THE PRESS BOX: Dan Patrick Joins Sports Illustrated

NEW YORK(Source: SI) - Dan Patrick, one of the most recognizable names in sports media, joins the Sports Illustrated Franchise as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and SI.com. As part of a larger partnership with Dan Patrick and his content distribution company The Content Factory, Sports Illustrated’s Digital Group will host and produce the website DANPATRICK.com.

“Dan Patrick is a sports genius,” said Terry McDonell, Editor of the Sports Illustrated Group. “He’s fast, funny, analytic, old-school informed and, most important, he believes in the values reflected in the sports he covers. He will bring all of that to SI.”

Highlights of the partnership between Dan Patrick, SI and The Content Factory include:

- Patrick will pen a weekly column for Sports Illustrated beginning in January.
- SI Digital will re-launch DANPATRICK.com in early 2008 with audio simulcast from the nationally syndicated radio program, “The Dan Patrick Show”.
- FanNation technology will power a daily Patrick blog and social-networking community.
- SI writers will make regularly scheduled appearances on “The Dan Patrick Show,” with Peter King, Tom Verducci and Rick Reilly all joining the week of October 22nd.
- Patrick will serve as an emcee on December 4th for SI’s Sportsman of the Year Award celebration, an honor awarded by SI to the sports figure or team which best symbolizes the ideals of sportsmanship.

“I couldn’t be more excited to work with the Sports Illustrated Franchise, which, in my mind, represents the pinnacle of sports journalism,” said Dan Patrick. “Sports Illustrated’s lineup of writers is legendary and it is a true honor to share that company and follow in a long line of some of the nation’s most renowned sports journalists. This deal provides us with a great opportunity to cross promote our content in print, online and over the airwaves.”

SI will serve as the sales agent for DANPATRICK.com, allowing advertisers to continue to reach consumers on a multi-platform level. In addition, DANPATRICK.com traffic will be rolled-up into the SI Digital Network.