Jen Chang leaving SI

[rmanfredi]

Grant Wahl posted on his Facebook feed that SI soccer editor Jen Chang is leaving the magazine to become Liverpool FC's new director of communications. It's also up on Liverpool's website: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/jen-chang-joins-liverpool-fc.

 

[geddymurphy]

Grant Wahl posted on his Facebook feed that SI soccer editor Jen Chang is leaving the magazine to become Liverpool FC's new director of communications. It's also up on Liverpool's website: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/jen-chang-joins-liverpool-fc.

Better fit. Always seemed a little odd than an American magazine site devoted so much of its efforts toward covering the game in Europe and a lot less toward covering it in the USA. Tough to compete with Soccernet, which actually was an English company in its pre-ESPN days and still has that reach.

 

[Boomer7]

As opposed to ESPN and Fox, who ... also devote much more of their efforts toward covering the game in Europe?

 

[imjustagirl]

Holy crap. I worked (in passing) with Jen at ESPN and didn't even know he'd gone to SI.

Good on him. I'm sure he'll love it.

 

[geddymurphy]

As opposed to ESPN and Fox, who ... also devote much more of their efforts toward covering the game in Europe?

Again -- Soccernet was originally an English company.

And both ESPN and Fox have broadcast rights to European soccer. SI does not.

 

[Moderator1]

Jen grew up in England and attended the University of London (Queen Mary). He also has graduate degrees from both Cambridge University (Queens' College) and the London School of Economics.


Damn. Dude must love soccer. Seems like he's way way way way too smart for this stuff. Power to him.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Well . . . If you can't say anything nice . . . .

Let's just say this isn't a massive loss for soccer journalism.

 

[bigpern23]

To be honest, I read the thread title and thought it was about a hot asian woman. I'm more disappointed than Estelle Costanza.

 

[clutchcargo]

Jen Chang leaving SI? Wow. One question: Who is this person? Never heard of him or her until I stumbled across this thread.

 

[geddymurphy]

Jen Chang leaving SI? Wow. One question: Who is this person? Never heard of him or her until I stumbled across this thread.

Hey now -- we don't go into the "Smith leaves Smalltown News" threads and ask who Smith is.

 

[Boomer7]

As opposed to ESPN and Fox, who ... also devote much more of their efforts toward covering the game in Europe?

Again -- Soccernet was originally an English company.

And both ESPN and Fox have broadcast rights to European soccer. SI does not.

Soccernet's origins are irrelevant to my point, which is that European soccer (and Mexican soccer) is more popular than MLS among American fans. If you want to drive traffic to your site, or pull decent TV ratings, you're more likely to do it with EPL coverage than you are MLS coverage.

 

[geddymurphy]

As opposed to ESPN and Fox, who ... also devote much more of their efforts toward covering the game in Europe?

Again -- Soccernet was originally an English company.

And both ESPN and Fox have broadcast rights to European soccer. SI does not.

Soccernet's origins are irrelevant to my point, which is that European soccer (and Mexican soccer) is more popular than MLS among American fans. If you want to drive traffic to your site, or pull decent TV ratings, you're more likely to do it with EPL coverage than you are MLS coverage.

But Soccernet/ESPN and Fox have unique things to add to our understanding of the EPL. SI, apart from the occasional story in which they send Grant Wahl overseas, does not. And it's simply not a logical place in which you'd look for EPL coverage, particularly online. No one says, "Hey, I'd like to read about Arsenal. Rather than check out any sites in England or the American broadcasters' sites, let's see what an American magazine's site has to say."

Also -- EPL is more popular in the U.S., but not THAT much more popular. The trouble for MLS is that they're competing with *everything* -- EPL, La Liga, Mexico, etc.

 

[Boomer7]

But Soccernet/ESPN and Fox have unique things to add to our understanding of the EPL. SI, apart from the occasional story in which they send Grant Wahl overseas, does not. And it's simply not a logical place in which you'd look for EPL coverage, particularly online. No one says, "Hey, I'd like to read about Arsenal. Rather than check out any sites in England or the American broadcasters' sites, let's see what an American magazine's site has to say."

Also -- EPL is more popular in the U.S., but not THAT much more popular. The trouble for MLS is that they're competing with *everything* -- EPL, La Liga, Mexico, etc.

I agree with that last point. As for SI.com, I just think that if you're trying to build a comprehensive sports site, you try to provide content on the stuff people are most interested in. And it's not like Fox Soccer's site (or cast of contributors) is so full of unique perspectives that SI.com couldn't compete if it tried.

 

[JPsT]

As opposed to ESPN and Fox, who ... also devote much more of their efforts toward covering the game in Europe?

Again -- Soccernet was originally an English company.

And both ESPN and Fox have broadcast rights to European soccer. SI does not.

Soccernet's origins are irrelevant to my point, which is that European soccer (and Mexican soccer) is more popular than MLS among American fans. If you want to drive traffic to your site, or pull decent TV ratings, you're more likely to do it with EPL coverage than you are MLS coverage.

But Soccernet/ESPN and Fox have unique things to add to our understanding of the EPL. SI, apart from the occasional story in which they send Grant Wahl overseas, does not. And it's simply not a logical place in which you'd look for EPL coverage, particularly online. No one says, "Hey, I'd like to read about Arsenal. Rather than check out any sites in England or the American broadcasters' sites, let's see what an American magazine's site has to say."

Also -- EPL is more popular in the U.S., but not THAT much more popular. The trouble for MLS is that they're competing with *everything* -- EPL, La Liga, Mexico, etc.

Have you been to SI.com's soccer section? They've got pieces from pretty much the best English-language soccer writers on the continent and have for some time. I can't imagine they're getting poor numbers if they keep springing for those guys' fees.

I have a hard time understanding what Soccernet or Fox 'has' that SI.com does not...except perhaps for more easily fooled editors in the case of the former.

 

[SoccerFan]

Fox Soccer and Soccernet have comprehensive coverage but not necessarily coverage it has cultivated. A lot of it is wire stuff, tables, standings, stats, etc. It wouldn't take much -- from a writing standpoint -- to elevate above them in terms of soccer analysis and commentary, but it would obviously take money invested in producing analysis and commentary from the best soccer writers.

 

[spikechiquet]

Congrats to Jen.

As for the other topic. When I want to read soccer news...I go to the BBC. Why would I care what an American writer has to say about English soccer? Can't say I have ever hit up any of the American sites for English sports.

 

[SoccerFan]

BBC is good for English-related soccer content, but Soccernet and Fox Soccer provide coverage for the entire globe, not just the EPL. If you love soccer -- and those that do love soccer REALLY love soccer -- you are interested much more than the EPL and what the BBC typically offers. Player transfers, international teams, Champions League, Serie A, Bundesliga, La Liga, South America, Mexico, MLS, you're not going to get in-depth coverage at BBC on those aspects like you can on the other two sites, despite those sites' limitations from a writing perspective.

 

[geddymurphy]

As opposed to ESPN and Fox, who ... also devote much more of their efforts toward covering the game in Europe?

Again -- Soccernet was originally an English company.

And both ESPN and Fox have broadcast rights to European soccer. SI does not.

Soccernet's origins are irrelevant to my point, which is that European soccer (and Mexican soccer) is more popular than MLS among American fans. If you want to drive traffic to your site, or pull decent TV ratings, you're more likely to do it with EPL coverage than you are MLS coverage.

But Soccernet/ESPN and Fox have unique things to add to our understanding of the EPL. SI, apart from the occasional story in which they send Grant Wahl overseas, does not. And it's simply not a logical place in which you'd look for EPL coverage, particularly online. No one says, "Hey, I'd like to read about Arsenal. Rather than check out any sites in England or the American broadcasters' sites, let's see what an American magazine's site has to say."

Also -- EPL is more popular in the U.S., but not THAT much more popular. The trouble for MLS is that they're competing with *everything* -- EPL, La Liga, Mexico, etc.

Have you been to SI.com's soccer section? They've got pieces from pretty much the best English-language soccer writers on the continent and have for some time. I can't imagine they're getting poor numbers if they keep springing for those guys' fees.

I have a hard time understanding what Soccernet or Fox 'has' that SI.com does not...except perhaps for more easily fooled editors in the case of the former.

Oh sure -- they have some good writers.

But like the person said above -- if I want to know about English soccer, I can go to an English site. Why is a U.S. site spending that much to compete?

 

[JPsT]

As opposed to ESPN and Fox, who ... also devote much more of their efforts toward covering the game in Europe?

Again -- Soccernet was originally an English company.

And both ESPN and Fox have broadcast rights to European soccer. SI does not.

Soccernet's origins are irrelevant to my point, which is that European soccer (and Mexican soccer) is more popular than MLS among American fans. If you want to drive traffic to your site, or pull decent TV ratings, you're more likely to do it with EPL coverage than you are MLS coverage.

But Soccernet/ESPN and Fox have unique things to add to our understanding of the EPL. SI, apart from the occasional story in which they send Grant Wahl overseas, does not. And it's simply not a logical place in which you'd look for EPL coverage, particularly online. No one says, "Hey, I'd like to read about Arsenal. Rather than check out any sites in England or the American broadcasters' sites, let's see what an American magazine's site has to say."

Also -- EPL is more popular in the U.S., but not THAT much more popular. The trouble for MLS is that they're competing with *everything* -- EPL, La Liga, Mexico, etc.

Have you been to SI.com's soccer section? They've got pieces from pretty much the best English-language soccer writers on the continent and have for some time. I can't imagine they're getting poor numbers if they keep springing for those guys' fees.

I have a hard time understanding what Soccernet or Fox 'has' that SI.com does not...except perhaps for more easily fooled editors in the case of the former.

Oh sure -- they have some good writers.

But like the person said above -- if I want to know about English soccer, I can go to an English site. Why is a U.S. site spending that much to compete?

Because it's the Internet. Who cares if it's an "English site" or "Spanish site" or "U.S. site" or whatever? It's a site. It's a site with quality content.

Sid Lowe is a British guy living in Spain who sometimes writes for an American site. Raphael Honigstein is a German guy who writes about English football in German and German football in English...sometimes for an American site.

That's not even getting in to the sites and blogs based in one country dedicated to covering the sport in another country.

Again, I fail to see what SI.com is lacking that other sites (Soccernet, FOX Soccer) have in your estimation. I've got no stake in the matter, but I think it's odd to say SI.com shouldn't bother with foreign soccer coverage simply because the parent publication originates in the U.S.

 

[Webster]

Si.com has probably the highest average quality of soccer writing on the web. I certainly check other sites more frequently (usually the Guardian, which has a big crossover with si.com), but from an analysis perspective, for me si.com's soccer coverage is far superior to Fox Soccer or soccernet.