Imagine that you’re not a sports fan and you hear someone talking about the NBA Playoffs, sports betting platforms like 카지노 사이트 or what’s happening in baseball. It would probably sound like a foreign language. And imagine that you want to join in on the conversation, but don’t know how. That’s where a newsletter which targets the sports neophyte can help. With 41% of Americans saying they don’t follow sports, the newsletter is tapping into a rather large market.

TipOff was launched last fall by writers from ProPublica and ESPN and already boasts a subscription base of 50,000, 60% of which are women. The number of subscribers appear to grow when big events occur like the Super Bowl or the NCAA Tournament.

Costs have been low initially and writers generally work for cost. And right now, it’s all about growing the number of subscribers:

TipOff has relied on word-of-mouth and contests it has run in partnership with other newsletters to draw in new subscribers. When people enter the contest, they’re automatically subscribed to all the different newsletters that are participating.

And the newsletter has a concise way of explaining certain events like the NBA Playoffs to the non-sports fan. It just doesn’t go into games, there are also some history  to get the reader involved so he or she can learn about the backstories. Plus there’s a feature called “Watercooler Words” which gives subscribers one or two sentences which allows them to provide their own takes to others, making them sound like an informed fan.

Todd Arky, TipOff co-founder, said he would often be explaining a game or an event to his friend who isn’t into sports and thought a newsletter would be a perfect way to reach out to those who have been watching games:

“I just found myself from time to time calling him and saying, ‘Put on this game. It’s on this channel. Here’s the backstory. Here’s why it’s particularly exciting: These are two longtime rivals or it’s Game 7,’” Arky said. “Then he would call me afterward and be like, ‘That was so enjoyable.’ Knowing the back story and knowing the importance of that particular event made it much more interesting for someone who generally doesn’t get that excited about sports.

So will the whole venture survive? Having 50,000 subscribers is certainly encouraging and by keeping at its core mission, TipOff may be the newsletter that make some non-fans into at least casual observers.

[Nieman Lab]

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.

He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.

Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.