Can sports news sites make me a better bettor?
I am willing to put money on the fact that these sports news sites will improve your sports betting game in no time. Although it may not be quite as overt as, say, an eBook that promises to improve your sports betting strategy by teaching you about odds and probability, sports news sites are the best way to ensure that you are as embedded in the game as possible. The best sports bettors, after all, tend to be the most knowledgeable about the sports on which they bet.
That’s just common sense, isn’t it? The more you know about a sport, the better you will be at predicting outcomes. Right? Whereas I cannot sit here and guarantee you that these sports news sites will win you money, what I can do is say this: keeping current on all that is going on in the world of sports certainly could never hurt.
If a player is injured, you need to know about it immediately. What if you are depending on that player in tonight’s game to carry your team to the win? If he’s injured and you don’t know about it, well, you are SOL. You can’t go through and tinker with your bet or your fantasy lineup just before the game. You can’t withdraw your bet if need be. That is why the best sports news sites are not just those that offer the most vigorous journalistic material, they are also the ones that are the most easily and wisely accessible.
Which, for me, equates to offering an excellent mobile app, lots of customizable user features, team and sport-specific push notifications, and much more. There is a lot that goes into finding the best sports news site on the web. Much more than meets the eye, I think.
Are any of these sites geared specifically towards sports betting?
Yes, there are a great deal of sites on this list that brand themselves specifically as sports news sites for sports bettors. Not every site on this list, mind you, is going to be this way. But I think that you will find a pretty even spread once you dive in and take a look.
Some of these sites are simply reputable news sites that happen to have exceptional sports sections. That means that they won’t be giving hot tips or thoughts on fantasy lineups or smart sportsbook bets. However, if you know how to read between the lines, this will not be a problem at all.
Others that you will find here, though, specifically lay out daily fantasy rankings, bet strategies, odds, etc. I think a solid blend of both types of sports news sites is probably the best way to go. That way you are getting both hard news and sports betting coverage simultaneously. Each site, mind you, offers something slightly different – otherwise, there wouldn’t be a need for creating several sites, right? You could just have one and be done with it. Luckily, though, diversity often results in heightened quality.
What makes the best sports news site?
I am very glad that you asked. As far as I’m concerned, the best sports news sites can be broken down into a few main categories. If a sports news site meets the criteria, ticks every one of the following boxes, it deserves to be on my list of the best sports news sites. Let’s break it down and take a closer look at all of the working parts of a great sports news site.
Reputation, history, and journalistic rigor
Although a longstanding history is not always required from the best sports news sites, it definitely helps the cause. When a journalistic enterprise has been in circulation for a while, there is a good chance that it has a history of breaking big stories, quality writing, and offering honest and objective sports news as soon as possible. The logic is sound: if a sports news site were bad, it probably wouldn’t have been able to prosper for years (in some case, many, many years). That being said, there are always exceptions to the rule.
Of course, there are a few news outlets that have been around for a while but are in ill repute in the world of real sports journalism. However, you aren’t going to find them listed or reviewed here. I am in the business of providing only the best of the best. With all of the sites that I review, I don’t waste your time (or my own) by linking to subpar sites. What would that do? Who would that help? Every one of the sports news sites found here are reputable, respected, and dependable outlets of sports journalism.
Site design and user experience
The best sports news sites offer immersive, responsive, and dynamic user experiences. Visiting a sports news site should feel nothing like opening up the sports section of the newspaper. It should be, however, as professional and clean as a newspaper, while still taking advantage of the design possibilities presented to us by the digital age. The best sports news sites, in my opinion, look great and make for a smooth, intuitive, simple user experience.
I want responsive menus (dropdowns, tab highlights, maybe major headlines presented in a carousal slideshow, etc.). And I want an incredibly organized layout. The site should look every bit as modern as it does clean. It should be easy to navigate and easy to read.
Content, user features, and solid writing
Nobody wants to read something that is not well written. And I’m not just saying this because I am a writer. When you are on a sports news site, you are, presumably, going to be reading articles. That is the main product being offered by a sports news site, after all, so, that product should be top-notch. I expect excellent sports news writing from every sports news site that I visit.
Articles should be clear, concise, informative, and interesting to read. I also want a range of article types from my sports news site of choice. That means, sure, all the hard sports news there is (every story, every stat, every game, every score), but that also means a solid selection of fascinating features and op-ed pieces as well. A sports news site should inform, that is its journalistic duty, but it should also entertain, intrigue, and offer insight.
The best sports news sites are not comprised entirely of articles either. They should offer a solid mix of multiple media. In addition to text, sports news sites should have plenty of videos too. Not to mention tons of unique user features.
As I mentioned earlier, the best sports news sites put you in control over the news you hear. The best sports news sites, then, let you customize your notifications, allowing you to make sure that you never miss a beat when it comes to a certain player, team, sport, etc. Get an alert right to your phone, for instance, when that player fatefully injures himself so that you can change your betting accordingly.
Mobile friendliness
Speaking of your phone, this is one of the most crucial elements of the best sports news sites, in my opinion: mobile friendliness. It’s 2020. There is no excuse, as far as I’m concerned, for a sports news site not to have an app. Furthermore, that app should be well-designed, offer a smooth user experience, and be features rich. There is an app for everything. If a sports news site doesn’t have their own app, frankly, that site is not worth your time.
Okay then, taking all of that into account … what is the best sports news site of them all?
I wish that I could just give you an easy answer, just like that, I really do. I wish I could simply say, ‘drum roll, please … the award for best sports news site on the web goes to …” Unfortunately, though, I cannot. And that is because there are so many different factors at play. Not only in terms of what the sites themselves have to offer, but, more importantly, in terms of what you require.
That is why “The Best Sports News Site” does not exist in any sort of objective sense. It really is a matter of which site is the best for you. In other words, which site is going to provide the best coverage of the sports that you care about and place bets on most frequently. It is true, no doubt, that it is always better for a sports news site to offer a wider range of sports coverage. Therefore, you are more likely to be able to find news on every sport featured on your online sportsbook of choice. However, the old adage, ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ does come to mind.
That is why it might be wise to consider relying on a few different sports news sites and cycling through them wherever appropriate. Some sites, for instance, are remarkable when it comes to providing excellent NFL news. Others specialize a little more in everything NBA news related. Others still provide unprecedented rugby coverage. If I could give you advice when it comes to choosing the right sports news site, it would be this: don’t choose just one.
Read through all of my reviews, visit each site that catches your eye. Get a feel for each site, what sports it tends to cater to more (my reviews will also be helpful in this). Then, make note of that. Subscribe to your sports news sites strategically. If you are interested, for example, in placing a bet on an MMA match, well, you probably aren’t going to go to NFL.com (even though it is an excellent sports news site in its own right).
Will I have to pay to subscribe to the best sports news sites?
Generally speaking, no, you will not have to pay a dime to stay up to date with all the latest sports news coverage. That being said, it is no secret that some of the larger journalistic outlets, such as The Guardian and the like do have paywalls. In these cases, it might be worth considering shelling out a little bit of money per month so that you can read until your heart’s content. Plus, The Guardian has plenty of incredible world news and political coverage as well (just saying).
There are also some sports news sites that offer premium memberships. Some will offer physical magazine copy subscriptions (Sports Illustrated, most notably). You shouldn’t have to pay in order to take advantage of this list of the best sports news site. That being said, you most certainly can if you are looking for a bit of a more premium experience. Paid memberships often come with exclusive articles, access to members-only content and features, and sometimes stories before they break. It might be a worthy investment when it comes to betting on sports online.