Sporting News For Sale

Dead tree magazines continue to bleed value as witnessed by the recent sale of Spin for a case of Pacifica bottles and some old cassette mix tapes (ok $5 million). Was Blender the culprit as suggested at the Stranger, or is Pitchfork and the like eating the lunch of all the paper rock magazines?

There's also magazine sale news a bit closer to home today. Paul Allen is getting ready to unload The Sporting News by contracting a firm to negotiate its sale. He bought in at $100 million six years ago and we imagine the phrase "taking a bath" will apply to his exit. The Sporting News was once a must-read for baseball fans at least, but Allen has done little to keep it relevant. Is there even a Sporting News website? There is and Alexa reports that it's been losing eyes since 2004 at least. ESPN it isn't.

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By Dan in News on February 21, 2006 2:21 PM

Comments [rss]

Dan

Even the name invokes an age that's past. I open a title like that and I expect the racing sheet and 411 on the latest and greatest pugilists.

Check this spread from The Sporting News swimsuit edition though. hot!

Seth

Sporting News peaked in the 70s, and whatever remaining readers it has are old. Sports Illustrated will be in the same boat soon. Rick Reilly is completely unreadable for anyone under 50.