Deadspin
| File:Deadspin logo.png | |
Type of site | Blog |
|---|---|
| Owner | Gawker Media |
| Created by | Will Leitch, Rick Chandler |
| Editor | Tommy Craggs |
| URL | deadspin.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
Deadspin is a sports website owned by Gawker Media and was launched in September 2005. As of February 2010, the site had attracted over 462 million unique visitors and about 573 million page views.[2]
Deadspin's founding editor-in-chief was Will Leitch, author and a founding editor of the New York City-based culture website, "The Black Table." Leitch announced on June 5, 2008 that he would be leaving to take a position at New York magazine.[3] He was replaced by A.J. Daulerio, former senior writer for the site.[4]
The current staff[5] consists of editor Tommy Craggs, managing editor Emma Carmichael, video/assignment editor Tim Burke, writers Barry Petchesky and Dom Cosentino, weekend editor Sean Newell, and contributing editor Drew Magary, along with a rotating group of regular contributors, interns and editorial assistants. The editorial tone is similar to that of its sister site Gawker.com: sarcastic, humorous and often critical of mainstream media personalities.
Content
The site posts commentaries, recaps, and previews of the major sports stories of the day, as well as sports-related anecdotes, rumors and YouTube videos. The last post each evening is tagged "DUAN" and means Deadspin Up All Night, often taking on a life of its own and featuring wildly diverse (and not necessarily related to sport) commentary. Like Gawker.com, stories on Deadspin come from anonymous tips, readers, and other sports blogs.[6]
Mainstream recognition
Sports Illustrated cited two stories that came from Deadspin, photographs of Matt Leinart partying in New York City and the first published report that outfielder Matt Lawton had tested positive for steroids, as two of the top web stories of 2005, and Time magazine named the site one of the 50 coolest websites of 2006.[7][8]
"You're with me, leather," a phrase allegedly used by ESPN anchor Chris Berman, appeared in an anecdote submitted by a site contributor, became a running gag among readers and was used on-air by television personalities such as ESPN's Tony Kornheiser and Neil Everett and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann.[9]
A second season episode of the Starz sitcom Party Down name-checked Deadspin. The episode concerned a fictional NFL Draft prospect dropping in the draft because of his rumored homosexuality, with Deadspin providing photographic evidence.[10]
Deadspin broke the story of NFL quarterback Brett Favre's alleged sexual misconduct toward journalist Jenn Sterger. The story was picked up (and credited to Deadspin) by numerous mainstream media outlets, including ESPN,[11] Newsweek,[12] and the New York Daily News.[13]
Deadspin broke the story of Sarah Phillips, a reporter hired by ESPN who lied about her identity and credentials to staffers in order to gain employment.[14]
In 2013, Deadspin broke the news that the reported September 2012 death of the girlfriend of Notre Dame All-American linebacker Manti Te'o, which Te'o had said inspired him during the 2012 season, was apparently a hoax. Specifically, Deadspin found no evidence that the girlfriend had ever existed, much less died. As with the Favre–Sterger story, many mainstream media outlets credited Deadspin, among them CNN, ESPN,[15] Sports Illustrated,[16] and the Associated Press.[17]
References
- ^ "Deadspin.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
- ^ "Deadspin site summary". Sitemeter. December 18, 2007.[original research?]
- ^ A Note From Your Editor
- ^ Meet Your New Editor(s)
- ^ http://deadspin.com/about
- ^ http://advertising.gawker.com/deadspin/
- ^ "Top Web Stories Of The Year". Sports Illustrated. March 22, 2006.
- ^ Buechner, Maryanne Murray (August 3, 2006). "50 Coolest Websites 2006". Time.
- ^ Hoffarth, Tom (November 27, 2006). "The dubious dozen". LA Daily News.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (June 18, 2010). "'Party Down' - 'Cole Landry's Draft Day Party': Coming out for the team". HitFix.com.
- ^ Brett Favre faces more allegations, ESPN (Oct. 9, 2010)
- ^ Dailey, Kate (2011-01-20) What Frank Deford Gets Wrong About Deadspin's Brett Favre Pictures, Newsweek
- ^ O'Keefe, Michael (2011-01-12) Brett Favre's sister, Brandi Favre, arrested at alleged meth lab at Mississippi condo complex, New York Daily News
- ^ Koblin, John (2012-05-01) [1], "Deadspin"
- ^ "Story of Manti Te'o girlfriend a hoax". ESPN.com. January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ Rosenberg, Michael (January 16, 2013). "Te'o girlfriend hoax filled with more questions than answers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ "Notre Dame says story about Te'o girlfriend dying apparently a hoax". The Washington Post. Associated Press. January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.