Matt Clapp

Penske material. Editor/Writer at @AwfulAnnouncing & @TheComeback; also @DaBearNecess (Bears/NFL) & @TheBlogfines (Cubs/MLB). #CSURams [email protected]

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@swollcracker He became the best player on the team over the last two months, IMO. Extremely efficient scoring at all three levels. And he has such a high IQ. Great body control, and knows how to get to his spots and draw shooting fouls.

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

I just wanted the Bulls to get into the top 4.

Would be thrilled with any of those guys.

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@morganwick You can see it here, for example:

https://t.co/o6sSXbDIVQ

[Awful Announcing @awfulannouncing]

"TYRESE IS TAKING OVER!"

- Noah Eagle with the NBC call as Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers take down the Celtics in Game 7. 🏀🔥🎙️ #NBA

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@morganwick Yes.

[Awful Announcing @awfulannouncing]

Awful Announcing, the leading voice for the latest sports media news, commentary, and analysis, is proud to partner with Yahoo Media Group on its new sports business hub, which is now live:

https://t.co/14aCI9cD43

[Ben Koo @bkoo]

Today, @awfulannouncing was announced as a new content partner of Yahoo Sports. This is a major milestone for the team at AA, and we cannot thank @ryanspoon and the @YahooSports team enough.

This means a lot to me personally, given my long-standing relationship with Yahoo and Yahoo Sports.

Yahoo was my first email address (still in use!). It was my first fantasy sports league as well.

The history of Yahoo Sports is, in my opinion, often overlooked. We think of them as a major entity now, but that’s not always been the case. Yahoo Sports, in particular, has always been an innovator and an underdog, punching above its weight among larger media companies that are reinforced with major sports television rights and studio programming. Some of the highlights…

- Before fantasy sports became a mainstream phenomenon, Yahoo proactively acquired a few fledgling online fantasy sports startups, whose technology catapulted them to some of the largest market shares in the industry.

-Yahoo also made what was, at the time, one of the largest acquisitions in digital sports media when it acquired Rivals. Doing so saw them leap ahead of ESPN in the Comscore digital audience rankings, a point of pride for Yahoo and one of frustration for ESPN, and one that took nearly a decade for ESPN to flip back.

-As more eyeballs shifted to mobile, Yahoo made the shrewd acquisition of Citizen Sports, giving it a larger foothold in mobile, as Citizen Sports' technology became the popular Yahoo Sports app (which is still my preferred scores app today).

-In terms of people, the sports group had a knack for bringing in up-and-coming digital media executives, many of whom have gone on to more prominent roles within the company or elsewhere. Included in that group are Brian Grey, who would go on to become Bleacher Report’s CEO; Jamie Mottram, who would later launch For The Win; Jimmy Pitaro, now the President of ESPN, Shannon Terry, who went on to start 24/7 Sports and On3, Mike Kerns, who was the first major investor in Barstool Sports; as well as highly regarded executives like Dave Morgan, Eric Winter, Mark Pesavento, and others who are probably shaking their heads I didn’t include them!

- But what really connected with people was the content. Yahoo had a really well-executed two-prong strategy of fun, smart, and conversational blog content that sat alongside outstanding original reporting and commentary.

The Y! Sports Blogs is, to this day, the best corporate integration of sports blogging. The sport-specific blogs had an incredible roster, consistent content, and signaled the cultural apex of sports blogging. The real sports blog OGs can probably still name five of these defunct properties (feel free to comment if you can!)

But old-school journalism and commentary were also key tenets, with the likes of Dan Wetzel, Charles Robinson, and Jeff Passan doing original reporting and commentary. Meanwhile, Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania popularized the concept of newsbreaking and played a pivotal role in increasing interest in the NBA beyond just the games. In terms of investigative written journalism, Yahoo Sports was right there with Sports Illustrated and ESPN, an incredible feat for a company that didn’t have any sports reporters not that long before. The Reggie Bush and Miami booster scandal still rings out as some of the better scoops of that era.

- It was Yahoo who made sports media history when they became the first company to exclusively stream a NFL game back in 2015.

Some of these milestones can be forgotten, especially given that the company went through a period of turmoil, mainly due to having four different CEOs in under one year, many of whom differed on whether Yahoo was a technology or media company. Verizon’s ownership helped in some areas, but some of the bold moves and risk-taking that the company was known for seemed to fall by the wayside.

With new and stable ownership (Apollo Global Management) and leadership (Jim Lanzone) since 2021, the company, and Yahoo Sports in particular, has had a renaissance, reclaiming its former glory and, more importantly, its pesky underdog risk-taking roots.

Ryan Spoon, who joined in 2022, spearheaded several initiatives, including a vertical-specific partnership approach with Ariel Halwani, The Athletic, and On3, a streaming partnership with F1, and the launch of popular new video and newsletter products like Yahoo Sports AM and Yahoo Sports Daily. It’s not hard to see that Yahoo has a growing appetite for making big bets in the digital sports category, something other large companies have been leaning away from due to rising TV rights fees and cord-cutting, squeezing budgets across many competitors. Yesterday, Jarrod Schwarz was named the new head of Yahoo Sports. I’m sure he’ll continue the great work Ryan and the rest of the team have done and I look forward to working with him.

I’ve been working in this industry for nearly 20 years. Partnering with Yahoo has always been a goal. I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity for Awful Announcing, given the company’s rich history and bright future.

https://t.co/3dRiqsvbQS

[Brendon Kleen @BrendonKleen14]

Noah Eagle will call his first national NBA playoff game this evening for NBC

My @awfulannouncing story on how he went from a "first-round draft pick" with a famous name to a bona fide broadcasting star in his own right: https://t.co/cs7R614U3G

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@DNVR_Rams I bet he could even score 23 points in an NCAA Tournament win.

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@RyanWGilbert @Kevin_Lytle But yeah, he showed a lot of promise last season especially, nice upside at center, and he plays with a mean streak when he's going right. He could still be a really nice player. Hopefully makes that happen at his next stop.

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@RyanWGilbert @Kevin_Lytle I wouldn't be surprised if CSU was even honest with him about the situation, in that they have all of Jorgensen, Booth, Mbemba, and then young guys like Tedeschi and Ghoreishi in the frontcourt.

I didn't expect him back with that picture/opportunities he could get elsewhere.

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@OutlawsOfMoby @JWACK77 And to your point, being able to have chemistry and cohesion is a big bonus when it's so, so rare across the country right now. Should still seek impact talent above all else! But if it can come with multiple years of players playing together and growing as a "team," even better.

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@OutlawsOfMoby @JWACK77 Yeah, the assumption is that several of the players are not finished products and are still developing. And with some high-upside skillsets. Like, they absolutely should've wanted to keep all of Butler, Booth, Jorgensen, Mbemba, Pascarelli, McIver.

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

About damn time.

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls have dismissed executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, sources tell ESPN.

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@davevowels @awfulannouncing It's TBS. That's where the Final Four games are on.

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@swollcracker Everything else is a bonus this offseason. Incredible work in the player retention department to keep three players like that these days (even is incredibly difficult for juggernaut programs).

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@GartrellJacobs @OutlawsOfMoby Sometimes they make a leap, sometimes they don't. But I don't think they saw anything out of him this year that was very discouraging/out of the ordinary for a true freshman. They definitely need competition/veteran options in the mix regardless, though (like Miller, maybe more).

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@GartrellJacobs @OutlawsOfMoby Completely agree. Like I said there, they'll add a veteran. Maybe that's Amondo Miller, who they just added (very Muniz-y profile).

To be clear: Not saying JoJo *will* be this or that. Just that it's very early in his career, and he's very skilled.

[Awful Announcing @awfulannouncing]

Chiney Ogwumike, Andraya Carter rip Geno Auriemma for ESPN interview, Dawn Staley interaction.

Read more: https://t.co/NN5fOwQnL5

[Matt Clapp @Matt2Clapp]

@Ramsforthree So far all of the exits are ones I would have guessed (and frankly wouldn’t be surprised if CSU was even honest with a few of them about in terms of opportunity). Keeping Booth and Jorgensen is absolutely enormous. That’s already a W offseason for CSU and plenty to build with.

[Neo @NeoWokio]

me trying to find the HDMI port on my TV