Grand Slam:

Sports mags go for the gold

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Why do sports magazines appeal to publishers? Well, they inevitably touch on cultural hot points like race, gender, and celebrity, and dramatic photo opportunities abound. Perhaps most importantly, a never-ending supply of statistics means there’s always fodder for the definitive form of late ’90s magazine expression—the chart. While sports have always snagged adult male consumers, new players in the genre are reaching futher out. Herwith, a scouting report.

—G. Beato

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ESPN CONDÉ NAST SPORTS FOR WOMEN HECKLER SLAM
Spiritual mascot Dan Marino Tiger Woods “Most glamorous sportswoman in the country,” Gabrielle Reece 18-year-old snowboarding phenom you’ve never heard of Li’l Penny
Show me the money 3.15 million readers Anytime you’re starting a new magazine, it helps to have a worldwide cable empire to promote it. Best closer in the league: Condé Nast’s ad department. Anti-consumerist editorial stance lends maximum credibility to advertisers. Cool-hunting advertisers eager to target voracious sports-shoe consumer demographic
Knockout punch Easy-to-read old-school graphic design Editorial staff includes mix of seasoned vets and future All-Stars. Workout tips from supermodel athletes, rather than just supermodels Skaters and snowboarders discuss their adventures without slick magazine-writer intervention Nothing but net
Bum knee Frequent unnecessary psychoanalysis: “He may be a bit anal, but he can putt.” Unrestrained insider tone means you have to watch at least 15 hours of sports a week to know what they’re talking about. Editor writes like a summer intern at a second-rate PR agency. See above Should come with glossary insert for those over 30
Intangibles If mysteriously well-regarded columnist Rick Reilly ever decides to jump to ESPN, it’ll be SI‘s gain. Has the rarest commodity in the genre; funny sports-writing that’s actually funny Low-fat cheesecake like “The Breast News Ever!” likely to attract crossover audience Lots of music coverage, in case you’re not really into sports, even extreme ones Surprisingly entertaining vertical-leap-
enhancement ads
State of the chart Used mostly as uninspired page-filling devices Detailed statistical breakdown of the Alamodome Detailed statistical breakdown of Wheat Thins Nutrition Facts label Stats and charts are for fat-asses. Rankings of up-and-coming sneaker brands

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

The short of it: Last year, we had to cut $1 million from our budget so we could have any chance of breaking even by the time our fiscal year ended in June. And despite a huge rally from so many of you leading up to the deadline, we still came up a bit short on the whole. We canā€™t let that happen again. We have no wiggle room to begin with, and now we have a hole to dig out of.

Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

The upshot: Being able to rally $253,000 in donations over these next few weeks is vitally important simply because it is the number that keeps us right on track, helping make sure we don't end up with a bigger gap than can be filled again, helping us avoid any significant (and knowable) cash-flow crunches for now. We used to be more nonchalant about coming up short this time of year, thinking we can make it by the time June rolls around. Not anymore.

Because the in-depth journalism on underreported beats and unique perspectives on the daily news you turn to Mother Jones for is only possible because readers fund us. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism we exist to do. The only investors who wonā€™t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its futureā€”you.

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