Sports Web sites "are embracing the prose of big-name
TV sports personalities," according to David Sweet of the
WALL STREET JOURNAL. ESPN NFL analyst Joe Theismann, who
writes weekly for ESPN.com: "The generation coming onto the
Web doesn't really remember the name Joe Theismann [as a QB]
that well. My association with ESPN has given me
credibility with my sport." Both ESPN.com and Fox Sports
Online (FSO) are "tapping on-air talent for online
contributions." FSO offers three choices on the top of its
navigation bar -- Football, Baseball and All-Madden. But
despite the initial draw of on-air names, Sweet wrote that
they "will only carry a column for so long." The Sporting
News Online GM Mark Newman: "At some point, the content does
have to stand by itself" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/28).
DOUBLE THREAT? ESPN Magazine is profiled by Valerie
Brock in CRAIN'S N.Y. BUSINESS. ESPN Magazine Publisher
Michael Rooney, noting some criticism of the title's layout
and print: "We did not want to appeal to every sports fan.
We wanted to appeal to every young sports fan." Brock
reports that ESPN's average reader is 29-years-old, while
SI's is 36. Eight months after its launch, ESPN Magazine's
circulation is at 500,000, and will hit 700,000 in January.
Ad pages through August reached 662, with ad revenues at
"close to" $14M (CRAIN'S N.Y., 10/26 issue).
