MASTHEAD ESPN The Magazine: The Final Masthead What’s your favorite Mag story ever? That’s the excruciatingly hard question we put to our staff. Their answers … 1 “How They Do in Oxford,” an essay Vice President, Editor in Chief, ESPN The Magazine, Manager, Operations & Research John Mastroberardino 6 Steve Wulf’s essay following 9/11 by Kiese Laymon (Oct. 26, 2015) on espnW and the ESPYS Alison Overholt Edit Operations Coordinators Taryn Ayotte, Zeb Powell (Oct. 1, 2001) is still the most moving 1 7 Ole Miss football and the stains of the Executive Editor Scott Burton Research Chief Gueorgui Milkov piece we have done. His words Confederacy, gives me chills every Senior Creative Director Chin Wang Reporter/Researchers Sachin Dave Chandan, Charlotte reminded us that heroes had always time I reread it, for how daringly it Gibson, Dan Hajducky, Anthony Olivieri been among us and that with time 8 embraces uncomfortable truths Senior Deputy Editor Jena Janovy we could, and had to, move forward. about racial injustice. Deputy Editors Ryan Hockensmith, Paul Kix, Senior Director, Communications Jay Jay Nesheim Eric Neel, Ty Wenger Communications Manager Jennifer Christie 9 Senior Editors Susie Arth, Aimee Crawford, Ericka Goodman-Hughey, Rebecca Hudson, Ross Marrinson, 2 “Ode to the Girl on a Wheel,” by Rebecca Nordquist, Michael Philbrick, Rachel Ullrich ESPN President James Pitaro General Editors Dotun Akintoye, Elaine Teng Executive Vice President, Content Connor Schell Nikky Finney (Oct. 31, 2016). Look, we 2 printed a freaking poem, a testament Associate Editors Dan Appenfeller, Jenisha Watts Senior Vice President, Original Content, Newsgathering Senior Writers Sam Alipour, Sam Borden, Howard & Digital Media Rob King to the ways we experimented with Bryant, Wayne Drehs, David Fleming, Bonnie D. Ford, Vice President, Global Digital Content storytelling. This line still rattles in my Allison Glock, Tom Junod, Peter Keating, Tim Keown, Patrick Stiegman head: “… the lanky girls, who Mina Kimes, Ryan McGee, Elizabeth Merrill, Sam Miller, Vice President, Executive Editor, International uncrossed their legs, who rode by Stacey Pressman, Alyssa Roenigk, Ramona Shelburne, Kevin Jackson Wright Thompson, Pablo S. Torre, Don Van Natta Jr., Vice President, Audience Development Nathan Ravitz emancipated on their wheels …” 3 Kevin Van Valkenburg, Seth Wickersham, Steve Wulf Vice President, Content Business Operations & Strategy 7 I loved the photo feature in which Julie Sobieski Writer/Reporters Katie Barnes, Hallie Grossman Senior Director, Print Operations Chris Noble we asked athletes to re-create Contributing Writers Kevin Arnovitz, Bill Barnwell, Director, Circulation Jocelyn Strauber classic album covers (Feb. 18, 2013). Scott Eden, Baxter Holmes, Emily Kaplan, Associate Director, Consumer Marketing Margo Guthlein I had just started my career here, Jackie MacMullan, Anna Peele, Marly Rivera, and it was incredibly exciting to be Robert Sanchez, Bruce Schoenfeld Customer Service 1.888.267.3684, [email protected] working on such a smart concept. Creative Director Heather Donahue Senior Manager, Prepress & Digital Production Art Directors Luke Knox, Rami Moghadam, Robert O’Malley Eric Paul, Beth Stojkov Senior Manager, Print Production Ronald Staino 8 “Blaze of Glory,” by David Fleming Senior Front End Developers Joey Maese, Justin McCraw (Sept. 30, 2013). The Packers were Associate Art Directors Christopher DeLisle, Manager, Multimedia Sponsorship Integration saved from ruin by the insurance Sarah Pezzullo, Linda Root Pouder, Munehito Sawada Edmond Barredo 3 “The Mismatch,” Tom Friend’s Senior Designers Michelle Bashaw, Associate Manager, Prepress & Digital Production money collected after their training 4 Tommy Morrison story from our first Titus Smith, Linda Tran-Tutovan Stephanie Fallon facility burned down in 1950. issue (March 23, 1998), because it Designer Tiffany Middleton Aaaaand … they might have torched Senior Editor/Visuals Lori Higginbotham ADVERTISING served notice both to Sports 10 it themselves. One part whodunit, General Editor/Visuals Alecia Hamm Director, Publishing David Karatz Illustrated that they had competition, Associate Editor/Visuals Rachel Weiss New York Sales Brendan Hoey, Nanci Pavlisko, one part history lesson, Flem and to young writers (like me) that Paula Sarapin examined the NFL’s present through there was a home for the ambitious Director of Photography Karen Frank Chicago Sales John Goldrick a little-known event in its past. 5 stories we dreamed of writing. Deputy Photo Editors Sean Hintz, Jim Surber Detroit Sales Crissy Obermok Senior Photo Editors Nick Galac, Don Jolovich, New England Sales Brendan Hoey Kristine LaManna, Jason Potterton, Julianne Varacchi Southern California, Los Angeles Sales Reva Estrada, General Photo Editors Robert Booth, Kaitlin Marron, Christine McClain 9 “Revis, Party of One,” Mina Kimes’ Chris Rodriguez, Miller Safrit, Shawn Williams Southeast Sales Steven Gotz Darrelle Revis profile (Aug. 31, 2015). Associate Photo Editors Matthew Becker, National Direct-Response Sales Nancy Forman Revis was always an intriguing player Jared Ross, Anthony Spinelli to me as a Jets fan, and I felt like Photo Researcher John Klein President, Disney Advertising Sales Rita Ferro Mina’s story gave me far more insight Senior Vice President, Disney Advertising Sales Contributing Photographers Hana Asano, Shayan Wendell Scott into him as a person. Asgharnia, Steve Boyle, Veronica G. Cardenas, Dylan Coulter, Rob Daly, Marcus Eriksson, Benedict Evans, BRAND SOLUTIONS Brian Finke, Gail Fisher, Preston Gannaway, Toi Greaves, Executive Vice President, Client & Brand Solutions Carol Guzy, Andrew Hancock, Peter Hapak, Robin Harper, Lisa Valentino Heather Hazzan, Andrew Hetherington, Eros Hoagland, Senior Vice President, Sports Brand Solutions 4 The reporting in “The Enablers of Sophy Holland, John Huet, Malcolm Jackson, Rachel Sean Hanrahan Larry Nassar,” by John Barr and Dan Jessen, Gary Land, Sarah Lee, Adam Levey, John Loomis, Vice President, Sports Brand Solutions Murphy (Feb. 5, 2018), revealed to the Eric Lutzens, Claire Martin, Mary Ellen Matthews, Deidra Maddock world secrets that too many were Michael F. McElroy, Bethany Mollenkoff, Greg Mionske, Associate Directors, Sports Brand Solutions Matt Nager, Caitlin O’Hara, Aaron Ontiveroz, Trevor NaAmka Milima, Paul Sucec hiding. Commissioning illustration Paulhus, Kate Peters, Richard Phibbs, Cody Pickens, Joe for sensitive topics is always tough, Pugliese, Saeed Rahbaran, Jesse Rieser, Sarah Rice, Cory ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT but Mark Smith gave me his best Richards, Ramona Rosales, Neeta Satam, Dana Scruggs, Manager, Finance Casey Brown here. I was proud to work on this one. Peggy Sirota, Marcus Smith, Danielle St. Laurent, Product Manager, Global Sales Analytics 10 “The Secret History of Tiger Mike Stocker, Christopher Testani, Diwang Valdez, Clare Martorella Woods,” by Wright Thompson (May 9, Mark Williams & Sara Hirakawa, Dan Winters, Peter Yang Manager, Accounting Andersson Espinoza 2016). Tiger’s real-life saga is better Senior Accountant Michael Eddy 5 Dan Le Batard’s cover profile of Director, Editorial Operations & Copy Account Analyst Felicita Rosado than any scripted sports drama ever. Kimbo Slice (June 2, 2008), who, if Christian Sean Rogers Right when we were thinking “what’s 6 you were to believe the internet, was a DTCI Infrastructure Services Director Jason Fuller next,” Wright unearthed something terrifying backyard brawler, but in Copy Desk Chief Steve Gordon Manager Infrastructure Services & Automation special from the past that blew all of reality was a man simply fighting to Senior Copy Editors Kathryn Sherer Brunetto, Phillip West us readers away. Amy Goldstein Senior Systems Administrator Tom Iwanicki bring himself up out of homelessness Copy Editors Susan Banning, DTSS Client Services Technology Engineers and grow as a human being. Cheryl Della Pietra, Jay Spiegel Wayne Hannen, Adam Hartley 10 ESPN OCTOBER 2019 HARRY BENSON (MORRISON); MATTHIAS CLAMER (MUSIC COVERS); JOHN HUET (WOODS); MARK SMITH (NASSAR).