TheSportsKing.com Hits Homerun With Merger
By Sherry Gavanditti (Crains 9/27/03)

Battling for cyber visitors in a game with millions of competitors was not always easy for Thomas Mercadante, founder of the Cleveland based sports web site TheSportsKing.com.
But as in every game, it has its unexpected twists. This year, the once local site hit the proverbial business ball in the sweet spot, catapulting it out of the park to become "America’s Sports Website."

Founded in Cleveland on a meager budget, Mr. Mercadante said he never expected to hit a homerun so soon, but in August, the site went national, spreading out to nearly 60 major cities including New York, Chicago, L.A., Atlanta and Miami. Now receiving more than 4.4 million hits each month (As of 8/31/03), Mr. Mercadante has surpassed his five-year Business Model goal 4 days short of three years.

This January, TheSportsKing.com joined forces with a Wisconsin based sports gaming and handicapping outfit called Sports Spectrum. Originally an advertiser on the site, Sports Spectrum bargained for a percentage of TheSportsKing.com, and in return handles all design and administrative responsibilities. In March, Sam Polito, Chief Operating Officer at Sports Spectrum visited Cleveland and closed the deal with Mr. Mercadante that powered TheSportsKing.com to new heights, including its national franchising potential.

"The franchising element in my business model was originally a little different than how it was actually realized thanks to Sports Spectrum. I hit a grand slam homerun with one company all at once - instead of eventually sixty. I can now sell a franchise in any city, allow that city to sell its own ads, put in more local flavor, and do a great job," he said.

When created on less than $10 thousand dollars from his personal savings, TheSportsKing.com was not a generic cyber-wanna be site, it was Mercadante’s baby. The ability to fully service the Cleveland sports community and to continually allocate local and national advertising dollars helped him nurture and maintain it.

Fans are driven to the site throughout the day for sports features such as Top Story, LIVE Sports Talk Web TV and Internet Radio, LIVE College Football Gameday Webcasts, Press Conferences and Coach's Show's, King's Column, King for a Day, Daily Poll and Trivia Questions and of course, a female Model of the Week presented by Bullz-eye.com.

TheSportKing.com also offers "Up-to-the-Minute" National Sports Headlines powered by the Associated Press International covering college and pro football and basketball, baseball, hockey, racing, golf and even fantasy sports statistics and information.

Mr. Mercadante said TheSportsKing.Com began with a plan and a passion for sports that extended deeply into his personal and business life. He asked his best friend since grade school, Fox 8 sportscaster Tony Rizzo on as show host for the site. "The Tony Rizzo Web Show" airs Monday - Friday LIVE from The Islander Grille in Middleburg Heights and is a major part of the site’s persona that fans seem to enjoy.

"Tony Rizzo told me recently, ‘even when there’s no sports happening…we’re still happening. Fans are always checking our site to see what’s going on,’" he said. "In September 2000, we started with 66,210 hits. Before the expansion this past July we grew to 3.6 million hits. Every month, we exceed the month before in hits. We've never regressed," he said. "The site has always stood out enough to get major national advertisers and millions of sports fans from all over the world who log on and rely on TheSportsKing.com’s fast, accurate and entertaining content to give them their sports fix," Rizzo added. "The sky's the limit."

If numbers continue to rise, maybe someday Mr. Mercadante’s next dream will come true -- TheSportsKing.com flashing in lights across the sky in its own blimp-- flying over the super bowl, a perfect Cinderella Story inspired by a man who began by celebrating Cleveland sports and the pride and joy of the fans.

One such fan, accountant by day, sports-nut by nature is Bruno Biello, a Lyndhurst resident who says he logs onto TheSportsKing.com for various reasons, including nostalgia.

"Hearing Tony Rizzo everyday brings back entertaining memories of radio days gone by," he said, "when Rizzo, Les Levine, and Pat McCabe cut up and entertained, I never laughed or enjoyed sports more than at that time. Rizzo's daily webcast takes me right back to the WHK days. Tony makes sports fun. Also, being a fantasy football participant, I love the fact that I can select different cities and get updates on my players easily. It's a valuable tool for my weekly football preparation."

To be a contender in the big league, it takes more than dreams to drive home a winning run, you need a "home field advantage." With that in mind, Mr. Mercadante said he’s only just begun to see the possibilities of what the site can do.

"You think we’re doing gang buster business now, wait until technology catches up! We’re pioneers in the industry, still breaking new ground, always on the cutting edge. I’m already a couple of steps down the road, when TheSportsKing.com (wireless) is in our pockets and in our cars," Mercadante added.