A.J. Daulerio Interview: 'There Are Going to Be "Why Deadspin Sucks" Columns All Over'

Although the popular sports blog Deadspin has grown into much more than a one-man show over the last three years, it has always been viewed, first and foremost, as Will Leitch's site.

Until today. Leitch is leaving to become a contributing editor at New York magazine, and Gawker Media has announced that A.J. Daulerio, who had served as the site's senior writer, is taking over the top spot.

It's a busy day for Daulerio, but he took a few minutes to talk to me about how he felt when he got the job, where Deadspin is going, and why he thinks Stuart Scott has every right to hate him.


Deadspin Editor is probably the most coveted job in the sports blogosphere. What was your initial reaction when you found out the job was yours?
I was elated, obviously. I really wanted this and coveted it but, at the same time, I knew there would be a lot of people who wanted the same thing, so I was mindful of that. I knew I wanted to be a part of the site in some capacity as I went through the process.

What was the process like?
After Will announced he was leaving, we had discussions, he was gauging my interest in it, and I let the Gawker people know my interest in it. I went through an interviewing process, said where I thought the site should go. It wasn't that different from any other job interview.

It was my sense that you were the favorite from the outset. Was that your sense as well?
Actually, no. If you look at Gawker's history, there's not usually an heir apparent automatically in line. They do a very, very deliberate and thorough search for who they think would best get the site to where they think it should be. I had interest in it from the get-go just because I was such a fan of the site and have worked in it in some capacity since its inception, so I was very interested. But I also realized it's a hot property right now and they have to do what's best for it.

Would it be fair to say that Gawker Media hiring you -- someone who already works on the site -- is a sign that the bosses like the way Deadspin is going now and don't want any big changes?
Yes and no. I think there's always room for growth in their eyes. That's definitely going to be taken into account. Deadspin is actually at this place right now where it's in the rarefied air of the sports blogosphere, it has momentum and visibility that they want to capitalize on. Hopefully I will be the guy to do that.

Do you expect to make any changes? Will you bring on any new writers or eliminate any current features?
That will probably all be a work in progress. When any site changes hands there are going to be changes, but I don't think they're going to be drastic. I think the template is pretty much there, it's just a matter of building up, not tearing down. There will be a new writer added, Clay Travis, and everyone is looking forward to working with him. He has a depth of knowledge that will help the site and he's willing to come on board and help us out, so that's great, and Rick Chandler will stay on as associate editor.

You were previously the editor of Oddjack, a Gawker Media site that was not successful. Did you worry that that would count against you? Will that experience help you with Deadspin?
That was a completely different set of circumstances. Oddjack, from all angles, was an unmitigated failure. It was the first time I had ever blogged. It was a crash course in doing that, a crash course in how to edit and operate and hold down a site. I had to learn as I went, and failing was probably one of the best lessons there, ultimately.

When people criticize Deadspin, they often bring up a post you wrote in which you looked over Stuart Scott's shoulder at a Super Bowl party to read a text message he was sending. Do you regret doing that, and is that criticism valid?
I think a lot of that criticism comes form people who are trying to compare this to the tenets of journalism and question whether or not it's ethical. I don't regret it because it was supposed to be my diary of being at the Super Bowl. I knew the ramifications of it. ... You have to realize, at the time that that happened, Deadspin and ESPN had this very, very silly rivalry where this is kind of like flinging a bag of dog crap on their front porch. I think I broke every single guy code that's out there by doing that, but my goal was basically to entertain Deadspin's audience and I think I did that.

And is that the ultimate goal, to entertain Deadspin's audience?
Yeah, of course. And one thing to make clear, Deadspin's audience isn't all the commenters -- the commenters are probably 10% of the entire readership. I think that the goal is to find what a wide-reaching Deadspin audience wants. That week at the Super Bowl, I knew what my job was. Every bad journalism practice I employed that week was because that was what I thought would give us the best material that week. But it wasn't like my goal was to hide in a trash bin and ruin this guy's life or something.

Have you ever heard from Stuart Scott?
No, I heard he was upset, and rightfully so. I'm sure if I was in that position I'd be upset too.

Where do you see Deadspin a year from now?
That's a tough one for me to answer. There are goals in place but we still have a lot of things to work out as far as what Deadspin is going to be a month from now, let alone a year form now. It's going to be a day-to-day process.

As the highest-profile sports blogger out there, is Will Leitch a particularly tough act to follow?
Yes. I'll be mindful of that every day. I'm absolutely 100% convinced that there are going to be "Why Deadspin sucks" columns all over the place.

Will's just got a great template in place. I'm a fan of the site, and so there are no wholesale changes that I'm going to put in place. I'm just building upon the site that's already here.