About DadStats

DadStats is an independent soccer site by me, James D. Hogan. 

What began as a hobby project to help settle an argument with my daughter has now morphed into an entire fan site devoted to creating news coverage and opinion pieces for local soccer, Western Carolina University and Southern Conference women's soccer, Charlotte FC and MLS action, and select English Premier League fixtures. 

As DadStats evolved from a game stats tool into a project trying to figure out what to do with all of those stats piling up everywhere, I created a number of AI-sourced writing resources to help. I was (and really still am) a novice soccer fan, and while I have decades of experience as a writer, I have never been a sports writer. The DadStats Match Reporter and Touchline Blogger voices were developed along the way as a means of taking game stats and detailed notes I generated and efficiently translating them into a more consumable, journalistic style. With the help of AI, my game notes can be fact-checked and improved to produce clear, accurate prose that any soccer fan can read and understand. 

There is a tremendous amount of my personal touch as a writer within those AI-generated paragraphs, and I frequently revise and edit its production for accuracy, tone, or other needs. I have taken great pains to ensure that columns that lean heavily on AI-generated text are given appropriate bylines; pieces that I have written independently appear with my name on the byline--or, in other cases, with my initials leading the byline. (For the record, this "About" piece is entirely my own.)

I assure you, dear reader, that I am wary of AI writing. The use of AI writing assistants in this project is entirely a decision related to producing better content from an inexperienced soccer writer. Even so, I read every word those assistants produce and deploy a healthy amount of editorial discretion. Mistakes in the published pieces, stats tables, or other components on this site are my responsibility and probably due to my status as a futbol neophyte. 

As an editor with a "buck-stops-here" sign on my virtual desk, I have a few hard parameters around how I write about soccer. 

As a high school soccer parent, I try for a kind, fair, and local voice that mirrors what you used to find in the local newspaper. I aim to practice good sportsmanship and avoid the kind of disparaging commentary that gets me riled up anytime I encounter it, whether that’s in the stands or on social media. These are children, and we are adults, and we ought to know well enough how to behave. 

Regarding collegiate soccer, I am also obliged to share that as an alumnus and employee of Western Carolina University, I aim to never write a piece inherently critical of our student-athletes, the colleagues of mine who coach them, or the administration that works to support them. I am a supporter, but don't mistake my intentional restraint from criticism as an abdication of reporting something that's confirmed by game facts and statistics. 

Charlotte FC, MLS squads, and Premier League coverage might free me from my self-imposed boundaries as a writer, but I still aim to publish writing that's thoughtful and not mean-spirited. We are all human beings out there trying our best.

Which is a good place to land: this is a soccer website borne from an interest in tracking game stats and grown into a more comprehensive place to gather soccer coverage, but at the center of it all is a deep appreciation for what it means when 22 human beings give their best on a soccer pitch. 

I have never played a minute of competitive soccer in my entire life. Notwithstanding that fact, I have somehow fallen in love with this sport. DadStats has helped accelerate my own learning about the game. And it has heightened my awareness of the human talent necessary to play it--not to mention the vulnerability and sheer athleticism involved, whether that's as a high school varsity player or a highly-compensated professional. I am in awe of anyone who undertakes this sport, and I am humbled to try my best to write about it and share that appreciation with others.

Finally, a word about infrastructure. Though there was a time in my life when I possessed an elementary knowledge of writing HTML, my practical ability to code a website ended sometime in the early 2000s. As such, I relied entirely on Codex to assist in creating this complex, dynamic website known as DadStats.com. It has been a fascinating and fulfilling and curious and still-in-process journey. Please do not hesitate to let me know of any site-based errors you might experience by emailing me (at) jamesdhogan (dot) com.