When The Players’ Tribune issued a release it had hired Kevin Durant as its new deputy publisher last week, it prompted the usual jokes on social media and elsewhere. USA Today even did a post noting that Kobe Bryant, who holds the title of editorial director for The Players’ Tribune, can’t be happy about Durant leapfrogging him.
“Well, these are honorary titles that suggest the athletes have a place in our company,” said The Players’ Tribune editorial director Gary Hoenig. “We meant to explain them a little bit more jocularly—is that the word? We just haven’t gotten around to it. Kevin will have a role with us, but is he going to call and ask why we are spending so much on travel? I don’t think so.”
Hoenig, though, says the addition of Durant is yet another positive sign as The Players’ Tribune begins year two. Last October, Derek Jeter made the quick transition from shortstop to publisher by being the most visible presence at the unveiling of the new site. Jeter said the Players’ Tribune empowers athletes to tell stories in their own voices, allowing them to bypass the distortion created in today’s media environment.
Since then, Hoenig said more than 360 athletes have contributed their posts to The Players’ Tribune. He has been pleasantly surprised by how word of the site has circulated among athletes. That includes Durant, who has had his issues with the media.
“In the last six months, we’ve gotten a lot of unsolicited interest from athletes,” Hoenig said. “What’s interesting is that The Players’ Tribune is becoming an athletic community…Athletes see a role for themselves in terms of holding on to their own narrative. Kevin is interested in taking this business in that direction.”
The Players’ Tribune has given athletes an outlet to vent. Tiger Woods did a piece objecting to a satiric column about him by Dan Jenkins in Golf Digest. Steve Nash used the site to announce that he was retiring from basketball.
Mostly, though, The Players’ Tribune posts have provided behind-the-scenes insights into what goes on with athletes. This week, the Pirates’ Andrew McCutcheon wrote about the nervous energy that builds for Wednesday’s wildcard game.
From the beginning, Hoenig contended that The Players’ Tribune wasn’t intended to replace conventional media coverage of athletes. Rather, with relationships strained due to what Hoenig terms a sometimes “poisonous environment,” the site serves as a complement, giving athletes another alternative to express their views and tell their stories.
“We’re not covering games,” Hoenig said. “We’re not doing long features on the NFL season. We’ve become another resource. If we’ve become a sort of personal Wikipedia for sports, that’s a good thing.”
The initial reaction to The Players’ Tribune is that these stories would be nothing more than craftily-written PR vehicles for athletes. Hoenig is adamant that doesn’t happen.
Hoenig said the process involves a Players’ Tribune representative doing an interview with an athlete about a particular subject. The Players’ Tribune then takes the transcript and writes up a first-person story.
“If the agent has a problem, we’ll address it,” Hoenig said. “But it’s very rare that we get a request to cleanse the piece…If it doesn’t feel sincere, it won’t work for us. It won’t work for the athletes. That’s been the metric for us.”
Hoenig declined to disclose metrics in terms of monthly page views. He said “certain stories” have generated more than 450,000 hits. As you would expect, posts such as Derek Jeter recalling Yogi Berra do very well.
However, Hoenig has been encouraged by the response to posts for lesser known athletes. He pointed to a story by the San Francisco Giants’ Matt Duffy, who detailed the ups and downs of being a rookie. It generated more than 160,000 hits.
“It was written in a way that gets you as a sports fan,” Hoenig said.
The Players’ Tribune heads into its second year without any ads appearing on the stories; there are some ads on videos. When it comes to its business plan, Hoenig said the site is focused on growing its audience “to a scale that matters.”
Hoenig said Jeter plays more than just an honorary role as publisher. He is in touch with the former Yankees star every day via email, and Jeter is in the New York offices three or four times a month. Jeter also is consulted for his insights about stories.
“We’ll go to him and say, ‘You know about this; what do you think?’ He’s very much involved. He’s very passionate about this.”
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Recommended reading on sports media:
John Feinstein recalls Washington Post sportswriter Ken Denlinger, who died Saturday.
Jenny Ventras of MMQB tells how ESPN’s Ed Werder has more on his mind that football. His family is encountering some serious health issues.
Terry Taylor and Christine Brennan named AWSM award winners.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said Matt Duffy’s piece got more than 140,000 hits. It has been updated to 160,000 hits. Also, some of the site’s most popular pieces have gotten about 450,000 hits, not 200,000. It has been corrected.
