Returning To Campus

Sports Illustrated named 1991 Tufts graduate Christian Stone as the editor of its new “SI On Campus” magazine.

New York City [09-24-03] When Sports Illustrated recently ranked the top college towns in the country, the media giant turned a lot of heads – not because of the schools it picked, but where the story was published. Beginning in September, Sports Illustrated launched a new magazine focused entirely on college sports, exclusively designed for college readers. At the helm of the new venture is 1991 Tufts graduate Christian Stone.

“College sports is a 24/7 experience,” Stone – the chief editor of Sports Illustrated On Campus – told a North Carolina newspaper. “[We’re taking] a fresh approach to college sports coverage and one which we believe is going to resonate with hardcore and casual fans alike.”

Formerly a senior editor at Sports Illustrated, Stone was responsible for “SI Adventure” – a monthly section covering adventure sports – before his recent promotion.

The new magazine, which hits newsstands on 72 college campuses around the country every week, reaches an estimated 1 million readers.

To appeal to this audience – one that Sports Illustrated hopes to convert into long-term SI readers – Stone and his staff are taking a unique approach to their content.

“Yes, it’s the big game and the big names and our readers will get plenty of that in every issue,” Stone told the Daily Tar Heel. “But it’s also tailgating and road-tripping and 3 a.m. pickup hoops games in the student recreation center. That’s what our readers are going to receive as well.”

The new magazine will also incorporate submissions from college journalists as well as features like a behind-the-scenes look at the ESPN team that covers college football.

“The mission of SI On Campus is to be original and compelling each week, building on SI’s high journalistic standards of reporting, writing and photography to relate college sports to the student experience,” said Sports Illustrated managing editor Terry McDonnell. “This is a new magazine with a point of view that recognizes college sports are much more than the scores.”