View source for Jon Bois

{{Short description|American sportswriter (born 1982)}}
{{about|the American sportswriter|the English scholar|John Bois}}
{{BLP primary sources|date=May 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Jon Bois
| image              =
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| birth_name         =
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1982|09|24}}
| birth_place        = [[Kansas City, Kansas]]
| nationality        = American
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| citizenship        =
| education          = <!-- Waggener High School -->
| alma_mater         =
| occupation         = Writer
| employer           = [[SB Nation]]
| known_for          =
| notable_works      = ''[[17776]]''<br>''The History of the Seattle Mariners''<br>''The Bob Emergency''
| spouse             =
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| children           =
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| awards             =
| website            = {{URL|sbnation.com/authors/jon-bois}}
}}
'''Jon Bois''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɔɪ|s}} {{respell|BOYSS}};<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 18, 2019 |title=We destroyed the NBA's future with a video game {{!}} Fumble Dimension Episode 1 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-yfZn5iYJE&t=56s |access-date=January 25, 2020 |website=SB Nation |archive-date=June 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604052203/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-yfZn5iYJE&t=56s |url-status=live }}</ref> born September 24, 1982) is an American [[Sports journalism|sports writer]], video producer, and [[YouTuber]]. He is the [[creative director]] at ''[[SB Nation]]'', a sports blogging network.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 28, 2017 |title=Masthead |url=https://www.sbnation.com/pages/masthead |access-date=July 7, 2019 |website=SB Nation |archive-date=June 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170603123413/http://www.sbnation.com/pages/masthead |url-status=live }}</ref> Bois is known for his [[speculative fiction]] works on sports, such as ''[[17776]]'', its follow-up ''[[20020]]'', and ''The Tim Tebow CFL Chronicles''. He is also known for his documentary videos and their unique style. Bois's work often covers strange incidents, statistical outliers, and teams considered unsuccessful or unpopular.<ref name="nyt-riveting" /> He is the inventor of the concept of [[scorigami]].
==Early life and education==
Bois was born on September 24, 1982, in [[Kansas City, Kansas]]<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=jon_bois |number=1700006773384458599 |access-date=September 8, 2023 |language=en |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626031348/https://twitter.com/jon_bois/status/1700006773384458599?s=20 |url-status=live |title=i was born in KCK and when i put it together as a little kid that the kansas city chiefs weren't actually in kansas, man that was hard. that's when my dislike of missouri started. i don't even have a good reason |first=Jon |last=Bois}}</ref> and grew up in [[Louisville, Kentucky]] until moving to [[Atlanta, Georgia]] aged nine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=September 25, 2012 |title=What It Feels Like To Be 30 |url=https://www.progressiveboink.com/2012/9/25/3406070/what-it-feels-like-to-be-30 |access-date=July 8, 2019 |website=SB Nation |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708161007/https://www.progressiveboink.com/2012/9/25/3406070/what-it-feels-like-to-be-30 |url-status=live }}</ref> From the fifth grade until [[secondary school|high school]], Bois was [[homeschooling in the United States|homeschooled]]; he later wrote about his experience with homeschooling for ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]''.<ref name="Vice2013">{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=May 1, 2013 |title=Go to Homeschool |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/7benyy/homes-school-go-to-homeschool |access-date=November 17, 2020 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626030800/https://www.vice.com/en/article/7benyy/homes-school-go-to-homeschool |url-status=live }}</ref> He [[dropping out|dropped out]] of college after one semester.<ref name="Vice2013" /> Bois worked at [[RadioShack]] sometime in the early to mid 2000s, later publishing multiple articles detailing his personal experiences as an employee.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=November 26, 2014 |title=A eulogy for RadioShack, the panicked and half-dead retail empire |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2014/11/26/7281129/radioshack-eulogy-stories |access-date=February 26, 2021 |website=SBNation.com |language=en |archive-date=February 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223173044/http://www.sbnation.com/2014/11/26/7281129/radioshack-eulogy-stories |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=November 5, 2020 |title=The ballpoint pen |url=https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/21549280/ballpoint-pen-reviewed |access-date=February 26, 2021 |website=SBNation.com |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112115820/https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/21549280/ballpoint-pen-reviewed |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=February 19, 2015 |title=The end of RadioShack, through the eyes of a store manager |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2015/2/19/8045959/radioshack-manager-closing-bankruptcy |access-date=February 26, 2021 |website=SBNation.com |language=en |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108104018/http://www.sbnation.com/2015/2/19/8045959/radioshack-manager-closing-bankruptcy |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Career ==
Bois started blogging in 2003 on the website ProgressiveBoink.com, which he co-founded along with a group of other writers,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=September 9, 2013 |title=Happy 10th birthday, Progressive Boink |url=https://www.progressiveboink.com/2013/9/9/4712584/progressive-boink-is-10-years-old-tonight |access-date=September 9, 2023 |website=Progressive Boink |language=en |archive-date=December 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202030402/https://www.progressiveboink.com/2013/9/9/4712584/progressive-boink-is-10-years-old-tonight |url-status=live }}</ref> and first rose to online prominence co-writing the baseball-themed webcomic ''The Dugout'' with Brandon Stroud and Nick Dallamora.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dugout • Archives |url=http://dugout.progressiveboink.com/archive/ |access-date=September 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504172336/http://dugout.progressiveboink.com/archive/ |archive-date=May 4, 2012 }}</ref> He started as an editor at [[SB Nation]] in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colon |first=David |date=August 3, 2015 |title=How'd you get that cool job: Jon Bois editor at SB Nation |url=https://brokelyn.com/howd-get-cool-job-jon-bois-sb-nation-making-career-weird-sportswriting/ |access-date=July 7, 2019 |website=Brokelyn |language=en-US |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707165616/https://brokelyn.com/howd-get-cool-job-jon-bois-sb-nation-making-career-weird-sportswriting/ |url-status=live }}</ref> From 2013 to 2015, Bois published "Breaking Madden," a series of articles in which he created unusual football scenarios in the ''[[Madden NFL]]'' video games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |title=Breaking Madden |url=https://www.sbnation.com/breaking-madden |access-date=July 8, 2019 |website=SB Nation |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707171139/https://www.sbnation.com/breaking-madden |url-status=live }}</ref> In August 2014, he published "The Tim Tebow CFL Chronicles," a sports story based on the fictional premise that [[National Football League|NFL]] quarterback [[Tim Tebow]] had joined the [[Canadian Football League]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=August 18, 2014 |title=The Tim Tebow CFL Chronicles |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2014/8/18/5998715/the-tim-tebow-cfl-chronicles |access-date=July 8, 2019 |website=SB Nation |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707165636/https://www.sbnation.com/2014/8/18/5998715/the-tim-tebow-cfl-chronicles |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NewYorker2017">{{Cite magazine |last=Crouch |first=Ian |date=July 12, 2017 |title=The Experimental Fiction That Imagines Football-Obsessed Americans in the Extremely Distant Future |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/the-experimental-fiction-that-imagines-football-obsessed-americans-in-the-extremely-distant-future |access-date=July 8, 2019 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |language=en |archive-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613014956/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/the-experimental-fiction-that-imagines-football-obsessed-americans-in-the-extremely-distant-future |url-status=live }}</ref>
In May 2015, Bois published the first episode of a documentary video series called "Pretty Good." The series told true stories of unusual events, such as the career path of baseball player [[Lonnie Smith (baseball)|Lonnie Smith]], [[professional poker]], the infamous [[Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon|1904 Olympic marathon]], the [[Lawnchair Larry flight]] and the TV series ''[[24 (TV series)|24]]''. The series has thirteen episodes, the last of which, about [[Randall Cunningham]] and the [[1987 NFL Players Strike]], was published in September 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |title=Pretty Good |url=https://www.sbnation.com/pretty-good |access-date=July 8, 2019 |website=SB Nation |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708163701/https://www.sbnation.com/pretty-good |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 24th, 2024, 7 new episodes of Pretty Good were announced.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNTvVg1MoQA |title=We're starting a Patreon |language=en |access-date=2024-04-24 |via=www.youtube.com |archive-date=April 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424190105/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNTvVg1MoQA |url-status=live }}</ref> These episodes have covered, among other things, the movie [[Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day]], the football career of [[Kadarius Toney]], and the history of people slipping on banana peels.
In 2016, Bois began another documentary video series called "Chart Party," in which he used statistical analysis to explore and understand sports stories. Of particular note, Bois published an episode in December 2016 called "Every NFL Score Ever," in which he discussed how [[American football#Scoring|football's scoring system]] makes some final game scores very unlikely, and coined the term "[[scorigami]]" to describe the act of achieving a never-before-seen final result.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mattingly |first=Dave |title=NFL Scorigami |url=https://nflscorigami.com/ |access-date=July 8, 2019 |website=NFL Scorigami |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708163700/https://nflscorigami.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The video led one viewer to create a website to track new scorigami instances, and the term has seen usage in other sports publications.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Musgrove |first=Kole |date=December 3, 2018 |title=Seahawks continue bizarre 'Scorigami' streak under Pete Carroll |url=https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2018/12/03/seahawks-continue-bizarre-scorigami-streak-under-pete-carroll/ |access-date=July 8, 2019 |website=Seahawks Wire |publisher=[[USA Today]] |language=en |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626031000/https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2018/12/03/seahawks-continue-bizarre-scorigami-streak-under-pete-carroll/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Roeder |first=Oliver |date=September 17, 2018 |title=Significant Digits For Monday, Sept. 17, 2018 |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/significant-digits-for-monday-sept-17-2018/ |access-date=July 8, 2019 |website=[[FiveThirtyEight]] |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708163702/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/significant-digits-for-monday-sept-17-2018/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Molski |first=Max |date=January 11, 2023 |title=Scorigami origins and how it works in the NFL |url=https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/scorigami-origins-and-how-it-works-in-the-nfl/253927/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214071956/https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/scorigami-origins-and-how-it-works-in-the-nfl/253927/ |archive-date=December 14, 2023 |access-date=September 16, 2023 |website=NBC Sports Philadelphia |language=en-US}}</ref> The series has also discussed topics such as the saddest punt in the world, how [[Barry Bonds]]’ 2004 season would have looked like if he had played without a bat, the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]], and the career of [[Jeff Francoeur]], who Bois describes as his “favorite worst baseball player”.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=September 7, 2016 |title=Jeff Francoeur, my favorite worst baseball player |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2016/9/7/12833068/jeff-francoeur-chart-party |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=SBNation.com |language=en |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626030834/https://www.sbnation.com/2016/9/7/12833068/jeff-francoeur-chart-party |url-status=live }}</ref>
In July 2017, Bois published a serialized multimedia narrative called ''[[17776]]'', a work of speculative fiction describing unusual forms of American football played in the distant future.<ref name="NewYorker2017" /> According to Bois, the story garnered four million pageviews from 700,000 unique visitors in two weeks.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=887538023805669376 |user=jon_bois |title=over the last two weeks, 17776 got four million pageviews and 700,000 unique visitors. people stuck around for an average of 11 minutes |date=July 19, 2017 |access-date=July 25, 2017 |last=Bois |first=Jon}}</ref> The series won a [[National Magazine Award]] for Digital Innovation from the [[American Society of Magazine Editors]].<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=973618290839912450 |user=ASME1963 |title=Ellies 2018: @SBNation wins Digital Innovation category for '17776: An American Football Story'}}</ref> Bois began a sequel to ''17776'', entitled ''20020'', in September 2020. A sequel to ''20020'', called ''20021'', was planned to be released in Spring 2021, but has been delayed.<ref name="twohundredtwenty">{{Cite web |title=20020 |url=https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/21410129/chapters-index |access-date=October 2, 2020 |website=Secret Base |publisher=[[SB Nation]] }}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="20020ot">{{Cite web |last1=MacAree |first1=Graham |last2=Bois |first2=Jon |title=20020 Open Thread |url=https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/21459832/20020-open-thread |access-date=October 2, 2020 |website=Secret Base |date=September 28, 2020 |publisher=[[SB Nation]] |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928213542/https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/21459832/20020-open-thread |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1316214075442032641 |user=jon_bois |title=PROBLEM: the giant football game in 20020 is way too large, there are 111 teams and 134,000 miles of field, we'll never be able to talk about this entire thing in just 12 parts SOLUTION: https://t.co/5WF7wlVPnA |date=October 13, 2020 |last=Bois |first=Jon}}</ref>
A chapter of ''Upon Further Review'', a collection of sports what-if scenarios compiled by editor [[Mike Pesca]] published in 2018, was written by Bois, with his scenario being "What If Basketball Rims Were Smaller Than Basketballs?"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Stephen V. |date=June 29, 2018 |title=What if Nixon had excelled in college football? What if Ali hadn't been banished? |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/what-if-nixon-had-excelled-in-college-football-what-if-ali-hadnt-been-banished/2018/06/28/ab67107c-6b60-11e8-bea7-c8eb28bc52b1_story.html}}</ref>
{{anchor|Dorktown}}In April 2018, Bois and fellow SB Nation personality Alex Rubenstein began the series "Dorktown", which followed a similar format and style as his prior series "Pretty Good", showcasing unusual events, statistics, and personalities from sports history.  In 2020, Bois and Rubenstein released a 6-part special mini-series of Dorktown chronicling the history of the [[Seattle Mariners]] baseball franchise.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=March 25, 2020 |title=Why we're making a 3-hour documentary series on the Seattle Mariners |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2020/3/25/21192948/seattle-mariners-documentary-history |access-date=May 4, 2020 |website=SBNation.com |language=en |archive-date=April 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401213134/https://www.sbnation.com/2020/3/25/21192948/seattle-mariners-documentary-history |url-status=live }}</ref> A "Supercut Edition" of the film, running 220 minutes in length, was released on YouTube on September 24, 2020. The film would go on to win the Best Documentary Feature award from the [[Seattle Film Critics Society]] in February 2021, with its first episode, "This is not an endorsement of arson," being listed by ''[[The New York Times]]'' as one of the best episodes of TV of 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Nomadland" Named Best Picture of 2020 by Seattle Film Critics Society |url=http://seattlefilmcritics.com/2021/02/15/nomadland-named-best-picture-of-2020-by-seattle-film-critics-society/ |access-date=February 17, 2021 |website=Seattle Film Critics Society |date=February 15, 2021 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626030833/http://seattlefilmcritics.com/2021/02/15/nomadland-named-best-picture-of-2020-by-seattle-film-critics-society/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Poniewozik |first1=James |last2=Hale |first2=Mike |last3=Lyons |first3=Margaret |date=December 17, 2020 |title=The Best TV Episodes of 2020 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/arts/television/best-tv-episodes.html |access-date=February 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209140212/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/arts/television/best-tv-episodes.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He and Rubenstein released a similar documentary on the [[Atlanta Falcons]] American football franchise throughout August and September 2021.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1425268750798962693 |user=jon_bois |title=me and alex are so stoked. after working on this all year, we're finally gonna drop the first episode one week from today. @JoeAli shows up in almost every episode too, including this one |date=August 10, 2021 |access-date=August 15, 2021 |url=https://twitter.com/jon_bois/status/1425268750798962693?s=19 |last=Bois |first=Jon}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Greene |first=Steve |date=September 23, 2021 |title=Secret Base Has Reinvented the Sports Docuseries for the Internet Age |url=https://www.indiewire.com/influencers/secret-base-sports-docuseries/ |access-date=September 16, 2023 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002165714/https://www.indiewire.com/influencers/secret-base-sports-docuseries/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Between March and April 2022, he and Rubenstein released "Captain Ahab", a 4-part documentary on former MLB pitcher [[Dave Stieb]].<ref name="ahab">{{Cite web |date=March 1, 2022 |title=Meet Dave Captain Ahab: The Story of Dave Stieb, Part 1 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlviajJlctQ |access-date=March 1, 2022 |website=YouTube |publisher=Secret Base |language=en |archive-date=March 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301170412/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlviajJlctQ&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 26, 2022, he and Rubenstein released a documentary about the [[1976–77 NFL playoffs|1976 NFL Playoffs]] game between the [[Baltimore Colts]] and [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], and the [[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)#Airplane crash|plane crash that happened after the game]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Section 1: A short film from Dorktown | date=June 25, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alcVZZuj_WE |language=en |access-date=July 1, 2022 |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628203752/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alcVZZuj_WE |url-status=live }}</ref> Later that year, Dorktown released "The People You're Paying to Be in Shorts", a 147-minute documentary about the [[2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats season|2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats]], the team with the worst record in NBA history, and the team's owner, six-time [[NBA Championship|NBA champion]] [[Michael Jordan]].<ref name="nyt-riveting" /> In August and September 2023, Bois and Rubenstein released a 7-part documentary on the history of the NFL's [[Minnesota Vikings]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Secret Base - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxY3bP9e-Ah5zyS31SKvVnw2tHPXtnDLBI |access-date=August 2, 2023 |website=www.youtube.com |archive-date=August 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802150032/https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxY3bP9e-Ah5zyS31SKvVnw2tHPXtnDLBI |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shachat |first=Sarah |date=September 14, 2023 |title='The History of the Minnesota Vikings' Pushes Documentaries — and Google Earth — to New Storytelling Heights |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/jon-bois-minnesota-vikings-documentary-youtube-1234905150/ |access-date=September 16, 2023 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US |archive-date=September 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230916004502/https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/jon-bois-minnesota-vikings-documentary-youtube-1234905150/ |url-status=live }}</ref> similar to the prior series on the Mariners and Falcons. At over nine hours, it is Bois' longest work.
In 2018, Bois collaborated with Felix Biederman of ''[[Chapo Trap House]]'' on the five-part documentary "Fighting In the Age of Loneliness", presented in style influenced by British documentary filmmaker [[Adam Curtis]], which focuses on the development of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) from the early development of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and [[Vale Tudo]] in the development of more complex fighting styles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=December 29, 2020 |title=MMA and American empire: a conversation with Felix Biederman and Jon Bois |url=https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/2020/12/29/22202391/fighting-in-the-age-of-loneliness-mma-documentary |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=SBNation.com |language=en |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602233533/https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/2020/12/29/22202391/fighting-in-the-age-of-loneliness-mma-documentary |url-status=live }}</ref> It focuses on the development of MMA as a mainstream sport, including [[Pride Fighting Championship]] and the development of [[Ultimate Fighting Championships]], and their parallels to the 21st century [[neoliberalism|neoliberal]] socio-political landscape of financial collapse and inequality. On December 29, 2020, a supercut edition of Fighting in the Age of Loneliness was released to YouTube to commemorate the Secret Base channel accumulating 1 million subscribers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 29, 2020 |title=Fighting in the Age of Loneliness: Supercut edition |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DoaUyMGPWI |access-date=February 26, 2021 |website=YouTube |publisher=Secret Base |language=en |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212194814/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DoaUyMGPWI |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2019, Bois released a two-part series on [[Bob (given name)#In sports|professional athletes named Bob]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=April 29, 2019 |title=The Bob Emergency: a study of athletes named Bob, Part I |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvh6NLqKRfs |access-date=April 26, 2020 |via=YouTube |archive-date=April 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407084638/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvh6NLqKRfs |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=May 21, 2019 |title=The Bob Emergency: a study of athletes named Bob, Part II |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcGamPqUIxI |access-date=April 26, 2020 |via=YouTube |archive-date=April 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413014814/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcGamPqUIxI |url-status=live }}</ref> Its title, "The Bob Emergency," refers to the dwindling numbers of such athletes, with Bois only tallying 10 active athletes named Bob at the series' end on May 21, 2019. Bois has previously written on this topic, referring to it as "The Bob Famine" in a 2012 article about [[Bob Sanders]], believed to be the last Bob in [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada#"Big Four" leagues|major American sports]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=January 18, 2012 |title=The Bob Famine: Athletes Aren't Named 'Bob' Anymore And There's Nothing We Can Do About It |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2012/1/18/2713941/rip-sporting-bobs |access-date=February 26, 2021 |website=SBNation.com |language=en |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215221707/https://www.sbnation.com/2012/1/18/2713941/rip-sporting-bobs |url-status=live }}</ref>
On September 17, 2019, Bois and SB Nation video producer Kofie Yeboah started a video series called "Fumble Dimension".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yeboah |first=Kofie |date=September 25, 2020 |title=Fumble Dimension #1: One year later. |url=https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/21436698/fumble-dimension-first-episode |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=SBNation.com |language=en |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602235209/https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/21436698/fumble-dimension-first-episode |url-status=live }}</ref> Similar to Bois's earlier "Breaking Madden", it consists of using in-game mechanics of sports video games to create unusual scenarios, usually with fan input.<ref>{{Cite web |title=We destroyed the NBA's future with a video game {{!}} Fumble Dimension Episode 1 | date=September 17, 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-yfZn5iYJE&feature=youtu.be |access-date=October 26, 2020 |via=YouTube |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030074308/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-yfZn5iYJE&feature=youtu.be |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hickey |first=Walter |title=Numlock Sunday: Kofie Yeboah on The Fumble Dimension |url=https://www.numlock.com/p/numlock-sunday-kofie-yeboah-on-the |access-date=September 16, 2023 |website=www.numlock.com |language=en |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626030834/https://www.numlock.com/p/numlock-sunday-kofie-yeboah-on-the |url-status=live }}</ref>
<!--  These need a source that is not just the YouTube videos themselves.
The games involved vary wildly, involving the titles ''[[NBA 2K19]]'',<ref>{{Citation |title=We destroyed the NBA's future with a video game {{!}} Fumble Dimension Episode 1 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-yfZn5iYJE |language=en |access-date=February 26, 2021}}</ref> ''[[NFL Head Coach 09]]'',<ref>{{Citation |title=We made the best NFL play ever for the worst NFL team ever {{!}} Fumble Dimension |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGZelitmx0k |language=en |access-date=February 26, 2021}}</ref> ''[[The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA Tour]]'',<ref>{{Citation |title=We built and played the worst golf course ever and it was all your fault {{!}} Fumble Dimension Ep. 4 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQYaRJ7RIvc |language=en |access-date=February 26, 2021}}</ref> ''[[Out of the Park Baseball]]'',<ref>{{Citation |title=You made us hit 3,000 batters {{!}} Fumble Dimension |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHmnWc2sysc |language=en |access-date=February 26, 2021}}</ref> ''[[Football Manager]]'',<ref>{{Citation |title=Our quest to either fix or ruin soccer, Part 1 {{!}} Fumble Dimension |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWySTvLuCII |language=en |access-date=February 26, 2021}}</ref> ''[[EA Sports UFC 4]]'',<ref>{{Citation |title=The career of a UFC Fighter who can't fight {{!}} Fumble Dimension |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IcCo6gouTc |language=en |access-date=January 17, 2022}}</ref> ''[[Madden NFL 22]]'',<ref>{{Citation |title=Does a play in football ever have to end? {{!}} Fumble Dimension |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjRHPNkjP5U |language=en |access-date=January 17, 2022}}</ref> ''[[Rocket League]]'',<ref>{{Citation |title=We invented a new Rocket League strategy: one of us can't drive. {{!}} Fumble Dimension |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZVKBEdGu1c |language=en |access-date=January 17, 2022}}</ref> and ''[[MLB The Show 21]]''.<ref>{{Citation |title=Can a team of 25 Shohei Ohtani clones take over baseball? {{!}} Fumble Dimension |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gdN0JDZoy4 |language=en |access-date=January 17, 2022}}</ref>
-->
== Style ==
Bois has a very distinctive audiovisual style, heavily utilizing [[Google Earth]] as a medium in which to place various visuals, making heavy use of newspaper articles, charts, and timelines to create a collage that builds over the runtime of a video.<ref name="nyt-riveting">{{cite news |last=Marsh |first=Calum |date=December 30, 2022 |title=Turning Sports Statistics Into Riveting Cinema |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/30/movies/jon-bois-sb-nation-sports.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location= |access-date=January 1, 2023 |archive-date=December 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231224854/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/30/movies/jon-bois-sb-nation-sports.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
His videos often make use of [[smooth jazz]], from artists like [[Keith Mansfield]] and [[Alan Hawkshaw]], as background music.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Dan E. |date=April 7, 2022 |title=The Significance of the Insignificant: The Works of Jon Bois and the Objective Spectacle of Global… |url=https://godardorgohome.medium.com/the-significance-of-the-insignificant-the-works-of-jon-bois-and-the-objective-spectacle-of-global-a16384882f71 |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=Medium |language=en |archive-date=March 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306225049/https://godardorgohome.medium.com/the-significance-of-the-insignificant-the-works-of-jon-bois-and-the-objective-spectacle-of-global-a16384882f71 |url-status=live }}</ref> Elaborating on his musical leanings, Bois says, "I have a love in particular for smooth, hyper-produced saxophone, from older stuff like [[Steely Dan]] and "[[The Captain of Her Heart]]" by [[Double (band)|Double]], to newer stuff like [[Destroyer (band)|Destroyer]]'s "Kaputt," which I think is probably my favorite song."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swen |first=Ryan |date=March 1, 2023 |title="We Aren't Simply Trying to Appeal to Nostalgia": Jon Bois on the Art of Sports Docs |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/119858-interview-jon-bois-sb-nation/ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |website=Filmmaker Magazine {{!}} Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. |language=en-US |archive-date=April 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412200322/https://filmmakermagazine.com/119858-interview-jon-bois-sb-nation/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Bois's work often centers various [[sports statistics]] directly. He has been praised for making them accessible to a general audience in a way that makes them interesting and gripping, rather than background material. Bois has said that he is "making sports documentaries for people who don't watch sports."<ref name="nyt-riveting" />
Bois's work has been noted to cover less successful teams.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 31, 2023 |title="The History of the Minnesota Vikings": Jon Bois, Secret Base tackle team's glorious, groanworthy saga - CBS Minnesota |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/jon-bois-secret-base-history-of-the-minnesota-vikings/ |access-date=September 16, 2023 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US |archive-date=August 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829112338/https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/jon-bois-secret-base-history-of-the-minnesota-vikings/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Speaking to the "History of..." Dorktown series, Bois has said, "With the Mariners, the Falcons, and the Vikings, the obvious through line between the three is that none of them have ever won a chip, right? To an extent, that is part of the allure to us. We think the stories of teams that haven’t won it all are sometimes underappreciated or underreported."<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 1, 2023 |title=Jon Bois Keeps Finding Beauty in Miserable Sports Teams |url=https://www.gq.com/story/jon-bois-minnesota-vikings-interview |access-date=September 16, 2023 |website=GQ |language=en-US |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021122014/https://www.gq.com/story/jon-bois-minnesota-vikings-interview |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Personal life ==
Bois is a [[Kansas City Chiefs]] fan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=October 6, 2015 |title=CHART PARTY: THE CHIEFS KICKED SEVEN FIELD GOALS AND LOST. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GyeQSLh9Vw |access-date=February 16, 2020 |via=YouTube |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109111224/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GyeQSLh9Vw&feature=youtu.be |url-status=live }}</ref> He got married in June 2021,<ref>{{Cite tweet |last=Bois |first=Jon |user=jon_bois |number=1407053429801984001 |title=got married https://t.co/weTMzUjLLk |access-date=May 29, 2022}}</ref> and became a father in October 2024.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1842240557285851253 |user=@jon_bois |title=became a dad https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GZDz2D9XQAkduKm.jpg |first=Jon |last=Bois |date=2024-10-04 |access-date=2024-10-05}}</ref>
== Bibliography ==
* 2014: ''The Tim Tebow CFL Chronicles''
* 2017: ''[[17776]]''
* 2018: "What If Basketball Rims Were Smaller Than Basketballs?" (part of ''[[Mike Pesca|Upon Further Review]]'')
* 2018: "The Stallion" (part of ''SB Nation's Forest of Fright'')
* 2020: ''[[17776#Sequel series|20020]]''
== Filmography ==
=== Documentaries ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ {{sronly|Table featuring documentaries created by Jon Bois}}
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Title
!scope="col"| Director
!scope="col"| Producer
!scope="col"| Writer
!scope="col"| Narrator
!scope="col"| Notes
|-
| 2018
!scope=row|''Fighting in the Age of Loneliness''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Released in six parts. Written and narrated by Felix Biederman.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bois |first1=Jon |last2=Biederman |first2=Felix |title=Fighting in the Age of Loneliness |url=https://www.sbnation.com/a/mma-history |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=SB Nation |date=November 26, 2018 |archive-date=November 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102031430/https://www.sbnation.com/a/mma-history |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 2019
!scope=row| ''The Bob Emergency''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Released in two parts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |title=The Bob Emergency, Part I |url=https://www.sbnation.com/videos/2019/4/30/18524508/the-bob-emergency-part-one-chart-party-jon-bois |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=SB Nation |date=April 30, 2019 |archive-date=November 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102233902/https://www.sbnation.com/videos/2019/4/30/18524508/the-bob-emergency-part-one-chart-party-jon-bois |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 2020
!scope=row| ''The History of the Seattle Mariners''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Released in six parts. Produced, written and narrated with Alex Rubenstein.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bois |first1=Jon |last2=Rubenstein |first2=Alex |title=The History of the Seattle Mariners: Supercut Edition |url=https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/21408508/history-of-the-seattle-mariners-supercut-dorktown |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=SB Nation |date=August 31, 2020 |archive-date=November 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102233901/https://www.sbnation.com/secret-base/21408508/history-of-the-seattle-mariners-supercut-dorktown |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 2021
!scope=row| ''The History of the Atlanta Falcons''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Released in seven parts. Written and narrated with Alex Rubenstein. Produced by Rubenstein.
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2022
!scope=row| ''Captain Ahab: The Story of Dave Stieb''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Released in four parts. Written and narrated with Alex Rubenstein. Produced by Rubenstein.<ref name="ahab" />
|-
!scope=row| ''Section 1''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Written and narrated with Alex Rubenstein. Produced by Rubenstein.
|-
!scope=row| ''The People You're Paying to Be in Shorts''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Written and narrated with Alex Rubenstein, Seth Rosenthal and Kofie Yeboah. Produced by Rubenstein.
|-
| 2023
!scope=row| ''The History of the Minnesota Vikings''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Released in seven parts. Written and narrated with Alex Rubenstein. Produced by Rubenstein.
|-
| 2024
!scope=row| ''REFORM!''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Released in three parts, first on Patreon and then on YouTube.
|}
=== Video series ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ {{sronly|Table featuring documentaries created by Jon Bois}}
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Title
!scope="col"| Notes
|-
| 2015–present
!scope=row|Pretty Good
| 14 episodes<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |title=Pretty Good |url=https://www.sbnation.com/pretty-good |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=SB Nation |archive-date=October 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003185013/https://www.sbnation.com/pretty-good |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 2015–2019
!scope=row|Chart Party
| 16 episodes<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |title=Chart Party: The Chiefs kicked 7 field goals and lost |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2015/10/6/9463629/chart-party-the-chiefs-kicked-seven-field-goals-and-lost |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=SB Nation |date=October 6, 2015 |archive-date=November 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102233903/https://www.sbnation.com/2015/10/6/9463629/chart-party-the-chiefs-kicked-seven-field-goals-and-lost |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 2018–present
!scope=row|Dorktown
| 31 episodes<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |title=Dorktown |url=https://www.sbnation.com/dorktown |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=SB Nation |archive-date=November 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102233902/https://www.sbnation.com/dorktown |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 2019–present
!scope=row|Fumble Dimension
| 15 episodes<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bois |first1=Jon |last2=Yeboah |first2=Kofie |title=Fumble Dimension, episode 1: director's commentary |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2019/9/26/20864720/fumble-dimension-episode-1-directors-commentary |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=SB Nation |date=September 26, 2019 |archive-date=November 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102233902/https://www.sbnation.com/2019/9/26/20864720/fumble-dimension-episode-1-directors-commentary |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.sbnation.com/authors/jon-bois Jon Bois] at [[SB Nation]]
* {{Twitter}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bois, Jon}}
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century American male writers]]
[[Category:American video artists]]
[[Category:Data journalists]]
[[Category:SB Nation]]
[[Category:Writers from Louisville, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Sportswriters from Kansas]]
[[Category:Sportswriters from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Writers from Kansas City, Kansas]]
[[Category:YouTubers from Kansas]]
[[Category:YouTubers from Kentucky]]
[[Category:YouTubers from Georgia (U.S. state)]]