(above : webcam pic of McIntyre reviewing receipt of funds transfer earlier this week)
Though it’s not quite as lucrative a transaction as The Owner With A Boner selling Broadcast.com for $5 billion, The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir reports Jason McIntyre’s The Big Lead has been acquired by Fantasy Sports Ventures for a sum in “the low seven figures”. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the formerly anonymous Mr. McIntyre and to remind any and all potential suitors that CSTB remains on the market for the bargain price of $2500.00 and a case of Bard’s Beer. I’ll even sign a non-compete clause.
The buyer, Chris Russo, chief executive of Fantasy Sports Ventures, a network of 600 sports sites, said: œYou can™t out-ESPN ESPN, but you can take a different approach. Jason covers general sports and celebrity with an in-depth focus on sports media. Through good journalism and good luck, The Big Lead has succeeded.
The Big Lead is generating three million monthly page views, Mr. McIntyre said, citing Site Meter™s measurement.
Mr. McIntyre acknowledged that almost from the start, he hoped to be acquired. He recalled the 2007 purchase of mediabistro.com, a Web site for job seekers, for $23 million.
œI said, ˜Why not me?™ he said. œThe low seven figures isn™t $23 million, but that kind of inspired me. Laurel Touby turned mediabistro into $23 million. I won™t lie or sit here bragging, but yeah, I™m on the computer 14 to 15 hours a day. I have youthful energy. I made a bunch of sacrifices, and it™s paying off.
This really is an all-American success story, though it should be noted that merely being online 14-15 hours a day is no guarantee of a financial windfall.