Online Reporter
H-Metro Reporter
SPACE in The New York Times, one of the most influential and widely read newspapers in the world, is prime real estate.
And, when you factor in the fact that this is the week after the Super Bowl, and the week ahead of the NBA All-Star weekend, the chances of getting an African sports story to be squeezed into The New York Times, is virtually impossible
But, this is what happened yesterday when an H-Metro cover found itself floating in the prime real estate of The New York Times.
The cover, which was done by our sub-editor Gilbert “Zhanje” Nhamburo, was published on Tuesday last week when H-Metro gave front page treatment to Marshall Munetsi’s US$20,5 million switch to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 28-year-old midfielder became the most expensive Zimbabwean footballer of all-time when he moved from French side Stade Reims to Wolves.
The deal has attracted widespread media interest.
The latest article about Munetsi was written by Steve Madeley, a British journalist with almost 25 years of service, including 20 years covering sport, mainly football.
The majority of Madeley’s working life has been spent with the Express & Star in the West Midlands but he has also worked for many of the UK national newspapers, including The Times, The Mirror and BBC.
In 2019, he joined The Athletic, a subscription-based sports journalism company which wooed some of the industry’s best journalists.
Three years ago, The Athletic was acquired for US$550 million by The New York Times.
The 174-year-old newspaper dissolved its sports department and handed over that responsibility to stuff from The Athletic and readers have to pay to read any sports article published by The New York Times.
Yesterday, the cover of H-Metro found itself in The New York Times as part of a feature article of how Munetsi moved from Mabvuku to the English Premiership.
“It’s quite humbling for us to find our cover, which is the most important page for our newspaper, featuring in such newspapers which are considered the most influential around the world and which are read by tens of millions of people,” said H-Metro Editor Robson Sharuko.
“It’s a badge of honour for us because it tells us that how we packaged Munetsi’s record-breaking deal passed the test of those who package The New York Times and they agreed that it was worth publishing in their newspaper and on their digital platforms.
“It shows that what we are doing here is of a certain quality, which stands its ground when measured against the best in the world, and that makes us feel good.
“The guys at The New York Times introduced our brand to millions of eye balls around the world and that’s something worth celebrating.”
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