In 1990, the greatest product I could have possibly imagined came into being. It was called “The National Sports Daily,” but everybody called it “The National.”

Frank Deford, who too many of today’s readers sadly won’t remember, worked there. Chris Mortensen, who almost everyone rightfully still does remember, worked there. I was a junior in high school that year, and it seemed like almost every sports writer I had ever heard of worked there.

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It distributed in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. I lived in a town that had only just gotten a McDonald’s. I don’t think I ever saw a contemporaneous copy of “The National,” but knowing it was out there was enough.

It was great: writers being given the space, resources and encouragement to write entertaining, informative and important stories about the greatest subject in the world — sports.

It lasted from January of 1990 until June of 1991.

The Athletic, which I am delighted to officially join with this announcement, is hitting the 30-month mark right now, and I’m even more excited about its existence than I was about “The National.” They believe, and I believe, that there’s an underserved market of sports fans who want entertaining, informative and important stories delivered in an easy and unobtrusive (that means no ad clutter, which also explains why there’s a — let’s be honest — really small fee attached) way.

In other words, we believe in you, and we appreciate you, and we are going to work as hard as we can to deliver you a product that’s always worth more than we ask you to pay for it.

Now, on to the important subject: South Carolina athletics. Marcus Lattimore and I both moved to Columbia in the summer of 2010, and between us sparked what were the glory days of Gamecocks athletics. Prior to coming to Columbia, I had covered Georgia football going back to the Jim Donnan era.

I knew South Carolina from afar as a proud but mediocre program (and can vividly remember being on the field at Williams-Brice Stadium as Gamecock fans marched pieces of the goal post out on Sept. 9, 2000, following a 21-10 upset of Donnan and the No. 9 Bulldogs to give them their first conference win since 1997), but my first up-close-and-personal experiences gave me a much better understanding of what the Gamecocks mean to their fan base. I’ve heard Steve Spurrier quote Taylor Swift in an attempt to shake off a losing streak, seen Jadeveon Clowney nearly kill a man, and witnessed with my own eyes South Carolina beat Clemson five consecutive years on a football field.

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Those halcyon days have receded to some degree, but the passion of the Gamecocks fan base that I saw so richly rewarded during that time has not diminished a whit. That’s why I’m here now, to provide those fans with stories that help them understand, appreciate and enjoy their favorite team all the more. That I’ll get to do it around people who’ve been doing some of the best college football writing of the last decade or so, like Bruce Feldman and Andy Staples and Stewart Mandel, is great for me and even better for you.

While Bruce and Andy and Stew keep you informed about what’s going on throughout the greatest sport in the world, I’ll work as hard as I can to give you original stories about the Gamecocks, and I couldn’t be more excited to get started.

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(Photo: Mike Comer / Getty Images)