Super-star athletes are turning into editors, and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick just joined their ranks. Patrick wrote an editorial about her love life titled “Relationship Status: Normal-ish” for the Players’ Tribune. At the bottom, the piece read “Danica Patrick / Senior Editor”.
“Look, if it’s crazy to want to go to sleep next to the person who ran your car off the road going 200 miles per hour earlier that day, then I’m certifiable. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a balls-to-the wall, go-hard-or-go-home, lift-only-when-you-see-God-twice kind of NASCAR driver. He’s Ford. I’m Chevy. It’s the Montagues and the Capulets. He’s grits. I’m granola. We’re the opposite in almost every way,” she wrote.
What’s the secret of the relationship then? “He’s also extremely cuddly,” she wrote. But then, the piece begins to get more serious as Patrick begins to discuss more than just her relationship, and goes into a statement about the sports world at large. “The sports media prefers simple narratives: Good vs. Evil. Teammates vs. Enemies. NASCAR can be a lot more complicated.”
Yesterday, @DanicaPatrick published her first piece as Senior Editor. Read it here: http://t.co/HcXooXhMca pic.twitter.com/6ADpFxSMAz
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) October 10, 2014
Who is responsible for giving athletes a voice beyond a soundbite at ESPN? Derek Jeter. Although he is no longer a Yankee, Jeter has partnered with Legendary Entertainment to launch the Players’ Tribune, according to the Hollywood reporter.
“I am working with other athletes, with editors and with producers to create a platform that gives us a chance to say what’s on our minds. It’s called The Players’ Tribune. Over the next few months, we’ll be introducing a strong core of athlete editors and contributors who will shape the site into an online community filled with first-person stories and behind-the-scenes content,” he wrote, “My goal is for the site to ultimately transform how athletes and newsmakers share information, bringing fans closer than ever to the games they love.”
Watch Derek Jeter explain his inspiration for The Players' Tribune last night on @JimmyFallon https://t.co/DbtPztBhHH
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) October 3, 2014
What can we expect next from this website? “The Players’ Tribune is a platform for athletes to tell their unfiltered stories,” editorial director Gary Hoenig told the Hollywood Reporter, “They can discuss whatever they want. The common denominator is content will always be fresh and direct from the source.” According to the Wrap, the next editor-athlete for the Players’ Tribune is set to be announced on October 16th.
For his first piece, @DangeRussWilson discusses one of the most pressing issues facing the NFL http://t.co/t6UfrYMmie pic.twitter.com/Ka8t3cZrfY
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) October 2, 2014