Sports on Earth unveils with soft launch for Olympics; Posnanski makes debut

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USA Today Sports Media Group and MLB Advanced Media provided a taste of their new Sports on Earth site today.

The page features its signature hire Joe Posnanski writing from London. And there are other stories, including a post from Will Leitch

The entire site makes its debut in late August. Previously, I wrote that USA Today wants to compete with the big sports hitters on the Net. The new site wants to break news and set the agenda for discussion. Yes, the goals are set very high.

More to come.

Here’s the release issued today:

The USA TODAY Sports Media Group and MLB Advanced Media, L.P. (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, today announced that Sports on Earth, a destination dedicated to great sports writing from some of the most respected voices in the industry, will be the first content product to launch from their newly-formed joint venture.

Prior to its scheduled launch in late August, Sports on Earth also will offer an introductory section of the site dedicated to the 2012 Olympic Games, which will run from July 27 to August 12.

The roster of voices for Sports on Earth is led by Joe Posnanski, named the 2012 Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association as well as a two-time selection as the best sports columnist in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE).

Steve Madden, a two-time National Magazine Award winner who most recently served as VP of Digital Product Development for Rodale Inc., will serve as General Manager for the joint venture and for Sports on Earth, and Larry Burke will serve as Editor-in-Chief. Burke was an award-winning senior editor at SI.com and Sports Illustrated as well as the former editor of Inside Sports and the author of five books.

“We want to give sports fans a place to come for consistently great writing and compelling viewpoints on the most important news of the day,” said Madden. “The idea is to let great columnists do what they do best—provide insights and opinions that engage fans and give them perspectives they might not have previously considered.”

In addition to Posnanski (@JPosnanski), Sports on Earth (@sportsonearth) also will feature writing from:

  • Tommy Tomlinson (@tommytomlinson), former longtime columnist at the Charlotte Observer, where he was a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary and also was named best local columnist in America by The Week in 2004.
  • Gwen Knapp (@gwenknapp), an award-winning longtime columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and, previously, the San Francisco Examiner.
  • Shaun Powell (@Powell2daPeople), a longtime columnist for leading media outlets that include Newsday, The Sporting News and ESPN New York and most recently a columnist for NBA.com.
  • Mike Tanier (@MikeTanier), formerly the senior writer for the influential NFL site Football Outsiders as well as a contributor to the New York Times’ Fifth Down blog who also has written for FoxSports.com.

The site also will have regular perspective from contributing writers such as Will Leitch (@williamfleitch), contributing editor to New York magazine and the author of four books. Other writers and contributors are expected to be added to the Sports on Earth lineup on an ongoing basis.

Sports on Earth will be the first product of the New York City-based joint venture between the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and MLBAM, which was formed in February 2012 and was created to develop and produce new content and products for sports fans across all digital and mobile platforms.