirts for the fans are displayed before Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors during the 2016 NBA Playoffs on May 9, 2016 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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True Blazer Fan has carved out a niche on the popular video-sharing website that Portland Trail Blazers fans should celebrate.

Blazers fans should know about the YouTube channel titled “True Blazer Fan.” It provides immediate game recaps, player analysis and miscellaneous Rip City musings.

The channel is indeed run by a couple of true Blazers fans. It’s helmed by Eric English and Torey Jones, who will also provide game highlights and super-cuts of all scoring plays and memorable game moments.

And in a sea of ESPN Top 10s and online highlight reels, True Blazer Fan should serve as a beacon for full game and player analysis — and more.

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The Blazers Fans

“I started the channel last year and did only highlights by myself,” English said. “This year, we added Torey Jones, and he does analysis.”

The two only recently met, English said.

“Torey is a really bright kid with a sharp NBA mind,” he said. “He’s an idea guy, and I like that.”

English also said he enjoys making highlights and working to provide quality content for other true Blazers fans.

“Torey is motivating me to make the channel more than what I originally envisioned,” he said.

The Channel

Compared to major basketball recap channels, such as FreeDawkins (which has upwards of 700,00 subscribers), True Blazer Fan is considerably smaller, catering only to PDX fans and specializing in Blazers-specific videos.

So far, the channel has 3,583 subscribers, and it’s approaching 1.5 million total video views. What the channel might lack in audience, it more than makes up for in content, delivery and analysis.

“We are different from FreeDawkins and other bigger YouTube channels because we’re Blazer-centric,” English said. “Our highlights are all Blazers. And we are Blazer fans. We are biased. The big boys do highlights for any NBA game, and they don’t identify with one particular fan base.”

The Content

True Blazer Fan strives to be a safe haven for Trail Blazers fans by pushing out immediate content with quick turnaround. English and Jones, as enthusiasts themselves, are also looking for more fan engagement this upcoming season.

“We feel like we are providing quality content for Blazer fans,” English said. “Instead of going to ESPN and watching a one-minute highlight video, fans can watch full game highlights — with an emphasis on the Blazers! And this year, Torey will provide analysis, and hopefully fans will interact.”

Most recently, the channel has uploaded some videos analyzing the 2018 NBA Draft and addressing offseason rumors and news. In fact, Jones goes so in-depth that he plans to make a video on key members of the Blazers’ championship summer league roster: their tendencies, how they can make an impact on the team and how they can improve individually.

“My analysis is a combination of what people call the ‘eye test’ combined with statistics,” Jones said. “In my videos, I try to provide analysis based off my observations that’s articulate and engaging while backing it up with statistics. As we get into the season, I plan on using relative game film to go along with my analysis — which will be on more of a game-to-game basis.”

The Engagement

English and Jones even engage with the fans by interacting with the community. The channel is rolling out more contests and giveaways, and it shows vlog footage of local community events, such as the Rip City 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament at the Rose Quarter.

This idea of connectivity relays the message to the audience that True Blazer Fan isn’t merely throwing numbers at fans, but rather digging deep into their Blazers passion.

That’s something any Rip City fan can get behind.

“True Blazer Fan can be a one-stop shop on YouTube for everything Blazers,” English said. “(We are) a local channel supporting local businesses, Portlanders supporting other Portlanders, Blazer fans supporting one another.”

Jones shares that sentiment.

“The most rewarding part is being able to reach and relate to Blazer fans like me across the platform and share my love for Blazer basketball with them,” he said.

The Future

The duo looks to continue the momentum and expand their enterprise by incorporating different facets of media to their repertoire.

“We will be starting a Patreon page soon if people want to support us,” English said. “At some point we may want to bring in a writer. We also want to provide an advertising platform for local businesses.”

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English said the website is “a work in progress,” and they’ll add more features — in addition to highlights and analysis — as they go along.

If you consider yourself a die-hard Blazers fan and are not following this page, you are missing out on some in-depth, PDX-exclusive content.