To celebrate March Madness, Vox Media’s SB Nation today announced a month-long editorial partnership with SLAM, the global basketball brand. Anchored by the new special print issue, SLAM Presents TOP 50: The Best College Teams of All Time, the retrospective series features 50 men’s teams and 50 women’s teams and lives exclusively in digital form on SB Nation and across SB Nation’s college sports communities. The editorial partnership pairs SLAM’s nearly 30 years of basketball expertise with SB Nation’s ability to build hundreds of fan-centric communities online. Together, the brands share a passion for human-first storytelling, sports nostalgia, and energizing fans.
Compiled by SLAM’s college basketball experts, the series captures the most iconic, dominant, compelling, and trailblazing teams in college basketball history. Rankings were carefully compiled based on an assessment of each team’s historic and cultural importance, and how the team stands the test of time. In the coveted first slots are the 2016 UConn Huskies helmed by Breanna Stewart — here, called the best college player ever — and the 1972 UCLA Bruins team that was so dominant it defeated opponents by an average of 30-plus points per game.
“While SLAM has been the most authentic and credible voice in basketball for almost three decades, we jumped at the chance to partner with SB Nation’s vast network of college basketball communities for March Madness,” said Adam Figman, Chief Content Officer at SLAM. “We hope they like where their iconic teams fall in the pantheon of NCAA history.”
On SB Nation, each ranked team is featured with their season record, championships, coaches and star players, and the moments that made the team unforgettable. Additionally, the package is paired with some of the most memorable college hoops-inspired video content from Secret Base. On social media, fans can engage with the content through SB Nation Reacts, an interactive polling tool.
“Across SB Nation, our college communities are buzzing with excitement each year during March Madness. This year, with the highly anticipated return of the tournament, we are delighted to celebrate greatness in women’s and men’s college basketball across eras with our communities,” said Nyerr Parham, General Manager, SB Nation. “By pairing SLAM’s deep basketball expertise with SB Nation’s reach into hundreds of fan communities, we’re meeting sports fans where they are across platforms with this fun, debate-provoking editorial.”
SLAM and SB Nation are also partnering on a look ahead at the coming NCAA Tournament, previewing the 16 most exciting men’s and 16 most exciting women’s college hoops teams in advance of 2021’s March Madness.
About SB Nation
SB Nation is where fans live. Our network of communities is dedicated to covering the biggest moments, the breaking news, and heartfelt stories of the sports and teams we love. Over the past decade, SB Nation has acquired, launched, and grown nearly 300 digital communities and more than 100 podcasts. Core to its DNA and since its founding as a collective of Bay Area team sports blogs, SB Nation identifies and fills the whitespaces in the sports media landscape for both fans and partners, through building communities that capture the nuances that make each fan base special.
About SLAM
For 27 years and counting, SLAM has been the most authentic brand in basketball storytelling. What started as a magazine in 1994 has now grown into a global lifestyle brand and multimedia property with 20-plus social channels, a burgeoning merchandise division and multiple franchise events annually. With over 16 million engaged followers across the globe, SLAM and its channels reach fans of the NBA, WNBA, college and high school, and the worlds of fashion, sneakers, gaming and more in a unique and trusted voice. The cover of SLAM remains the Holy Grail for basketball players; if you want to play in the NBA or WNBA, you want to be on the cover of SLAM.
