It is now a "truism that sports is the perfect genre
for the Net," according to Bilge Ebiri of YAHOO! INTERNET
LIFE, who pits "the major sports hubs against one another in
a supersite Super Bowl" and lists his favorites. ESPN.com is
named the "best sports hub" overall, as it "provides
thorough, well-written coverage of just about every sport
out there, and it's fast." The site's "ongoing dialogue
with fans ... sets ESPN.com apart" from its competitors.
NBA.com wins the "best official league site," as "pro
basketball seems perfect for cyberspace" and the site
"proves it, with live scoreboards" and "breaking-news
updates." Among the "close contenders," NFL.com "wins
points for its impressive in-season chats with players and
coaches." The "best baseball site" is fastball.com, which
is "packed to the gills with obsessive details." Ebiri also
presents recognition to individual sports sites including
NHL.com ("best hockey site") and siforwomen.com ("best
women's sports site") (YAHOO! INTERNET LIFE, 7/99 issue).
GOLF ON THE WEB: The N.Y. TIMES' Verne Kopytoff reviews
golf Web sites and says PGATOUR.com, "despite its
shortcomings ... is probably among the best on the Web."
Kopytoff also writes LPGA.com "works only as a source of
updated tour results" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/24)....Golf.com's U.S.
Open coverage, at www.pinehurst99.com, set site records.
During the week of June 14-20, the site attracted 40,456,910
hits, over 14 million page views, and over 7 million visits.
The numbers peaked on Friday, June 18, with 13,912,100 hits
and 5,587,881 page views (Total Sports).
