The Players' Tribune

The Players' Tribune
Web address	www.theplayerstribune.com
Type of site	Sports Journalism
Available in	English
Owner	The Players' Tribune, Inc
Editor	Gary Hoenig[1]
Launched	October 1, 2014 (2014-10-01)
Alexa rank	4,685 (US/Global 03/2015)
Current status	Active

The Players' Tribune is a new media platform which attempts to present a medium for direct reflections, thoughts and experiences of professional athletes. Founded by former Professional Major League Baseball player Derek Jeter, the Tribune provides daily sports conversation and publishes first-person stories directly from athletes. Content ranges from videos to podcasts to player polls and written pieces.^[2] The goal of the Tribune is to be recognized as "The Voice of the Game".^[3][4]

History

The Tribune was launched in 2014, by Derek Jeter, a former Major League Baseball player.^[5] The current editor-in-chief is Gary Hoenig. Partners and Napier was named their agent of record, serving as the driving force behind all brand activities and development.^[6] Excel Sports Management is a founding partner^[7] and Legendary Entertainment has provided financial backing as well.^[8]

On February 13, 2015, the Tribune announced it was entering a "next phase." Jeter stated: "we began an experiment in providing a trusted platform for athletes to tell their stories their way. Four months later, that experiment has become the foundation of what I’d hoped for, and more". Furthermore, "We've started a community of athletes that is pretty special. And now it’s time to take it up a notch. More content, more distribution channels, more fresh ways of telling our stories our way. Podcasts, digital video, Sirius radio, plus much more of the kinds of stories we’ve already been telling".^[3]

Content and platform

The platform gives athletes the tools to develop and create quality content ranging from first-person written features to videos, podcasts, photo galleries, polls and more, and will cover topics from sports commentary to lifestyle and popular culture. Legendary Entertainment, headed by Thomas Tull, which provides television and digital content joined Jeter and The Players' Tribune as a partner providing creative support as well as capital.^[9][10] As of January 2015, Gary Hoenig, former Editorial Director of ESPN Publishing and a founding editor of ESPN The Magazine, serves as Editorial Director of The Players' Tribune and is responsible in shaping the team of editors who will help the athletes share their voice on a regular basis. Maureen Cavanagh, former Photography Director for Sports Illustrated, is the Creative Director and Sarah Turcotte, former Senior Writer/General Editor at ESPN The Magazine, is the Executive Editor. Alex Rose, a seasoned sports content strategist, is the company's General Manager and Mark Grande is the Vice President, Content and Strategy.^[5][10]

A few statements from the Editorial leadership mention that “It won’t be a promotional website, and we’ll guard against that”, said Gary Hoenig, editorial director, as well as Jeter Publishing stating. “We want to make sure this has a higher purpose and isn't a payback site to get back at reporters. Lending to its credibility, It’s not a fan site, either”, Marks added. “The last thing we need is for The Players’ Tribune to be construed as a vanity project for athletes”, Grande emphasized. The content is a driving as mentioned, “Overall, we don’t want to say anything unless it’s original and unique, and we’re looking for content that’s emotionally resonant and funny. There’s nothing quite like the spontaneity you get from sports, and it’s hard to get that experience elsewhere nowadays”, Hoenig said. The main approach will be that “The athletes will focus on issues and topics and will produce their own content. The Players’ Tribune editors will edit their drafts but the athletes will have the final say regarding what we publish. We’ll handle controversies as they arise”, Hoenig added.^[10] One of the goals is to reduce what's perceived as a divide, “There’s a gap between fans and athletes since athletes aren’t as open when they sit with reporters, who then select story headlines”, Messer said.“When we did research we found that now there are more fans talking to other fans. This gives a voice to the players so the fans can get back to the game”, Marks added.^[10]

Media

Critics have brought up some questions as to the role of traditional reporters and beat writers in sports today, the founding publisher, Derek Jeter, said, "We're not trying to take away from sportswriters. Sportswriters are what makes sports successful," he said. "I think we're sort of working in conjunction with them."^[11] There are some media outlets that are not sure the Tribune has a footing in today's digital media when other social platforms such as Twitter" ^[8] “It’s like the Go Pro of sports journalism, offering an inside first-person perspective”, said Jason Marks, executive creative director. “We’re giving the athletes that fans know and love a voice. This is longform social, to tell stories with content in a natural way”, added Mark Grande, VP content strategy. “It will be a platform where athletes control their own voice. It’s meant to complement what’s out there and provide opinions, POVs and perspective”, said Jaymee Messer, CMO, Excel Sports Management^[10]

Content contributors

References

External links

• www.theplayerstribune.com