Deadspin has hired Megan Greenwell to be the sports site’s first woman editor-in-chief.
Greenwell will become Deadspin’s fifth top editor, replacing Tim Marchman, who will remain with Gizmodo Media Group to run its Special Projects desk. The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Greenwell joins after a stint as an executive features editor for Esquire.com. She previously worked at The Cut, New York Magazine’s women’s vertical, and ESPN, where she was a senior editor.
“Megan is a true storyteller with brilliant ideas and a long track record of amplifying unique and diverse voices,” said Susie Banikarim, editorial director of Gizmodo Media Group, in a statement to TheWrap. “She comes to GMG with deep and varied journalism experience and a career built on doing what Deadspin already does better than anyone else in sports: telling stories others can’t or won’t. She has consistently impressed me with her passion for the site, its history and its future.”
Deadspin was launched in 2005 under founding editor-in-chief Will Leitch. The site became known for its cutting insight into the world of sports, and has since broken several major stories — including Brett Favre’s sexual misconduct with a sideline reporter.
“I have been a fan of Deadspin since its earliest days, so it is a tremendous honor to lead its next chapter,” Greenwell told THR. “Though many have tried, no one has replicated the site’s unique voice and perspective, and I am so excited to oversee an ever more ambitious use of that one-of-a-kind platform to cover sports topics from the serious to the silly.”
Deadspin is owned by Univision Communications, which bought the site as part of its acquisition of Gawker Media in 2016.