OffBall and Alright Studio team up to rethink what a sports news platform can look and feel like

From the team with experience building media companies like Sports Illustrated, The Players’ Tribune, PUCK, Airmail, and Togethxr comes OffBall, a sports world news site that shifts focus from the game to the rich cultural tapestry surrounding it. Unlike traditional sports coverage that focuses on game statistics and match results, where sensationalism often takes centre stage, this digital-first platform strives to reframe public perception of sport and athletes in nuanced ways. OffBall collaborated with Alright Studio on a complete launch to market, with the US-based studio’s involvement extending beyond visual identity into editorial concept development and publishing strategy. “We wanted to create something that conveyed our brand immediately, was interesting to look at, and was design-forward,” explains Co-founder Michaela Hammond, who launched the platform with Chris Stone and Adam Mendelsohn. “During our search for a design partner, Alright stood out because of the conceptual way they approached digital and brand design,” she continues. “They never tried to fit into our vision. Instead, they prioritised understanding our vision, objectives, and aspirations and came back to us with design options. That collaborative and strategic process helped us design something that felt truly unique and special versus something that was similar to other homepages and designs across media.” As Hammond explains, “We needed a website that was really easy to use, really easy to update, and really intuitive for people who were landing on the homepage. We wanted visitors to immediately understand what they were seeing.” As a whole, the system needed to “amplify, celebrate, and feature high-quality storytelling across the entire digital media ecosystem,” working across multiple channels while maintaining its distinct personality. “So we didn’t want the page to feel like a blog or something that was very insular to the internet,” she adds.