One of the world's most recognizable athletes plans to use his standing to seed a digital publishing business.
On Wednesday, Derek Jeter announced the creation of The Players' Tribune—an innovative multimedia digital company that aims to have world-class athletes share unfiltered stories with their fans. The former Yankee shortstop is the company's founding publisher.
The Players' Tribune will give fans access to top athletes across every sport. The platform will offer stories, videos, podcasts, polls and more written by the athletes themselves. The publication will offer a variety of topics ranging from sports commentary to popular culture. In the coming days and weeks, The Players' Tribune will begin naming its high-profile contributors.
"I do think fans deserve more than 'no comment' or 'I don't knows,'" said Jeter, in a letter shared on the website Wednesday morning. "We want to have a way to connect directly with our fans, with no filter."
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Legendary Entertainment, a film and television production company known for movies such as "300" and "Inception," partnered with Jeter and to provide creative support and capital. Thomas Tull, CEO of Legendary Entertainment and avid baseball fan, was thrilled by the idea of working with Jeter.
"I have had the privilege of knowing Derek for a number of years," Tull said. "His idea of providing athletes with a platform to communicate directly with their fans and the world at large is a forum that we are excited about."
Gary Hoenig, former editorial director of ESPN Publishing and founding editor of ESPN The Magazine, serves as the company's editorial director. Maureen Cavanagh, former Photography Director for Sports Illustrated, is the creative director and Sarah Turcotte, former senior writer and general editor at ESPN The Magazine, is now the executive editor.
"It's a great opportunity to change the playing field in a positive way," Hoenig said.