Stadium Hits Trifecta: Shams Charania, Jeff Goodman And Brett McMurphy Join Network

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2018

STADIUM HITS TRIFECTA:
SHAMS CHARANIA, JEFF GOODMAN AND
BRETT MCMURPHY JOIN NETWORK

Goodman, McMurphy Begin Immediately;
Charania Starts On August 23rd

CHICAGO – Stadium, the first 24/7 multi-platform sports network, today announced the additions of Shams Charania, Jeff Goodman and Brett McMurphy. Both Goodman and McMurphy officially begin work today and will be featured prominently across Stadium’s various platforms. Charania will begin with Stadium on August 23rd and will also write for The Athletic.

“The additions of Shams Charania, Jeff Goodman and Brett McMurphy signify the next stage in the evolution of Stadium,” said Jason Coyle, CEO of Stadium. “Shams, Jeff and Brett together bring an incredible track record of trusted and thorough reporting that will continue to build the quality and significance of our daily programming offerings.”

Charania (@ShamsCharania) arrives at Stadium as one of the most popular reporters covering the NBA. At just 24, Charania has established himself as a household name, breaking news at a prolific rate. Charania spent the previous three years at Yahoo! Sports, writing columns and breaking news across the league. At Stadium, Charania will play a pivotal role as lead NBA Insider and Analyst, appearing exclusively across various Stadium video platforms on a daily basis throughout the year, focusing on both regular and postseason play, the NBA Draft and NBA Free Agency.

“I’m thrilled to join Stadium and continue to develop my on-air repertoire,” Charania said. “I feel the hunger and desire from everyone, top to bottom, and it gives me excitement for my next step.”

Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) comes to Stadium following five years as a national basketball Insider at ESPN, where he worked across various platforms to cover college basketball and the NBA. Previously, Goodman spent two years as the national college basketball writer at CBS Sports and held the same position from 2006-2011 at Fox Sports. Goodman is a multifaceted talent – he has been considered the preeminent news breaker in college basketball, has been a part of ESPN’s on-air coverage of the NBA Draft, has worked on the network’s coverage of the Final Four and has scored and conducted in-depth interviews with many of the top coaches in the sport from Brad Stevens to Mike Krzyzewski as well as elite players such as Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton.

“I am so excited to join Stadium’s team after spending the past five years at ESPN,” Goodman said. “I can’t wait to grow the basketball coverage in a similar fashion in which I did at Fox Sports years ago, but now I will combine my writing abilities with the experience I gained the past five years at ESPN to give Stadium someone who can not just break news, but offer deeper insight — both on and off the camera. The goal is to give the basketball fan information, and an honesty, that they cannot find anywhere else.”

McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) joins Stadium just days after breaking the biggest college football story of 2018. McMurphy obtained texts and images from Courtney Smith alleging abuse by her now ex-husband Zach Smith, longtime assistant to Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer. He spent the last five years at ESPN as a College Football Insider, breaking hundreds of stories across multiple platforms. Prior to joining ESPN, McMurphy wrote for CBS Sports, AOL FanHouse, and The Tampa Tribune. He began his career covering Odessa Permian High School, from Friday Night Lights fame, for the Odessa American. In 2010, he was nominated by AOL FanHouse for a Pulitzer Prize in the breaking news category, but was not a Pulitzer Prize nominee finalist. He has also been the recipient of 10 Football Writers Association of America Awards recognizing his writing. With Stadium, McMurphy will continue as a long-time voting member in the weekly Associated Press football poll along with the Heisman Trophy and several other national coach and player awards.

“I’m ecstatic to join Stadium and have the opportunity to continue my career reporting on college football,” McMurphy said. “I can’t express how excited I am to be a part of a company that will allow me to utilize my talents to the fullest.”

Charania, Goodman, and McMurphy each will contribute across Stadium’s full daily studio lineup and also work to develop additional programming initiatives built around their respective areas of expertise.

“When we launched Stadium in 2017, our goal was to build a destination for sports fans that would be recognized as truly different – a fresh, credible voice that stood out from the crowd of opinionists shouting at each other in the studio,” Coyle said. “As these talented, hard-working, always-hustling journalists became available, it became clear that we had an opportunity to make a strong move, and I’m legitimately thrilled to add Shams, Jeff and Brett to the Stadium family.”

For Stadium inquiries contact: Anthony Mazzuca —- AMazzuca@WatchStadium.com

ABOUT STADIUM

Stadium is the original multi-platform sports network featuring exclusive live and on-demand games and events, extensive highlights, classic games, original programming, and daily live studio programming. Stadium includes a 24/7 linear feed distributed across both digital and broadcast platforms, as well as a comprehensive array of on-demand (VOD) digital content including additional live games and events. Stadium is owned by a collection of industry leaders including Sinclair Broadcast Group, BAMTech, the NHL, the PGA TOUR, and Meredith Corp. To learn more, visit: http://watchstadium.com/