I’ve recently learned that Warner Bros. and TMZ mastermind Harvey Levin will soon be starting a sports-only website called TMZSports.com (parked), to launch sometime in the next couple months. The content will be akin to TMZ’s entertainment site - but for sports. I’ve also been told that the site was planned well before the Tiger Woods scandal, so the timing of the pending launch is fortuitous to say the least.
(Warner Bros. > Telepictures > TMZSports.com)
In what probably isn’t a coincidence, TMZ’s sports gossip site will go online almost immediately after Warner Bros. takes over complete control of the TMZ franchise from AOL. While TMZ.com is contractually obligated to remain as part of AOL.com for another year, that might not apply to TMZSports.com.
With that in mind, I don’t know if TMZSports.com will be formally associated with AOL’s Fanhouse sports site, but considering that TMZ.com will be making a clean break from AOL at the end of 2010, I would tend to doubt it.
When it comes to staffing, as TMZ.com lists no contributors, I would assume that TMZSports.com will be no different. I personally have heard nothing on who will be involved in content production.
(Quick, throw her in the closet … DO IT NOW.)
So why is Levin is starting TMZSports.com? If you have to ask that question, this must be your first visit to SbB.
Look at ESPN. With the majority of our only truly national sports network’s revenue derived from contractual agreements to broadcast NFL, MLB, NBA and NCAA hoops and football games, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that ESPN’s news reporting operation could be compromised by those financial arrangements.
Add in the fact that ESPN has no major national sports media competitor and now tell me what incentive ESPN has to report negative news about anything involving those league partners?
Of course, you already know all that if you visit me regularly. You see the stories that we produce daily that in many cases have every right to be reported nationally.
Say a sports blog breaks an original story that portrays one of ESPN’s league partners in an unflattering light. Because ESPN doesn’t have to fear another national network competitor widely distributing that blog’s story - because no such competitor exists - why would ESPN acknowledge the story? (Happens every single day, friends.)
That’s where TMZSports.com will come in. Harvey Levin doesn’t have to worry about a college football broadcast contract worth hundreds of millions when investigating Charlie Weis‘ on-the-record claim that Pete Carroll was living with a grad student in Malibu. Levin doesn’t have to worry about getting press credentials to future USC games, or getting access to Carroll for interviews.
Most importantly, Levin has the desire and the ability to distribute what he finds out about Carroll’s living arrangement to a large enough audience that the story will break through into the mainstream. Something independent sports blogs with huge scoops are largely incapable of.
Don’t think for a minute that ESPN’s beaten-down competitors aren’t also aware of this and will pick up TMZSports.com exclusives soley to force ESPN’s hand on inevitable, embarrasing stories dug up by Levin & Co
The sports media monopoly created by ESPN hath wrought a perfect storm for TMZSports.com to not only succeed, but to turn the industry upside down. Because not only will TMZSports.com itself quickly break into the mainstream, but its prominence will cause previously myopotic sports media consumers to suddenly consider a sports blogosphere that has been, to this point, largely ignored on an astonishing scale.
Why do you think independent entertainment and political blogs are so much larger and prominent in main media than sports blogs? Simple, because there’s more competition to break stories among the main political and entertainment media players. With sports, you have one option and one option only on television: ESPN. So if ESPN doesn’t acknowledge prominent sports blogs, which it doesn’t, how would most typically busy sports fans ever know they exist?
To be clear, I’m not criticizing anyone at ESPN for their business and editorial practices. If I was only out to make money and keep Disney corporate officers placated on a quarterly basis, I’d be doing the exact same thing.
TMZSports.com will be one of the few operations, if not the only, that can make a dent in ESPN’s brilliant business acumen. How large that dent will be depends on its editorial execution, but if TMZ.com is any indication, we may be looking at an industry game changer that could somewhat destabilize ESPN’s complete dominance over the field.
12:56 am on December 22nd, 2009
considering TMZsports will be a competitor of yours, your tone/attitude towards them is encouraging brooks…though this site is more of an aggregator than original content producer it’s nice to see that you welcome TMZsports into the sports news/gossip game.
And thank you for toning down the Tiger stories recently.
1:11 am on December 22nd, 2009
Brooks,
Now that you have lost all your contributing authors,you are feeling vulnerable. Your suck up to TMZ is a show of weakness; a foreshadowing of your plan to cave once they start taking market share from you… I really used to enjoy your site.
1:18 am on December 22nd, 2009
Cold_Pillow,
Pro tip: Read post before commenting.
1:23 am on December 22nd, 2009
Brooks-
I have been a loyal follower of this site for over 5 years…in the past week you are averaging 4 posts per day. Time to get with the program and start posting or your time in the game are numbered. What happened???
7:46 am on December 22nd, 2009
I think Brooks has hit it right on the head. Why do you think Golf.com or The Golf Channel has not reported anything real negative about Tiger Woods? They fear never landing that coveted interview again. TMZ doesn’t have to worry about anything like that so they can report anything they want.
Sports stars better shape up!!
8:37 am on December 22nd, 2009
Cold Pillow-
It also sounds like he is interviewing for a job. This is his dream come true. It would be his site on steroids and he’d have a much larger budget….If only he realized SbB Girls are what we all want…. not his obsession with TMZ and what celeb shat the biggest splank the day before…. Brooks-once this site puts you out of biz, please go find denise or wendy and do us a favor. Thank you.
9:36 am on December 22nd, 2009
You are giving TMZ too much credit and all it is you are doing is speculating. You don’t even know all the facts yet.
11:10 am on December 22nd, 2009
Are you serious? I’ve ignored petty tabloid trash for a long time now, but they still rear their ugly heads. I’ll just ignore this one too. Tabloids should die a horrible death.
11:27 am on December 22nd, 2009
Hell, with all the TMZ content, I thought we were headed toward a merger anyway. At least you’ll get more tube time, Brooks.
All I ask is that you leave me in charge of the Girls archive…..
12:50 pm on December 22nd, 2009
I’ve been following SbB since, I think, 2002. The one thing that immediately comes to mind, that TMZ doesn’t have (won’t have?), and gives this site an edge, is the SbB Girls!
Would be nice if new SbB Girl pics were still being posted though.
3:03 pm on December 22nd, 2009
You pretty much hit the nail on the head. It’s no surprise that most of your readers don’t get. 90% of them are here for the pretty pictures anyways.
TMZSports.com will be a God send to the whole sports blogosphere. If anything it is only going to increase traffic to SbB since there will be more stories to go around and more leads to chase.
Hate on haters. I’ll continue to visit SbB for the girls and his take on things.
3:50 pm on December 22nd, 2009
I am here for the chick.. mmmm Denise….
5:50 pm on December 22nd, 2009
sorry espn…harvey does it better… as far as broook’s demise, i don’t think so!.. several local sports talk radio shows steals off brooksie alrready….why, even dan patrick’s so called gayettes have been stealing…pretty obvious you inspirred tmz and vice-versa!
8:05 pm on December 22nd, 2009
Yo, Brooks: You got a “shout-out” today from Wilbon on PTI - “something called Sports by Brooks.”
As if he doesn’t know…what a fool.
8:35 pm on December 22nd, 2009
Brooks - you have a great site but this post is ridiculous.
The comparison you make between a TMZSports and ESPN is unfounded.
If I want to read the score from Monday Night Football, TMZ is not going to give me that anymore than it has never given you list of Oscar nominees or Grammy Award winners.
ESPN wont run Tila Tequila’s rant about Shawne Merriman undressing herself on UStream. TMZ will an did. TMZ wont run the Mexico qualifying match for the World Cup, ESPN will.
People dont turn to ESPN to read about who got drunk outside a nightclub last night and kissed a reality tv star. They turn to ESPN for …. sports.
1:53 pm on December 23rd, 2009
TMZsports will be eating from the same trough as you Brooks. Whats the difference? It’s all about damaging reputations of people…..for the sake of a dollar.
1:02 am on December 24th, 2009
I think TMZ better be REALLY careful about the new TMZSports.com. People forget some professional athletes have known connections with “homeys” in the sordid underworld of gangs that could be asking for major trouble for TMZ staffers, to say the least!
8:39 am on December 24th, 2009
Sport Celebs should hire someone to dish up the dirt on the Harvey Levin’s of this world
1:54 pm on December 24th, 2009
I have just started reading your blog the last few months and I love it. I find it amazing how people who post just to hate do so. They come and read and give you more hits, yet they SO DISLIKE the site yet keep coming back (hypocrites). Keep up the good work!
3:17 pm on December 29th, 2009
This TMZsports site will be RACIST AND UNFAIR TO AFRICAN AMERICANS.!!!!!! I will say this before it even starts. Here is a question? Who dominates the major sports? It is people of color. So you and I know that this site will go after African Americans and people of color. THIS IS A FACT FOLKS. Rev Sharpton and Rev Jackson and other African American commnunity leaders will be coming out against this site BIG TIME!!!! Look at the Howard “Baby Mama” ad on this page!!! THAT IS A RACIST AD!! tmzSPORTS WILL GO AFTER AFRICAN AMERICANS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR MOST OF THE TIME. Watch and you will see folks!!!!