My First Year at The Scrap

I know most of the people that read my articles are probably surprised by the title of this one. I had this thought a few months back that I would do this article and reflect on my first year with The Scrap. This past year has been fun but more importantly such a great learning experience.

How it All Began

As a fan of combat sports (MMA, Boxing and Wrestling), I would often exchange barbs with other people on Twitter and this was fun to me, to hear other people’s opinions. This led to me building a friendship with Kevin aka Keys also a member of The Scrap’s staff. Keys and I decided to start a podcast built around our differing opinions about MMA and more than 100 episodes later we still do our weekly show: Lee N Keys Real Talk Podcast.

One day, Keys DMs me and says, “The Scrap would like us to join their team and they would like to create a logo for our show as well.” I was reluctant in the beginning, but Keys convinced me that this would be a solid move for us, but more so our show. The part that intrigued me the most was we would be able to write articles based around combat sports.

Writing With Conviction

The writing was something I really had not done since I finished school about 2 years ago, but I had some ideas that I wanted to write about. March 5, 2019, I finished my first article (PEDs and Legacy – Personal Decision!), this article was written to spark some talk on Twitter as some fighters were demonized due to USADA findings, while others were still fan favorites.

Joel Torres and Connor Rogowsky (Rags), the founders of The Scrap, have empowered the team to write articles that showcase combat sports and sometimes our articles must point out the bad in combat sports. That being said, one of my favorite fighters, TJ Dillashaw, was suspended for doping and I wrote about that. Although hard to write about, I had to be objective and honest in highlighting the downfall of TJ.

As an Air Force vet, I am used to being part of a team and joining The Scrap has been so much fun. Our group chats are the best as we all have differing opinions, but we respect all opinions even if we don’t always agree. This year I have personally grown as a writer and this has benefitted my podcast as well. I am more articulate, and I have learned to make my point clearly and more concise, thanks to my team at The Scrap.

The Scrap is a Family

I have forged some new friendships with other staff members. Rory is a guy that edits my work and gives me pointers here and there. Seeing Drake doing interviews and going to shows has inspired me as well. Caroline, Austin, Juan, Brandon, Jordan, and Evan to name a few (forgive me if I did not mention you, it’s not personal) have bought so much energy to our team in the last year. I want to say to the staff, keep getting better and let’s take The Scrap to another level TOGETHER!

Thank you to The Scrap for allowing me to have a voice in the combat sports community and let’s keep growing.

About Post Author

Lee Brown

Lee Brown is a 22-year Air Force Veteran and an avid sports enthusiast, with a particular passion for UFC, NFL, and NBA. He is the co-host of the Lee N Keys Real Talk Podcast, and brings his unique perspective to sports discussions. One of the original Content Creators at The Scrap since its inception, Lee covers MMA, Boxing, and Pro Wrestling from a fan's perspective.

lee.thescrap@gmail.com