• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, April 1, 2015

Amid growing concern about social issues in sports, including the obstacles faced by LGBT athletes, Sporting News is helping foster diversity in athletics through new content partnerships with two advocacy groups, the “You Can Play” initiative and “Courage in Sports.”

As part of the agreements, Sporting News will carry editorial content intended to encourage understanding and empathy between athletes of all experience levels.

Through the “You Can Play” partnership, Sporting News will begin publishing monthly features about LGBT athletes and supporters from the advocacy org, founded in 2012 to promote equal opportunity for athletes regardless of their sexuality.

“You Can Play” President Patrick Burke explained that the partnership will allow them to bring attention to players and stories beyond a few high-profile individuals, like Michael Sam or Jason Collins. “There are a great many LGBT voices that have difficulty finding platforms to share their stories and experiences with the larger sports community. In addition, there are many issues within the LGBT sports community that are ignored or otherwise dismissed by mainstream sports media.”

With the content partnership, Burke went on, “we hope to continue to spark engaging dialogue between Sporting News current readers and the LGBT sports community at large, by providing space for athletes, coaches, and fans to share their lived experiences.”

Similarly, the “Courage in Sports” partnership will see Sporting News publish weekly video features with stories about athletes overcoming adversity through extraordinary efforts. The "CIS" series has been producing hour-long TV specials highlighting courageous athletes for over two decades, and will now have a full-time home on the Web, courtesy of Sporting News.