While there are plenty of sports news outlets, television channels and reporters that cover the world's vast array of leagues and players nearly down to the second, there are few options for those who need context to understand the day's sports headlines. And without a basic understanding of the day's sports news, you can be cut out of conversations in the workplace, at networking events, out with friends and beyond.
How famous is this player? Why is this newsworthy? What does this stat mean?
Wenting Xi (pictured above), a current University of Chicago Booth MBA student, had this exact problem in her previous job in corporate finance. "All the guys at work would always talk about sports," she said to Chicago Inno over email. "I wanted to participate but there was no easy way to get caught up on sports news. It'd require a lot of time and research." And in talking with business colleagues and friends, she found she wasn't the only one who needed a daily sports news refresher.
So, she launched Clutch.
Clutch is a daily sports newsletter and website that focuses on explanatory sports journalism, sort of a combination of the Skimm and Vox, but focused entirely on sports.
The newsletter covers the top news stories and narratives in an efficient, conversational tone, getting readers the sports information they need for the day's conversations in just a few minutes (a recent newsletter explained why March Madness was turning into "March Sadness" for Duke).
"Our newsletters are written to be read in less than three minutes by people with zero to little sports context," Xi explained. "Currently, ESPN and the like write for avid sports fans who already know the context around players, teams, and stats," she added. "We explain the context. How famous is this player? Why is this newsworthy? What does this stat mean? Why is it impressive?"
They're also developing sports guides (similar to Vox Cards, Xi explained), such as "Beginner's Guide to American Football" and "How to Watch Baseball." The "Bulls Fan Starter Kit" has seven paragraphs that break down the team's history (Michael Jordan, the 72-10 season) and where the team stands now. And as sports events pop up they'll be offering additional features, such as a March Madness bracket builder where users would click the winner of match ups after learning a few facts about each team.
While the big players--ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, among others--all have newsletters, only a few startups have attempted explanatory sports journalism, such as TipOff and Casual Spectator.
Xi, a self-taught coder, developed the iPhone app, newsletter and bracket builder (she's long been interested in launching her own business), and she co-writes for the site with her cofounder Sammy Lee, a "sports geek" who she said "knows more about sports than anyone should."
Originally she launched it as an app called Ms. Clutch, but she soon discovered women aren't the only ones with this problem.
"As we started acquiring customers, more and more men told us they needed this," she said. "When I started my MBA at Chicago Booth in the fall of 2016, a lot of international students (males and females) told me this is exactly what they need. They wanted to learn about American sports now that they live here. That's why we changed the name from Ms Clutch to Clutch."
The platform is free, and they're on-boarding new subscribers through an ambassador program. In the future, Xi is looking to make revenue through incorporating ads and sponsored stories, and eventually partnering with teams and leagues on ticket and merchandise sales.
