Yahoo Sports is going big on this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris, bringing aboard several former Team USA stars and launching a partnership with USA Swimming.
Former gold medalists Allyson Felix, Shawn Johnson East, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Missy Franklin will headline Yahoo’s Paris coverage along with silver medalist Katie Hoff.
Yahoo previously announced it hired Johnson East in April.
“These are the top of the list in terms of skill, personality, results, knowledge, interest,” Yahoo Sports president Ryan Spoon told The Hollywood Reporter. “They’ve all done this at the highest level with absolute success, I think they are all multi-time Olympians, so what’s it mean to do that abroad? What’s it mean on these different scales and these different personalities?”
Spoon noted the cast of Olympians are also ambassadors for their sport and household names for Olympic sport fans, making the roster a no-brainer for Yahoo.
🚨 Announcing the incredible squad of Olympic LEGENDS reporting for Yahoo Sports in Paris this summer:
▪️ @ShawnJohnson
▪️ @kerrileewalsh
▪️ @missyfranklin
▪️ @allysonfelix
▪️ @khoff09 pic.twitter.com/BJ4s8LJC4L— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 10, 2024
The move to hire these Olympians mirrors Yahoo’s strategy around the NCAA tournaments this spring, when the digital outlet brought on blue blood alumni Danny Green and Isis Young to cover college hoops across its social and video platforms.
Yahoo Sports also announced a partnership with USA Swimming, which will give Yahoo exclusive rights to distribute digital content for the organization. Yahoo Sports’ website will feature a dedicated vertical for USA Swimming, featuring “editorial and video content focused on general swimming education, athlete storylines, and race previews,” according to a press release.
Yahoo Sports 🤝 USA Swimming
We are thrilled to announce our partnership with @USASwimming to distribute USA swimming content ahead of the Olympic Trials and Games. pic.twitter.com/PaQ6quSwp4
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 10, 2024
Yahoo will also rely on a longtime partnership with NBC, the exclusive broadcast partner of the Olympic Games, as it gears up to cover Paris.
While Olympics viewership in the United States is down from its peak due to time zone delays and evolving audience habits, Yahoo is investing in Paris and betting on its ability to be a focal point for Olympics fans this summer.
