ake your seat. Your loyal Web referee is about to adjudicate a
heavyweight battle between the Web's best sports sites. In the red corner,
the Godzilla of all online sports, ESPNET SportsZone. In the blue corner, Sports Illustrated's SI Online, the King
Kong of the sports world. And, in the purple corner (you've heard
of triangular rings, haven't you?), The Sporting News, the Mothra of the Net.
Let's start with Godzilla. ESPN was the first site to offer comprehensive,
up-to-the-minute coverage of every major sport. The scaled behemoth
connects with a left hook by virtue of its live game updates and in-depth
clubhouse features, where you can get the inside dirt on just about any team
in any league. But don't think there isn't a chink in the Great
Reptile's armor. The best parts of SportsZone, as any sports fan worth his or
her modem already knows, ain't free. This subscription requirement leaves
quite an opening for the other two beasts prowling the ring.
On to King
Kong. Score a hit for SI's photo
gallery, featuring wonderful displays that go far beyond your average
action shot. The overgrown gorilla lands another solid blow with its
assortment of well-written feature articles.
Don't count Mothra out, though. The Sporting News, the oldest sports
publication but the newest online, is learning pretty darn fast. With a
design that looks strikingly similar to SportsZone (hey, if it ain't broke, don't
fix it), TSN serves up the same quality of sports coverage, with a couple
of bonuses. With the News' history (it was founded in 1886), the archive
section is a winner -- witness the incredible Conlon
Collection or the exhibit of letters from baseball great Ty Cobb.
Another bonus: everything is free. And, if the national pastime is
your game of choice, the News' baseball
section, like its print counterpart, is second to none.
The verdict? It's hard to score a clean knockout, but here are some
recommendations. When you first get to work or log on in the morning and
need a quick fix, go to SportsZone. During your lunch break, when you've got a bit
more time on your hands, visit SI. When you get home or have time to really
get in-depth, though, The Sporting News is the place to be.
So it's Mothra, in a hard-fought points decision.
-- Ezra Gale
Image credits: © 1997 Time Inc. New Media, The Sporting News, Starwave Corporation and ESPN Inc.