Phil Ammann
Extensive Enterprises Media is proud to announce that award-winning sports columnist Gary Shelton has joined the new media group to provide his unique insight into the intersection of sports and politics.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium saga; the Legislature’s debate over subsidizing sports stadiums; progress on new soccer teams in the state; referendums to attract sports teams to Florida communities; athlete involvement in campaigns … all of those sport-related issues, and many more, are part of Shelton’s wide-ranging wheelhouse.
Founded by Peter Schorsch, Extensive Enterprises is the publisher of SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, Context Florida, INFLUENCE Magazine, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
“Having Gary join us is about more than an accomplished writer coming aboard,” Schorsch says. “This is about a longtime fan of Gary’s — me — getting to work with someone I woke up and read almost every day. I could not be more excited.”
For nearly 25 years, Shelton was the cornerstone of the Tampa Bay Times sports reporting. He began at the Times in 1990 after a six-year stint at the Miami Herald, reporting on the Dolphins, the NFL and the University of Florida. In the Tampa Bay area, his column became a respected voice during much of the area’s rise as a sports powerhouse: the Buccaneers, Lightning, the Rays and a wide range of college football and basketball teams.
“I’m thrilled to joining a terrific news staff,” Shelton said. “This is the future of journalism, untied to deadlines, aligning series of works in progress. I think we’re going to have fun. I hope the reader will, too.”
Few people have the range of Shelton’s sports writing experience. He has covered nearly 30 Super Bowls — including the 2002 Bucs win — 10 Olympics, seven Masters and 11 Final Four events.
As well as contributing to SaintPetersBlog, Shelton also blogs for the premium website GarySheltonsports.com, a subscription-based service exploring local sports. Through both, Shelton will continue his focus on the Florida sports scene, its people and personalities like no one else.
Among his numerous awards and recognitions, the Associated Press Sports Editors selected Shelton twice as the No. 1 Sports columnist in the country.
Shelton is also five-time APSE Top 5 member, eight times in the Top 10, and a six-time top Florida Sportswriter of the year from the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Shelton’s other awards include the Green Eyeshade of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Florida Sports Writers Association.
