This is going to be an amazing implosion

[whaler11]

The Athletic expands WNBA coverage with a beat writer for every team, including some prominent names

The Athletic has significantly bolstered their WNBA coverage. They now have a beat writer for each team, plus two national WNBA writers.

awfulannouncing.com

You are going to employ 14 WNBA writers. oh. ok.

 

[businesslawyer]

I normally like my ignorance to be harder to discover, but what the heck is "The Athletic?"

 

[whaler11]

I normally like my ignorance to be harder to discover, but what the heck is "The Athletic?"

A website that covers sports nationally and locally. They have hired hundreds of writers. Funded by Priate Equity - it’s ad free and costs from $20-$50 a year to subscribe.

For example they hired David Aldridge from Turner to be the editor for Washington DC. They have beat writers for the Nats/NFL/Caps/Wizards and now the Mystics is seems. They have built it out in a bunch of cities.

 

[SubbaBub]

So it's the web version of the old "The National" daily sports newspaper.

Yeah, that won't last long.

 

[huskymedic]

So it's the web version of the old "The National" daily sports newspaper.

Yeah, that won't last long.

It's worth the nominal subscription... if you have time to read what they put out. The folks that write for The Athletic are not unknowns.

 

[noeynox]

The Athletic has been around a few years. I don't subscribe but catch their free articles once in a while and generally it's lights out better than something you would get on espn or SI.

I think Whaler point is that they're starting to spread themselves to thin in an effort to provide coverage to something like the wnba like its the nba.

 

[Slasher]

This may be a bad decision, but it's a very good product right now.

 

[whaler11]

It's worth the nominal subscription... if you have time to read what they put out. The folks that write for The Athletic are not unknowns.

The National was awesome.

I subscribe to The Athletic when they cut it to $20 for the year.

It’s good. No way the model doesn’t collapse - look at fairly serious sportsfans here not even knowing what it is. And if the older fans aren’t paying the younger fans certainly aren’t.

 

[whaler11]

The Athletic has been around a few years. I don't subscribe but catch their free articles once in a while and generally it's lights out better than something you would get on espn or SI.

I think Whaler point is that they're starting to spread themselves to thin in an effort to provide coverage to something like the wnba like its the nba.

My point is you can’t pay $2 million dollars plus travel to WNBA beat writers and ever generate a profit.

It’s just setting PE money on fire and I worry a lot of these writers are never going to find a decent wage when it collapses.

 

[whaler11]

Maybe an MISL rollout is next

 

[Fishy]

The Athletic expands WNBA coverage with a beat writer for every team, including some prominent names

The Athletic has significantly bolstered their WNBA coverage. They now have a beat writer for each team, plus two national WNBA writers.

awfulannouncing.com

You are going to employ 14 WNBA writers. oh. ok.

It's an amazing publication. I subscribed so early that they sent me a tee shirt.

I will miss it when it's gone in about 18 months.

 

[whaler11]

It's an amazing publication. I subscribed so early that they sent me a tee shirt.

I will miss it when it's gone in about 18 months.

I have the t-shirt too. Pretty sure I subscribed when you tweeted out the $20/yr and t-shirt deal when they launched the national college football writers.

 

[whaler11]

Interesting that a program as popular as Bama still has problems generating enough interest in ‘mainstream’ media

 

[MrSheldrake]

The Athletic expands WNBA coverage with a beat writer for every team, including some prominent names

The Athletic has significantly bolstered their WNBA coverage. They now have a beat writer for each team, plus two national WNBA writers.

awfulannouncing.com

You are going to employ 14 WNBA writers. oh. ok.

Hey that'll work, one writer for every 50 fans who actually buy tickets.

 

[Vowelguy]

My point is you can’t pay $2 million dollars plus travel to WNBA beat writers and ever generate a profit.

It’s just setting PE money on fire and I worry a lot of these writers are never going to find a decent wage when it collapses.

You’re assuming the writers are doing the W full time. It could be a way to repurpose winter writers during the summer, or it could be: cover the W 15 hours a week and then other stuff the rest of the time.

The Athletic also features the great FauxPelinis advice column.

 

[CL82]

Um, how is the this conference realignment related?

 

[whaler11]

Um, how is the this conference realignment related?

you mean other than the five times we’ve covered your question?

there is no conference realignment - we’ve been talking about the future of media for at least three years.

the only two people stupid enough to think they having a CR discussion are floog and the dood

 

[CL82]

you mean other than the five times we’ve covered your question?

there is no conference realignment - we’ve been talking about the future of media for at least three years.

My bad, I guess. I thought this was just you randomly pissing on a business decision to cover WNBA games rather than "a discussion of future of media."

the only two people stupid enough to think they having a CR discussion are floog and the dood

Ah well that would be the non-key tweet thread which is dedicated to that level of nonsense discussion.

In any event it kind of seems like that discussing WNBA converage would be a better fit on the WBB board, but by all means carry on.

 

[Ldandy]

The Athletic expands WNBA coverage with a beat writer for every team, including some prominent names

The Athletic has significantly bolstered their WNBA coverage. They now have a beat writer for each team, plus two national WNBA writers.

awfulannouncing.com

You are going to employ 14 WNBA writers. oh. ok.

Seriously. That's like one paid writer per WNBA Fan. Seems like a formula for success...

 

[whaler11]

 

[ZooCougar]

Maybe an MISL rollout is next

I don’t get this post. Motorsport fans don’t buy subscriptions?

If they can pay a writer by the article to cover pro bass fishing and they can get enough subscribers to make a profit then why not?

 

[HuskyDogArt]

I don’t get this post. Motorsport fans don’t buy subscriptions?

If they can pay a writer by the article to cover pro bass fishing and they can get enough subscribers to make a profit then why not?

Bass Fishing...how about Pro Waterskiing or Superboats Racing...I might subscribe then!!

 

[huskymedic]

People are figuring things out...

Substack

Substack makes it simple for a writer to start an email newsletter that makes money from subscriptions.

mediaoperator.substack.com

 

[Fishy]

The article mentions London....The Athletic is advertising all over the London underground.

Every car has a 50% off advert.

 

[whaler11]

People are figuring things out...

Substack

Substack makes it simple for a writer to start an email newsletter that makes money from subscriptions.

mediaoperator.substack.com

The article mentions London....The Athletic is advertising all over the London underground.

Every car has a 50% off advert.

The biggest lie is $64 per sub. Unless they are selling the data on subs for $34 a head.

They have a full time West Bromwich Albion beat writer. The coverage is amazing and I’ll gladly pay the $30 or $40 a year for the 5-6 writers I read consistently but it seems impossible they can pay that many writers and ever get to black. The market has clearly spoken - it prefers garbage content for free over paying for quality.