The perfect amalgamate of sports and pop culture

Being a sports fan is more than hobby for many people; in fact, sports are more of a lifestyle. Mega fans live and die by the performance of men and women they’ll never meet, and when they aren’t competing, fans are glued to sites like ESPN and Yahoo Sports.

While these give great analysis and keep lusting fans satiated with up-to-the-second-news, they sometimes miss out on true, in-depth looks at more than stats and highlights. For those wanting more than the average top-ten countdown, the Grantland blog brings a fresh angle provided by some of the industry’s best writers.

The brain child of 'The Sports Guy,’ Bill Simmons, Grantland is the meeting ground for sports and pop culture. While sports nuts may be turned off by this idea, when I say pop culture, I’m not talking about the Real Housewives of the NBA. What this site has to offer is what actually makes athletes tick, and how this relates to media and performance. Simmons, along with the likes of Best Selling Author Chuck Klosterman, take sports analysis to a new level.

While scanning through the headlines, instead of seeing an article about last night’s routing by this or that team, readers will see articles such as, “The NBA’s Closing-Window All-Stars: A Look at the players taking one last shot at the elusive championship,” and “Know Your Role: Carl Landry and the Playoff-Bound Golden State Warriors.” The articles are based on up-to-date sport happenings, but instead of tired statics and catch phrases to describe slam-dunks, Simmons and crew create something new and fresh for an age-old tradition.

While the site does offer a section devoted only to pop culture, don’t let it steer you away. Grantland, with its all-star writing crew, takes sports knowledge, tosses it in a blender with stats, highlights, pop culture and a dash of grenadine, creating a compelling concoction for any fan of professional sports.

Photo courtesy of thescoutmag.com