ESPN Signs Sports Guy To Extension, Acquires Jayski.com

Columnist Bill Simmons has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN to continue writing for both ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine and to consult on original shows and projects for EOE (ESPN). In this week’s SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, John Ourand reports Simmons signed a four-year deal and will contribute to projects including documentaries, “entertainment-oriented shows” and fantasy sports programming. There were “rumors that SI.com would make a run at Simmons,” but he said that he “would never consider working for that site following the publication of a March 2006 Sports Illustrated article that Simmons felt treated him unfairly” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/2 issue).

ESPN Acquires Web Site Devoted To NASCAR Information

JAYSKI: ESPN has acquired Jayski.com, a Web site that gathers information on NASCAR. Jayski.com Founder Jay Adamczyk, who began the site in ’96 and whose ties to ESPN date to ’04 when the net began hosting the Web site, will continue to operate it (ESPN). Terms of the deal were not available. ESPN New Media Senior VP & GM John Kosner said that he would not “tinker too much” with the site. Viewers may “see more standard Internet banners and ad units, but the content will remain in Adamczyk’s hands.” Kosner added that the acquisition of the Web site “fits into that broader strategy of upgrading [ESPN’s] NASCAR coverage” (SBJ, 4/2).