The sports media outlet Deadspin which was notably accused of defaming a 9-year-old Kansas City Chiefs fan in November was sold by its parent company G/O Media.
G/O Media, formerly known as Gizmodo Media Group, reportedly sold the outlet to a European media company, Lineup Publishing, following a PR disaster after the company was sued for defamation after publishing an article accusing a 9-year-old Kansas City Chiefs fan of wearing “blackface.”
The entirety of Deadspin’s staff was laid off Monday as a result of the sale, as Lineup Publishing is instead seeking to “build a new team more in line with their editorial vision for the brand,” according to G/O Media’s CEO Jim Spanfeller. This reportedly marks the third round of layoffs from G/O Media in less than a year.
Following the sudden sale of the company, Julie DiCaro, a former writer for Deadspin, shared on X that employees were laid off with a half-hour notice and they “were immediately locked out of internal Slack channels and laptops,” according to the National Review.
“The rationale behind the decision to sell included a variety of important factors that include the buyer’s editorial plans for the brand, tough competition in the sports journalism sector, and a valuation that reflected a sizable premium from our original purchase price for the site,” Spanfeller wrote in a memo sent to Deadspin staff on Monday. “While the new owners plan to be reverential to Deadpin’s unique voice, they plan to take a different content approach regarding the site’s overall sports coverage,” he added.
The sale of Deadspin appears to have been abrupt, however, it notably follows a major lawsuit against the outlet filed in February by the parents of the 9-year-old football fan who was accused of “disrespect[ing] two groups of people at once,” in the shocking November article authored by Carron Phillips, a former Deadspin reporter.
TPUSA previously reported that the young fan was wearing red and black face paint as well as a decorative headdress at the sporting event when the live CBS broadcast pictured the 9-year-old, and Phillips “selectively captur[ed]” one side of his face, according to the lawsuit. His parents also revealed that their son is a Native American, and his grandfather is currently serving on the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
The controversy brought national negative attention to the outlet, prompting it to update the article, rather than issue a retraction or apology to the family.
