Nerdist, the popular digital media network run by comedian Chris Hardwick, has begun a push into sports content that is expected to include several podcasts and a full-fledged sports vertical by year’s end. Recent hire Jonah Keri, a former Grantland writer, will determine the editorial direction of Nerdist Sports along with Hardwick. Nerdist, one of Legendary Entertainment’s three digital networks, traditionally focuses on offbeat aspects of pop culture -- video games, TV, film, to name a few. However, Legendary Digital Networks President Adam Rymer, who previously spent six years at USA Volleyball, said that sports is a natural fit. Rymer: “Our entire mission here is about supporting fan culture of really anything people can geek out over. Anything that you can develop a healthy or unhealthy obsession over is something that we think is important for Nerdist to be part of, and sports has probably more fans that fall into that category than anything else.” Nerdist Sports currently consists solely of the Jonah Keri Podcast, which ranks as the No. 6 sports podcast on the iTunes charts and has at least once occupied the top spot since its launch on Nerdist last month. Keri: “It sets up a situation where we can go to advertisers and say, ‘Hey. This guy has an established brand.' But in fact there is much more potential at Nerdist than there was at Grantland. I’m introducing this to a brand new core of listeners, people who maybe have no freaking idea who I was before I came to Nerdist.” SeatGeek, which sponsored Keri’s podcast at Grantland, is the presenting sponsor of the show’s new incarnation. Rymer and Keri both said that e-sports coverage will likely be an important part of Nerdist Sports, as it is a natural fit for the site’s existing audience. The site is currently in the process of seeking out the right voices to cover that space, as well as several other sports contributors.
LIFE AFTER GRANTLAND: Since the dissolution of Grantland late last year, there has been a diaspora of that site’s talent, with some joining Bill Simmons in his new venture at HBO, some transitioning to ESPN’s main site and others moving on altogether. In addition to his role in Nerdist Sports, Keri has signed on with both SI and CBS Sports, and made some appearances on MLB Network, as part of his plan to expand his reach. Keri: “As soon as Grantland ended, I took a two-month extension with ESPN, but I started thinking about what would happen if I chop myself up, could that work? … I want to try to this, I want to do this, I want to do that. And this idea of splitting up jobs and different kinds of jobs really allows me to do that.” Keri will bring his weekly MLB power rankings column, “The 30,” to SI, along with his MLB trade value series. For CBS, Keri plans to contribute both written and video content. He also hopes to make more TV appearances for MLB Network throughout the season.
