On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams are joined by Sportico colleague Jacob Feldman to discuss the launch of Club Sportico, a new online sports business community.
Club Sportico is starting with a weekly newsletter, sent every Thursday afternoon, that breaks down the billions underpinning professional and college sports in a more casual manner. It will include a weekly news quiz, members-only audio episodes of the Sporticast and a chat room for subscribers to interact. In the future, Sportico is hoping to bring live events, office pool-style games and more.
The plan is to present much of the information that Sportico covers–and much that it doesn’t–in a more accessible manner. Recent Club Sportico newsletters have focused on a 2018 phone call with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones; and the reason why the Paris Summer Games felt different from Olympics in the past.
Club Sportico has a free option with limited features, but full access to everything will cost $5 per month, or $50 per year. Those interested can sign up here:
They also talk about Feldman’s recent trip to Bristol, Conn., for a day of panels and meetings focused on the future of ESPN. They discuss ESPN’s changing business model–deprioritizing the two-pronged income streams of advertising and carriage fees in order to adapt to a more digital future. The day coincided with conversation about ESPN possibly playing a larger role in local sports coverage and a 12-year rights extension for the U.S. Open.
They also talk about ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro saying that he no longer wants the company to be called the “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” a moniker it has used for decades. ESPN’s LinkedIn page, Feldman points out, still uses the nickname.
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