The National (newspaper)
Encyclopedia
The National Sports Daily, or The National, was a sports newspaper
in the United States
which debuted January 31, 1990 and folded on June 13, 1991. The newspaper was published daily (Sundays through Fridays) and had a tabloid format.
, and its editor-in-chief was sports journalist
Frank Deford
.
Azcárraga had seen the success of all-sports newspapers in Mexico
and many Europe
an countries (for example, La Gazzetta dello Sport
in Milan
, Italy or L'Équipe
in France) and thought that such a paper would work in the U.S.
, ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel
, Mike Lupica
of the New York Daily News
, The Wrestling Observer' s Dave Meltzer
, the Chicago Tribune
' s Steve Rosenbloom, Dave Kindred, San Francisco Chronicle
' s Scott Ostler, Cleveland Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw, ESPN's Tom Friend, PTI's Tony Kornheiser, and Around the Horn
panelist and ESPN contributor Jay Mariotti
, Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald, Leigh Montville
of the Boston Globe, Tom Keegan of the Lawrence Journal World and Norman Chad
.
s printing and distribution network to publish separate editions in each time zone. The newspaper also was a pioneer in using color print similar to USA Today
. The first issue's cover subjects were National Basketball Association
superstars Michael Jordan
, Magic Johnson
, and Patrick Ewing
, representing the three markets that the paper was available in: Chicago
, New York
, and Los Angeles
.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
which debuted January 31, 1990 and folded on June 13, 1991. The newspaper was published daily (Sundays through Fridays) and had a tabloid format.
Foundation
The founder and main financial backer was Mexican media businessman Emilio Azcárraga MilmoEmilio Azcárraga Milmo
Emilio Azcárraga Milmo or Emilio Azcárraga Jr. was a Mexican businessman and the son of Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta, Sr. He was educated at Culver Military Academy, he graduated in 1948. He was married three times, most recently to Paula Cussi...
, and its editor-in-chief was sports journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Frank Deford
Frank Deford
Benjamin "Frank" Deford, III is a senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated, author, and commentator for National Public Radio and correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO....
.
Azcárraga had seen the success of all-sports newspapers in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and many Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries (for example, La Gazzetta dello Sport
La Gazzetta dello Sport
La Gazzetta dello Sport is an Italian newspaper dedicated to coverage of various sports. It was first published on April 3, 1896, allowing it to cover the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy or L'Équipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
in France) and thought that such a paper would work in the U.S.
Notable columnists
Among the columnists that appeared on its pages were ESPN NFL analyst Chris MortensenChris Mortensen
Chris "Mort" Mortensen , an award-winning journalist, provides reports for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio and ESPN.com...
, ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel
Ivan Maisel
Ivan Maisel is a senior writer for ESPN, covering college football. He has been at ESPN since 2002, but had occasional appearances on the network before then....
, Mike Lupica
Mike Lupica
Michael Lupica is an American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.-Biography:...
of the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, The Wrestling Observer
Dave Meltzer
David A. Meltzer is the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Sports Illustrated senior writer Frank Deford has praised Meltzer's work, saying that "Meltzer, I believe, is the most accomplished reporter in sports journalism." Meltzer has written for the Oakland Tribune, the Los Angeles...
, the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
Around the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.-History:Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, hosted by Max Kellerman...
panelist and ESPN contributor Jay Mariotti
Jay Mariotti
Jay Mariotti is a former national columnist for Fanhouse.com and has done work as a panelist on the ESPN show Around the Horn.-Life and career:...
, Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald, Leigh Montville
Leigh Montville
Leigh Montville is a sportswriter, columnist and author. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut.Montville is married to Diane Foster and has two children...
of the Boston Globe, Tom Keegan of the Lawrence Journal World and Norman Chad
Norman Chad
Norman Chad is an American sportswriter and syndicated columnist who is seen on the sports channel ESPN. He also was an occasional guest host on the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption and has appeared as both host and movie critic on the ESPN Classic series Reel Classics.He writes a weekly...
.
Distribution network and early cover subjects
The National used The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
s printing and distribution network to publish separate editions in each time zone. The newspaper also was a pioneer in using color print similar to USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. The first issue's cover subjects were National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
superstars Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
, and Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
, representing the three markets that the paper was available in: Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.