Will Leitch
Encyclopedia
William F. Leitch is a writer
based in New York City
and the founding editor of the Gawker Media
sports blog Deadspin
. Leitch is a contributing editor at New York
magazine, a contributor to The New York Times
, GQ, Fast Company
and Slate
, and has published four books, Catch, a novel, Life as a Loser, a memoir, God Save The Fan, a book of sports essays, and Are We Winning?, a book about fatherhood and baseball.
, Illinois
, which is also the setting of Catch. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While there, he was an editor at the University's paper, the Daily Illini
. He now lives in Brooklyn.
One of Leitch's first glances with fame came when he appeared on one of the early episodes of Win Ben Stein's Money
. In an excerpt from Life as a Loser, published on Blacktable.com, Leitch describes the experience of taping this episode within hours of being dumped by his fiancée (a fact that co-host Jimmy Kimmel
included in Leitch's introduction).
.
. Deadspin quickly became one of the most popular independent sports blogs on the web, and has been profiled in Sports Illustrated
and The New York Times
. Leitch announced on June 5, 2008 that he would be leaving Deadspin at the end of the month to become a contributing editor at New York magazine
.
, Leitch wrote a daily column for TimesSelect, the paid section of The New York Times
. During the 2007 baseball playoffs, Leitch wrote a daily column for The New York Times
' Web site.
Leitch was featured in the February 2008 issue of Penthouse magazine
.
On May 4, 2010, Leitch released his fourth book, Are We Winning?. Leitch describes the book as being about baseball and fatherhood. It takes place during a game between the Chicago Cubs
and St. Louis Cardinals
. It is about how children communicate with their fathers through sports. It is about rivalries and fellowship, using baseball as a substitute for real life.
for the lack of quality writing on sports blogs. He has also faced criticism for comments in his book that questioned the blackness
of some prominent African-American sports figures such as Tony Dungy
and Bryant Gumbel
.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and the founding editor of the Gawker Media
Gawker Media
Gawker Media is an American online media company and blog network, founded and owned by Nick Denton based in New York City. It is considered to be one of the most visible and successful blog-oriented media companies. , it is the parent company for 11 different weblogs: Gawker.com, Fleshbot,...
sports blog Deadspin
Deadspin
Deadspin is a sports website owned by Gawker Media and was launched in September 2005. As of February 2010, the site had attracted over 462 million unique visitors and about 573 million page views....
. Leitch is a contributing editor at New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine, a contributor to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, GQ, Fast Company
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
and Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, and has published four books, Catch, a novel, Life as a Loser, a memoir, God Save The Fan, a book of sports essays, and Are We Winning?, a book about fatherhood and baseball.
Background
Leitch grew up in MattoonMattoon, Illinois
Mattoon is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,555 as of the 2010 census. It is a principal city of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.Mattoon was the site of the "Mad Gasser" attacks of the 1940s....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, which is also the setting of Catch. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While there, he was an editor at the University's paper, the Daily Illini
Daily Illini
The Daily Illini, commonly known as the DI, is an independent, student-run newspaper that has been published for the community of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1871...
. He now lives in Brooklyn.
One of Leitch's first glances with fame came when he appeared on one of the early episodes of Win Ben Stein's Money
Win Ben Stein's Money
Win Ben Stein's Money is an American television game show that ran from July 28, 1997 to January 31, 2003 on the Comedy Central cable network with episodes airing until May 8, 2003. It featured three contestants who competed in a general knowledge quiz contest to win the grand prize of $5,000 from...
. In an excerpt from Life as a Loser, published on Blacktable.com, Leitch describes the experience of taping this episode within hours of being dumped by his fiancée (a fact that co-host Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
included in Leitch's introduction).
IronMinds.com
Life As A Loser appeared on Ironminds, an online magazine that existed from 1999-2002.The Black Table
In January 2003, Leitch became a founding editor of the website The Black Table, with Eric Gillin, A.J. Daulerio and Aileen Gallagher. His Life As A Loser column ran online for five years and was ultimately compiled into a book of the same title, with a foreword written by Tom PerrottaTom Perrotta
Thomas R. Perrotta is an Albanian-American/ Italian-American novelist and screenwriter best known for his novels Election and Little Children , both of which were made into critically acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated films...
.
Deadspin
In September 2005, Leitch became the founding editor of DeadspinDeadspin
Deadspin is a sports website owned by Gawker Media and was launched in September 2005. As of February 2010, the site had attracted over 462 million unique visitors and about 573 million page views....
. Deadspin quickly became one of the most popular independent sports blogs on the web, and has been profiled in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Leitch announced on June 5, 2008 that he would be leaving Deadspin at the end of the month to become a contributing editor at New York magazine
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
.
Other work
During the 2007 NCAA Tournament2007 NCAA Tournament
This is a list of the 2007 NCAA Tournament winners:Basketball* 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament* 2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball TournamentIce hockey* 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey TournamentBaseball...
, Leitch wrote a daily column for TimesSelect, the paid section of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. During the 2007 baseball playoffs, Leitch wrote a daily column for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
' Web site.
Leitch was featured in the February 2008 issue of Penthouse magazine
Penthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
.
On May 4, 2010, Leitch released his fourth book, Are We Winning?. Leitch describes the book as being about baseball and fatherhood. It takes place during a game between the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. It is about how children communicate with their fathers through sports. It is about rivalries and fellowship, using baseball as a substitute for real life.
Criticism
Leitch was criticized by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Buzz Bissinger on an April 2008 episode of Costas NowCostas Now
Costas Now was an American monthly sports television show hosted by Bob Costas on HBO.-History:In 2001, Costas was hired by HBO to host a 12-week talk and interview series called On the Record with Bob Costas. In 2005, the program was revamped to become Costas Now, with more of a focus on sports...
for the lack of quality writing on sports blogs. He has also faced criticism for comments in his book that questioned the blackness
African American culture
African-American culture, also known as black culture, in the United States refers to the cultural contributions of Americans of African descent to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American culture. The distinct identity of African-American culture is rooted in...
of some prominent African-American sports figures such as Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
and Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Charles Gumbel is an American television journalist and sportscaster. He is best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's The Today Show. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel.-Early life:...
.