August 7th, 2026
Eighteen years ago today, Joe published the first page of this website and never turned back. More than 65,000 Bucs-related posts have followed, the results of obsessing 24/7 about all things Buccaneers.
It all started with a laptop and a dream.
In 2008, Joe was painfully bored by the stale Bucs media in the Tampa Bay area. Coverage was stuck in the 1990s. Boring!!!!
But online coverage of some professional sports teams was fun, you know, like sports are supposed to be. So Joe hatched a plan to cover the Bucs in a way that would entertain and interest Joe, something very different.
A defunct NBA site called JoeNetsFan.com was the inspiration for the name and the spirit, but Joe wanted to bring a different angle, the whole third-person “Joe” thing.
Joe pounded keyboards for months writing passionately here for almost nobody — and no money. Traffic grew steadily while Joe endured endless personal attacks, the result of rattling the cages of Bucs fans, the Bucs franchise, and Joe’s media brethren.
Hell, Joe had “haters” before anyone used the term “haters.” But Joe pressed on out of love for the Bucs.
Joe was having fun and fans were buying into Joe’s unique brand of journalism that continues to be like no other. (And if you don’t think opinion writing is journalism, well, it has been since the 1800s.) The Day 1 approach here has not changed; Joe writes about Bucs stuff that interests Joe. That’s it.
If you don’t like it, then don’t read it. Joe doesn’t tell others how to express their Bucs passion and Joe expects the same courtesy.
Thankfully, Bucs fans came in droves and money landed in Joe’s pocket. JoeBucsFan.com traffic exploded and the site is now the only destination for legions of Bucs fans. Anyone researching website traffic will conclude quickly that JoeBucsFan.com is the dominant Bucs media force in the Tampa Bay market and has been for many years.
The army of beloved Ira Kaufman Podcast listeners are in a special category all their own. Joe added Ira to JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters in July of 2016. Smart move. It’s hard to believe Joe has put hundreds of thousands of dollars in the pockets of Sage Kaufman. What a country!
Joe appreciates the many thousands of devoted daily readers here, along with the many thousands of occasional readers. And Joe has a special thank you to the statistically insignificant percentage of fans (and haters) that ever type a comment. You all have a place in Joe’s heart.
A documentary could be made about the bizarre Bucs interactions Joe has experienced and can’t type on these pages without breaking confidences — or ending up with a broken bone.
Joe also wants to thank the smart local business owners who support JoeBucsFan.com year-round. Unlike Team Glazer and other local media outlets, Joe does not price gouge. Joe’s advertisers are true partners and true friends. An extra hat tip goes to Dolman Law Group, which is coming up on 16 years supporting Joe. They are a special firm.
As always, Joe’s birthday wish is for winning football to return in Tampa. It’s great for Joe’s mental health, as well as Joe’s wallet and Joe’s motivation to grind on these pages. Nobody likes a losing team — or a franchise that tolerates losing. You hear that, Team Glazer?
Eighteen years is a long time. It’s a safe bet another 18 years will not happen. Heck, in March, Joe might move to San Francisco and take a pay cut. #sarcasm
Fans should count on Joe making a content change or two over the next year. Much has been discussed and explored in recent years. And don’t freak out if you hear word of Joe exploring selling the website. That is not Joe pulling a Vita Vea or a Mike Evans. Joe’s had unique opportunities previously, and this could be the year.
A final hearty thank you from JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters to all the Bucs fans who have allowed Joe to realize this dream — even the perennially bitter media types and sour Bucs employees.
As a birthday treat, Joe will get back to work serving Bucs fans 24/7. It’s a privilege.
Click through and shop now online at Bill Currie Ford, just north of Raymond James Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.