East of Tampa / Local Sports / Athlete of the Week
Athlete of the Week
Every week we celebrate one athlete from every program in the county. You send a name, a photo and one line. We build the post. There is no cost, no catch, and nothing to sign.
Submit your athlete
Submit by Saturday 11:59 PM. Posts go up Sunday.
How it works
Three minutes on your phone, once a week. That is the entire ask.
You send three things
An athlete name, a photo, and one line about what they did. Position and number help but are optional. A phone photo is fine.
We build the post
Built to celebrate the athlete, in your school colors, with your mascot and your handle on it. Same look every week so it becomes recognizable.
It posts Sunday
We post it and tag your program. You are welcome to repost it, and so are the athlete and their family. Most of the reach comes from that.
Why we do this
I grew up playing football in Northern Michigan. We played Friday nights, then stayed up until eleven to see if we made the news, and got up Saturday morning to see if our name was in the paper.
That barely exists anymore. East of Tampa is a local newsletter and social platform covering Hillsborough County. Think of it as a modern version of the newspaper and the nightly news. We cover restaurants, road closings and everything else, but sports is the part I care most about.
I am the athletic director for the FishHawk Spartans youth tackle program, my wife is the president, and I played linebacker at Army. We have four sons and the oldest just started high school. I waited up for the eleven o'clock news. He refreshes Instagram. Same kid, different screen.
It is one thing when your own program posts you. It hits differently when a third party does. That is the whole idea here.
John Plumstead ยท East of Tampa
Submit this week's athlete
Deadline is Saturday at 11:59 PM for a Sunday post. Miss it and we will run your athlete the following week.
Questions we get
Does this cost anything?
No. Nothing for the program, the athlete or the family.
Who picks the athlete?
You do. The coaching staff picks; we build the post.
What if we don't have a good photo?
Send what you have. A phone photo, a roster photo or a screenshot from film all work.
Can we pick someone who doesn't put up stats?
Yes. Linemen, effort, leadership, a big block. Leave the stat line blank or tell us in a sentence.
Do we have to do it every week?
No. Send one when you have one.
Can we repost it?
Yes, please. The program, the athlete and the family reposting it is where most of the reach comes from.