Sometimes in the solitude of your own company certain things come to mind. You ask yourself questions about what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong, what you need to add, and what you need to subtract from your life. It is called “taking stock” of your life or just reflecting.

We had a long weekend this past week and as hard as it is to believe, we are heading toward the end of another year. So many changes and so many things to think about, and sometimes, the answer comes to you when you were not even asking the question. On Wednesday morning as I was getting ready for work, I felt something tell me, “It is time for you to leave The Lion Wire. Your next chapter in life is coming, and you have to leave a certain part behind.”

Now, at first, I thought about just shutting down the entire thing until I realized that there some babies I would be throwing out with the bathwater. So I thought, and I prayed, and I reflected, and I weighed options about what I created with the help of 2 other guys and hundreds, if not thousands of others with their support and love. So, this is how the future of The Lion Wire will look like.

Effective May 31, 2025, The Lion Wire site will no longer feature stories, articles, features, or anything like that. I will cover the final sporting events of the 2025 school year, but that will be it. The website will remain online, but it will all be archived so that all of the great articles and historical pieces that Russ, Billy, and I wrote will still be there for those who remember them well and want to keep them. It will essentially be a site that exists but is no longer active but anyone will be able to browse the archives and articles.

After that Happens, The Lion Wire’s Facebook Page will change names, probably to “The Lion Wire’s Call the Roll Podcast”, because the podcast is staying. I will be still be podcasting at least once a week and providing my take on Lion Athletics and the University writ large. I will try to get my podcast on Spotify as well as Apple and also Youtube to broaden my range. That will not be changing. I will use the Facebook page to put new episodes up as well as my own personal page. I will do a lot of the things I did on The Lion Wire with game previews and things of that nature on The Call the Roll Podcast, so the change may seem huge, but it won’t be as big as you think. It is a lot easier to speak than it is to write anyway.

The reason for this change is multifaceted. First, I am starting Law school next year and will need all the extra time I can get to be the best Law Student I can be. Second, my parents are both getting older like all parents are, but after my Dad had his brain hemorrhage in February and was in ICU for 4 days, you never know. This past year has shown me the time is NOW to do what life what you will. I just want to enjoy the drives to Commerce and sit with my Dad and Uncle and enjoy taking in the game in the fresh air. I am sure in the September games I will be dying for the Air Conditioning, but that is what it is. I just want to be a fan again. And yes, I miss Russ dearly, and this is not nearly as fun without him. I won’t lie, that is a part of it.

I also want to work with the entire athletic department to see what I can do in order to rally everyone to the great things on the horizon with Lion athletics and hopefully changes being made in the future with the University that will put us back in a positive direction scholastically. I will be around, just in a different way. I believe that working with the school and getting the word out via podcasts and also social media will be better for all involved. I want to see the past honored and build a foundation for the future of my beloved Alma Mater. If the athletic department will allow me to help them in any way, I will be there for them.

Finally, if anyone cares to buy the Lion Wire’s website from Me and run it, the site will be for sale. Truth is, I wish someone would buy it and take what we have all done on it and go forward. I would just be a podcaster and would not interfere at all. If you know anyone who wishes to see the site stay active and buy and and run it, please let me know.

Finally, I want to say thank you to everyone who has contributed and helped with the site the past 15 years. The ups and downs are not anything I would trade for anything. I wish certain things would have stayed the same and certain things might not have happened, but from the very first time I printed an article under the name Prairie Lion Nation, I never thought in a million years that little wordpress site would turn into the most recognizable site in the Lone Star Conference and now, the Southland Conference. It has truly been a blessing from God above, and I thank Him for all the good things that came from it, because all good things do come from God above.

And, I thank you all Lions. It has been my honor to keep you informed and meet some of the best people I have ever met. We still have 7 months, but until then, I will keep on trucking as they say.

Hail ET,

Brian Pate