National Sports paper in the US?

[sportsnut]

I just found some old issues of The National and thought I would search the web and see if we will ever get a new sports daily in the US. I was not born in the US so I have read other coutries daily sports newspapers and loved it.

The National died after 18 months and was split into 3 regions per say LA, NY and Chicago. Maybe if they had worked on one region at the time they may have been alive longer.

I found xxlnationalsportsdaily.com a national sports daily that will launch online and as a pdf instead of the original National launching a print version.

Now do you believe the US can use a sports newspaper that does coverage of College-Professional Sports? Maybe if it launched in New York and after a year or so created more editions?

I know USA Today has its Sports Weekly, but they do more features then game stories. I really want to know how the world has changed since the original The National launched and now the 2006 version.

 

[JBHawkEye]

Back when it came out, The National was battling with USA Today, which had a head start. So it didn't stand much of a chance.

Great writers worked there, but the paper never caught on.

 

[Freelance Hack]

We have national sports daily publications.

They're called ESPN.com, Yahoo.com, Sportsline.com, etc.

The National probably would have been better suited for the Internet. Too bad it came a few years too soon.

 

[shotglass]

I downloaded the sample copy of xxlnationalsportsdaily.com. Interesting.

I like their idea on graphics. Much like the National used to do, it presented the stats and numbers better than newspapers generally do.

However, something has to be done to make it easier to read.

The 33-page issue I downloaded also dealt with five (5) events. That, of course, is not nearly enough. I would want to see an edition which presented more of the sports world.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

The old fantasy: "People will PAY to read handfuls of GREAT WRITERS . . . though our
deadlines suck, and our ad revenues are scraping bottom . . . "

Pleasant illusion . . . but it will never pay the rent.

 

[JBHawkEye]

The old fantasy: "People will PAY to read handfuls of GREAT WRITERS . . . though our
deadlines suck, and our ad revenues are scraping bottom . . . "

Pleasant illusion . . . but it will never pay the rent.

The one thing I remember, when I would be in Chicago and find a copy, there wouldn't be any late scores or news.

Even back in the early 90s, you couldn't compete doing that.

 

[wickedwritah]

The National did roll out in phases across the country. It was only available in maybe 10 markets by the time it folded. NYC, LA and Chicago were started first.

And props to whoever mentioned the fact that The National was about six years too early. If it had started a print edition with a strong Web site in, say, 1996 or 1997, it would run rings around ESPN.com, Foxsports.com, etc.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

It would have made things verrrrrrrry interesting.

 

[The Big Ragu]

As someone pointed out, there is no way you can compete with the sports internet sites. In fact, the idea of any timely news in printed form is anachronistic. Of course, I say that coming from a magazine background, so take it for what it is worth. I think a sports magazine (as well as other special interest magazines), that takes a feature/after-the-fact analysis approach can work fine, as SI demonstrates. I just don't think a printed product can possibly compete on a "timely news" basis anymore. So I'd be dubious about a daily sports newspaper. I certainly wouldn't invest my money in it.

 

[Buck]

the Sports Pickle

 

[shotglass]

As someone pointed out, there is no way you can compete with the sports internet sites. In fact, the idea of any timely news in printed form is anachronistic. Of course, I say that coming from a magazine background, so take it for what it is worth. I think a sports magazine (as well as other special interest magazines), that takes a feature/after-the-fact analysis approach can work fine, as SI demonstrates. I just don't think a printed product can possibly compete on a "timely news" basis anymore. So I'd be dubious about a daily sports newspaper. I certainly wouldn't invest my money in it.

Take a look at this prototype, Ragu. It does some things with more depth than you tend to find on the major sports Internet venues right now. If somebody could carry it out for the long haul ... it could REALLY put a hurtin' on the print product.

(Now, I said that, and I remember that the thing was all AP copy. That, of course, would not do. I'm talking more about the "augmentation" ... how they handle breakouts, boxscores, etc.)

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Biggest problem with The National is people don't have time for five issues of Sports Illustrated a week. I'm in the business and I found myself getting backlogged on reading it.