Welcome to By The Belt!

Nearly two months has been much too long to be away from all of you.

In that time, we've seen the Mid-American Conference's first multi-bid season in men's basketball since 1999, the start of spring sports such as baseball and softball, and a flurry of Pro Days in anticipation of the NFL Draft.

It has been immensely frustrating to be unable to report those stories. We've kept up our social media presence the best we can since SB Nation shuttered the doors on Hustle Belt, but it's just not the same as taking digital pen to digital paper.

However, that changes today. By The Belt is officially online as of Tuesday, March 24th, 2026.

Between our recent fan survey and a bevy of behind-the-scenes phone calls, emails and DMs, over a month of careful care and deliberation has gone into rolling out this website. We think we have landed on a platform which can best execute what we hope to do both now and in the future.

Our hope is to create a place for all fans of the Best Little Conference in the Midwest to gather around and take pride in their shared love of #MACtion. Whether you're a freshman on campus, an alum who wants to keep track of their school or a total outsider, BTB hopes to scratch the itch.

To wit, we will continue to provide the coverage you came to expect from Hustle Belt in prior years, while also exploring new angles and options which were previously unavailable to us due to lack of support or otherwise suggested by you, the readers.

There will be a few bumps in the road as we complete our rollout, so we ask for your understanding until we have a better grip on our new engine.

We appreciate your patience as we have navigated such an uncertain time in our history, and have been emboldened by your passion to try and deliver the best blog we can.

As we launch into this new endeavor, we will do our best to be transparent and ensure an optimal experience for anyone who visits the website.

Daily, Weekly, Eternally. We are By The Belt.