Deadspin's Leitch brings new life to sports media

"Will Leitch seems totally too nice for his line of work. He retains a Midwestern aw-shucks openness from his childhood in small-town Illinois and sports a full, boyish haircut of a type rarely seen in New York media circles. Leitch landed his present job almost as a fortuitous accident. Online powerhouse Gawker Media approached him about heading a (soon to fail) gambling blog.

"I actually don't like sports gambling. I think it's against the spirit of the game," he says. "I'm too dorky and corn-fed."

Instead he pitched the idea of a sports blog - which sits far outside the classic Gawker sweet spot of media, gossip, and tech - and somehow convinced them to do it. Deadspin launched in September 2005 and can now tally more than 100,000 visitors in a single day with one hit posting, despite a near-total lack of a promotional campaign."

From PR Week, 2/5/07, via Romenesko/Poynter.org

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