Sports, media, and technology veteran joins Yahoo to oversee the #2 digital sports platform in the U.S.

Yahoo today announced the appointment of Ryan Spoon as the new President of Yahoo Sports. Spoon will be responsible for leading the growth and innovation of the Internet’s #2 ranked sports property, while positioning it for a new generation of sports fans.1 He will report directly to Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone.

“Yahoo Sports has been a trusted voice and guide for hundreds of millions of fans through the years, who come to us daily for context, content and community,” said Lanzone. “We’re thrilled to welcome Ryan, a true product leader across all aspects of the digital sports experience, and whose expertise in building social sports communities and scaling engagement is perfect for leading Yahoo Sports into the future. That future truly just got more exciting with Ryan’s arrival and I cannot wait to see what we can do together.”

“I look forward to joining Yahoo at such an exciting time of growth and expansion,” said Spoon. “Yahoo Sports has been a consistent and important mainstay in the lives of millions of sports fans for over 20 years. With its first-class fantasy and product experiences, Yahoo Sports has shaped the way millions of fans engage with each other and their favorite teams. I look forward to creating new growth opportunities that take our product and content offerings to the next level.”

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Spoon has held a range of prominent positions across the sports and digital media industry. Most recently, he was the COO at Sorare, a trailblazer in NFT-based fantasy sports. Spoon played a critical role in Sorare’s expansion into the U.S. market, fostering the growth of the global football game, and launching Sorare: NBA and Sorare: MLB.

Prior to Sorare, Spoon served as the COO of BetMGM, one of the leading sportsbook and iGaming operators. During his tenure, BetMGM was the second largest sportsbook and iGaming operator across the markets it operated in. He also spent more than eight years at ESPN as Senior Vice President of Digital & Social, overseeing digital editorial, performance and strategy. Spoon also helped shape ESPN’s digital experiences, mobile applications and fantasy games.

Spoon is the founder of beRecruited, a recruiting platform that was acquired by The Raine Group in 2012. He is also a venture capitalist at Polaris Venture Partners, focusing on early-stage technology and consumer investments. Spoon’s individual accolades include being a two-time winner of the Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40 award in 2018 and 2020.

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