Kostya Kennedy is an American journalist and author. He is VP and Editor in Chief of Premium Publishing at Dotdash Meredith, and a former senior writer and assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated. Kennedy has written several best-selling and critically acclaimed books. He was also a staff writer at Newsday and has contributed to The New York Times and The New Yorker among many other publications.[1][2]
Biography
editOriginally from Great Neck, NY, Kennedy graduated with a BA in Philosophy from Stony Brook University and a BS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he was awarded the distinctive Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship.
Career
editAs VP and Editor in Chief of Premium Publishing at Dotdash Meredith, Kennedy oversees special editions across a wide range of subject areas under numerous in-house and partner brands. These include People, Time, EatingWell, Life, Entertainment Weekly, verywell, Health, Los Angeles Times, ESPN, History Channel, USA Today and many others.
A contributor and commentator on talk radio as well as on television, Kennedy has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Morning Joe, MLB Network, NPR and other news entertainment programs. He occasionally hosts public speaking engagements focusing on issues and ethics in sports and historical and current events.[3]
At Sports Illustrated, along with writing columns, features, and cover stories, Kennedy helped found and develop several departments, including "SI Players" and "SI Adventure" and he served as the top editor of Sports Illustrated Presents, overseeing special print and digital issues devoted to the commemoration of milestones in sports.[4]
Kennedy has also been a full professor at New York University's Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media and Business.[5] He previously taught journalism at NYU and Columbia University.
Books and awards
editKennedy's new book, The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America will be published by St. Martin's Press on March 25, 2025. He is the author of True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson (2022, St. Martin's Press), as well as The New York Times Bestsellers Pete Rose: An American Dilemma (2014), described this way by the novelist Richard Ford: "Like the best writing about sport–Liebling, Angell–it qualifies as stirring literature" and 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports (2011), which was called "the best baseball book to appear in many a season," by Roger Kahn. All three of these books received the Casey Award as the best baseball book of the year. No author has won the award more often.[6] Each was a New York Times Bestseller.[7]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Q&A interview with Kennedy on True, April 10, 2022, C-SPAN |
His book on Rose, along with other pieces and appearances by Kennedy, including a 2014 New York Times Op-Ed piece, have played a significant role in the renewed discussion about Rose’s eligibility for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[8]
His 2016 book Lasting Impact: One Team, One Season. What Happens When Our Sons Play Football explores the benefits and dangers of playing football in light of increased concussion awareness.
Bibliography
edit- True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson (2022)
- Winner of the Casey Award for Best Baseball Book
- Lasting Impact: One Team, One Season. What Happens When Our Sons Play Football (2016)
- Pete Rose: An American Dilemma (2014)
- Winner of the Casey Award for Best Baseball Book
- Named one of Fortune Magazine’s Favorite Books of 2014
- 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports (2011)
- Winner of the Casey Award for Best Baseball Book
- Runner-up PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing
- Named Best Biography at the San Francisco Book Festival
Editor
edit- The Story of Baseball in 100 Photographs (2018)
- Sports Illustrated’s Super Bowl Gold: 50 Years of the Big Game (2015)
- Sports Illustrated Swimsuit: 50 Years of Beautiful (2013)
- Sports Illustrated’s The Hockey Book (2010)
References
edit- ^ Kennedy, Kostya (March 20, 1994). "BACKTALK; Moving On: Dream Dies for a Young Basketball Coach". The New York Times.
- ^ Kennedy, Kostya (May 2, 1994). "Iced" – via www.newyorker.com.
- ^ "Friday Recap -- John Leguizamo, Zosia Mamet, Kostya Kennedy | Blog | | NBC". Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ^ Kennedy, Kostya. "Articles by Kostya Kennedy". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Faculty Spotlight". www.sps.nyu.edu.
- ^ "CASEY Award: Best Baseball Book - Spitball Magazine". www.spitballmag.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - March 27, 2011 - The New York Times". The New York Times.
- ^ Kennedy, Kostya (January 5, 2014). "Opinion | Give Rose a Shot at the Hall". The New York Times.
External links
edit- Official website
- Spitball Magazine Spitball magazine. Lists Casey Award winners, and biographical information
- Opinion | Give Rose a Shot at the Hall Give Rose a Shot at The Hall, New York Times Op-Ed
- Joe DiMaggio Is Untouchable
- San Francisco Book Festival Winners list, 2011, San Francisco book Festival
- 2012 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing PEN/ESPN runner-up 2012