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"They weren't really doing anything particularly innovative"

Well, better get back to posting about the next "unicorn" with no business plan.

A big part of it is that Grantland was seldom accused of writing "clickbait" or churning out low-quality content. They had talented writers producing good longform material. If ESPN couldn't make that profitable, it's a blow to the argument (often seen on HN) that people are willing to pay for quality journalism.

See a piece like this:

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/silicon-valley-hal...

Not about sports, informative, and thoughtful.