Yahoo Sports
| File:Yahoo! Sports logo.svg Yahoo! Sports logo | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports media |
| Founded | December 8, 1997 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | North America |
| Products | Sports news, live streaming, fantasy sports |
| Parent | Yahoo! |
| Website | sports |
Yahoo! Sports is a sports news platform introduced by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It primarily obtains its data from Stats Perform and offers dedicated team pages covering nearly all major sports in North America. Before its official launch, segments of the site were referred to as Yahoo! Scoreboard.
Between 2011 and 2016, the Yahoo Sports brand also managed a US-based sports radio network, which has since been rebranded as SportsMap.
Sports covered
The US version of the site delivers extensive coverage across numerous sports, such as WWE, NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, collegiate football and basketball, NASCAR, golf, tennis, FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Premier League, arena football, boxing, the CFL, cycling, IndyCar, Major League Soccer, motorsports, the Olympics, NCAA baseball and ice hockey, women's basketball (WNBA), alpine skiing World Cup, track and field, cricket (UK), figure skating, rugby (UK), swimming, mixed martial arts, and horse racing. Historically, it also covered now-defunct leagues such as the ABL and the WUSA.
Writers
Yahoo Sports employs a wide array of journalists, including prominent figures like Dan Wetzel.
Key dates in Yahoo Sports
- December 8, 1997: Official launch of Yahoo Sports.
- January 17, 2003: First significant redesign of the website.
- February 8, 2006: Debut of the Yahoo Sports Blog.
- May 8, 2006: Initiated free live streaming of NHL games.
- May 30, 2006: Released Yahoo Sports Beta site.
- February 1, 2007: Rolled out the current homepage design; Beta version discontinued.
- June 21, 2007: Acquired Rivals.com for an estimated $100 million.
- January 11, 2011: Merged with SportsFanLive.com to launch ThePostGame.com digital magazine.
- August 26, 2013: Unveiled a redesign featuring new visuals but encountered substantial user criticism.
- June 3, 2015: Secured exclusive NFL live streaming rights for the Buffalo Bills versus Jacksonville Jaguars game in London.
- January 29, 2016: Introduced The Vertical section dedicated to NBA coverage.
- June 13, 2017: Verizon took over operations of Yahoo! Sports.
- December 11, 2017: Verizon and the NFL entered an agreement to stream local and primetime NFL games live through the Yahoo! Sports Mobile App.
- January 17, 2018: Verizon acquired rights to stream NBA League Pass via Yahoo! Sports app at an annual cost of $200.
- October 29, 2019: Announced a sports betting collaboration with BetMGM (a partnership between MGM Resorts and GVC Holdings).
- November 14, 2019: Launched Yahoo Sportsbook in New Jersey; further expansion depends on regulatory approvals in other states.
Yahoo and NBC Sports Group
On December 9, 2012, Yahoo partnered with the NBC Sports Group to form a content and promotional alliance that merged Yahoo Sports’ original journalism, Rivals’ college sports content, and fantasy sports offerings with NBC Sports Group’s digital properties and television promotion.
Although both entities maintain independent websites and editorial autonomy, they cooperate on premium sports news coverage across digital platforms and broadcast media. Yahoo Sports’ products are embedded within NBC Sports Group’s online platforms.
Highlights of this partnership include:
Editorial Excellence: The joint teams encompass award-winning reporters such as NBC’s Bob Costas and Mike Florio alongside Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel and Adrian Wojnarowski. Investigative pieces from Yahoo Sports are showcased on NBC television, providing multi-platform storytelling.
Original Video Content: Collaborative production of web video series for both Yahoo Sports and NBCSports.com includes:
- Bob Costas: interviews and editorial videos on sports topics
- NFL season segments featuring Football Night in America’s Tony Dungy & Rodney Harrison
- Mike Florio’s ProFootballTalk: daily NFL web show titled Pro Football Talk Live
- Rivals on Recruiting: weekly college recruiting program featuring Rivals and NBC talent
Live Streaming: Yahoo Sports promotes NBC Sports Live Extra player to offer live broadcasts of key events like Sunday Night Football and NHL Game of the Week. NBC Sports Network content remains accessible via TV Everywhere services.
Fantasy Sports: Yahoo Sports serves as the exclusive fantasy game provider for NBC Sports’ Rotoworld platform with offerings covering football, baseball, hockey, soccer, College Bowl Pick’em, and Tourney Pick’em.
Rivals.com: Provides recruiting insights and college sports news for NBCSports.com and Regional Networks.
NBC Sports Regional Networks: Act as preferred local content partners for Yahoo Sports by integrating team pages along with fantasy experts and sports personalities.
NBC’s Alli Sports: Supplies youth-oriented action sports videos and content featured on Yahoo Sports.
Blogs
| Sport | Blog Name | Editor |
|---|---|---|
| NFL | Shutdown Corner | Frank Schwab |
| MLB | Big League Stew | Kevin Kaduk |
| NBA | Ball Don't Lie | |
| NHL | Puck Daddy | |
| College football | Dr. Saturday | Graham Watson |
| College basketball | The Dagger | Jeff Eisenberg |
| NASCAR | From the Marbles | Jay Busbee |
| Golf | Devil Ball Golf | Shane Bacon |
| Olympics | Fourth-Place Medal | Maggie Hendricks |
| Mixed martial arts | Cagewriter | Maggie Hendricks |
| Fantasy sports | Roto Arcade | Andy Behrens |
| Tennis | Busted Racquet | Shane Bacon |
| Association Football | Dirty Tackle | Brooks Peck |
| High School Sports | Prep Rally | Cameron Smith |
Notable accomplishments
- According to comScore Media Metrix in 2006, Yahoo Sports attracted more fan engagement time than any other sports website.
- Before the 2006 NFL draft, Yahoo Sports revealed claims that Reggie Bush received gifts from a sports marketing agency.
- On August 16, 2011, an extensive investigation by Yahoo Sports exposed a significant scandal within University of Miami athletics, based on interviews with former booster and convicted fraudster Nevin Shapiro.
- Yahoo Sports, through The Vertical, pioneered the first live online broadcast of an NBA draft on June 23, 2016, delivering real-time coverage of the 2016 NBA draft ahead of traditional television. This livestream drew over 2.8 million unique viewers who averaged 34 minutes each, accumulating a total audience of 3.7 million over four hours—exceeding ESPN’s 2.4 million viewers for the same event. The success prompted a return livestream for the 2017 NBA draft.