The Sporting News
| Categories | Sports |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Weekly (1886–2008) Bi-weekly (2008–2011) Monthly (2011–2012) |
| First issue | 1886 |
| Final issue | 2012 (print) |
| Company | Sporting News Media (Perform Group 65%, ACBJ 35%) |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Website | www.sportingnews.com |
| ISSN | 1041-2859 |
Sporting News, originally The Sporting News (TSN), is an American sports website and former print magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball—so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball." It is currently owned by Sporting News Media.
After 122 years as a weekly publication, the magazine switched to a biweekly publishing schedule in 2008, and to a monthly schedule in 2011. In December 2012, the magazine announced it would go digital-only starting in 2013.
The Sporting News was founded in 1886 by Alfred H. Spink, a director of the St. Louis Browns and former writer for the Missouri Republican daily newspaper. Each number was 17 by 22 inches, eight pages, price five cents (Cooper 1996). The Browns were champions of the American Association, one of two major leagues in baseball, with a claim to the championship of the United States or the world based on the disputed 1885 World Series contest with regional rival Chicago, and the undisputed 1886 winner. Meanwhile, the sporting weeklies Clipper and Sporting Life were based in New York and Philadelphia. By World War I, TSN would be the only national baseball newspaper. Al Spink had long turned it over to his brother, first hiring Charles as business manager, then selling his stock, and finally departing from writing and editorial work in 1899 (Cooper 1996). His son, J. G. Taylor Spink, took over in 1914 and gradually added coverage of other sports as well.
Throughout much of the 20th century TSN was decidedly non-glamorous, consisting of black-and-white newsprint with staid graphics. However, for most of its first century it was the only vehicle for serious sports fans to follow teams from around the nation. For example, each week it printed a box score and blurb for every baseball game played in the major leagues and numerous minor leagues. Similarly, every issue had a report on each MLB team, usually written by a local newspaper's beat writer for that team. Franklin Gritts, the Cherokee artist, served as TSN's art director from the early 1950s to the mid-1970s.
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