The Sporting Tribune launched in September 2022 as an online hub for pro and college sports around Southern California, Las Vegas, and Hawaii. Almost two years later, they’re stepping things up.
Launched by former ESPN and Los Angeles Times journalist Arash Markazi and data scientist Chris Mattmann, the regional sports media company launched a new website today and announced plans to launch a mobile app and a podcast network in September.
The company announced a local sports photography wire service and digital archive, “The Sporting Tribune Images,” last week.
Markazi serves as the company’s Chief Content Officer while Mattmann is Chief Technology and Innovation Officer.
According to a press release, The Sporting Tribune Podcast Network will maintain the original focus on the company and “produce shows that cover professional and collegiate sports teams in Southern California, Las Vegas, and Hawaii.” No word yet on specific shows or hosts.
“I am incredibly proud of the team we have built and continue to build at The Sporting Tribune,” Markazi said in a press release. “When we launched the company just under two years ago, I could not have dreamed of being where we are today and working with the incredibly talented and accomplished individuals I am now blessed to call teammates. I can’t wait to continue to build this company along with them.”
The company also announced Markazi and Mattmann will be joined by a trio of senior editors to oversee their editorial output. They include former Las Vegas Review-Journal sports editor Bill Bradley, former The Athletic managing editor Jon Scher, and former The Athletic content strategist Josh Cooper.
Some more hiring and staffing news via their announcement:
In addition to Markazi, who will write a regular column from the biggest events in the region, the editorial staff includes Steve Carp, who was with the Las Vegas Sun and the Las Vegas Review-Journal for 30 years and is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame, the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame, and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame. He also was named Nevada Sportswriter of the Year six times by the Nevada Sports Media Association.
Also on the growing staff is Mark Medina, who was previously a senior writer at NBA.com, a national NBA reporter for USA Today and a staff writer for the Bay Area News Group, Los Angeles Daily News and the Los Angeles Times, Doug Padilla, who has worked at ESPN, Chicago Sun-Times and Los Angeles Daily News, W.G. Ramirez, who was a Southern Nevada correspondent for USA Today and since 2012 has been a correspondent for the Associated Press, Fernando Ramirez, who was previously with Sports Illustrated, NBC and the South Bend Tribune, and Taylor Blake Ward, who was previously with Baseball America and oversees the site’s baseball coverage.
Markazi has been hosting The Arash Markazi Show since 2020. While the show’s run in San Diego recently ended, he said on X that it will continue on Las Vegas and Hawaii stations as well as a podcast.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.