• by Shankar Gupta , December 12, 2006

Sports Illustrated magazine has forged a deal with a new social network for high school athletes, Takkle.com. The site, which officially debuted Monday, carries articles and other editorial content from SI.com. In addition, athletes who create profiles at Takkle.com can upload video clips of their sports accomplishments, which can be featured on SI.com.

In addition, SI.com and Sports Illustrated magazine's popular franchise, "Faces in the Crowd," will select users who have submitted video to Takkle.com for a special "Video Faces in the Crowd" feature, which will run on both SI.com and in the magazine.

David Birnbaum, co-founder and CEO, said that the association with Sports Illustrated and the "Faces in the Crowd" franchise will generate interest in Takkle.com, helping it gain a critical mass of users. "Sports Illustrated is obviously going to drive a huge amount of traffic, and having one of their big franchises associated with us exclusively is phenomenal," he said.

Jeff Price, president of SI Digital, added that the association with Takkle.com has allowed Sports Illustrated to update its "Faces in the Crowd" feature. He said he anticipates that the "Faces in the Crowd" feature is just the beginning of a deeper alliance.