5) Bring the affinity sites under the Grantland umbrella… and launch The Undefeated
Maybe the biggest question surrounding ESPN at the moment is what the network is going to do with its affinity sites – Grantland, 538, and the yet-to-be launched Undefeated. With Grantland in a state of flux after Bill Simmons’ departure and uncertainty still surrounding The Undefeated after Jason Whitlock’s axing, doubts about the future of ESPN’s personality-driven sites are at an all-time high. Looking at the present landscape, it’s not an encouraging picture: The Undefeated has seemingly been under construction since the Clinton Administration, Grantland may be faced with a mass exodus of Bill Simmons’ hand-chosen talent, and 538 hasn’t exactly set the world on fire as a standalone site.
Instead of trying to fix three fledgling sites, why not just pull all of ESPN’s affinity sites under the same roof? Since Grantland is the site that’s been around the longest and has the most recognition and value, it can house everything. But 538 and The Undefeated wouldn’t necessarily go anywhere. Instead, those sites can be sub-brands underneath the Grantland umbrella. Think of it as a souped-up Page 2. Or, as something similar to how Deadspin has their sub-brands like The Concourse or Screamer.
Under this model, there’s not all the pressure in the world on Nate Silver and whoever ultimately runs The Undefeated to sustain a stand-alone site. Also, The Undefeated can actually start publishing content and come into existence instead of being TBD until the end of time. This would remove the endless speculation about the site’s future and show that John Skipper was true to his word about a platform for African American voices. In the end, one strong affinity site with a rich, diverse array of content is better than three affinity sites that are all blowing in the wind.
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