When Barry Bonds broke the all-time homerun record last night, there’s no question that it was a historic moment in the world of sports. What you may not have realized — or perhaps may have taken for granted — is that it was an important moment for online video as well. Never before had such a significant one-minute sports clip been so readily accessible — and in demand — online. Just about every American had heard about Bonds’ chase for the record-breaking homerun. It was likely the biggest sports moment to capture the attention of the entire nation in the post-online video explosion era.

Yahoo! partnered with MLB Advanced Media in order to make the video of the record-breaking homerun accessible, almost immediately following the event. For weeks, the Yahoo! Sports team anxiously followed Bonds’ every play and our video team was on high-alert waiting for the magical number 756 so they could make the historic moment available to Yahoo! users.

It’s another example of what Yahoo! does best — partner with leading content providers to offer the widest selection of relevant videos to our users. Yahoo! Sports is no exception, and in addition to our partnership with MLB.com, we also offer video from every major sports league, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, and NASCAR. The event also gave us the opportunity to show off the new video player on our home page, which allows you to watch videos in an expanded window without leaving the page, and email or IM the video to your friends.

And you sure did want to find out more about the Barry Bonds news! Click-through percentages on our home page were significantly greater than average, and the video of the record-breaking homerun on Yahoo! Sports, My Yahoo!, and the Yahoo! home page has already been viewed more than one million times.

Last night’s homerun was an important milestone for online sports, but there are sure to be many more. And please stay tuned — if something happens in the world of sports (or in the world in general), count on us to bring it to you.

Jimmy Pitaro
GM, Yahoo! Sports

Whether you’re a Cameron Crazy, a die-hard Husky fan, or a lifelong Longhorn fan, Yahoo! has made a roster move that will have you cheering from the sidelines. Today, we announced an agreement to acquire Rivals.com, the leading online destination for college and high school athletic information.

Hands down, Rivals.com provides the best coverage of college and high school sports on the Web, maintaining more than 100 college-specific sites and posting hundreds of updates each day. It also satisfies high school fans by following games and news in more than 35 states.

Its editorial team tracks recruitment news, rankings, team and athlete updates — in short, everything you need to know about what’s happening on the most popular campuses. Rivals.com will perfectly complement Yahoo! Sports’ editorial coverage — the work of its 200 on-the-ground local writers, reporters, and publishers meshes well with what we’re doing at the national level.

Rivals.com is also known for being the place for college sports fans to chat and share information, stats, and photos. In fact, its message boards are among the most popular in sports, and an important part of the business.

To those loyal Rivals.com subscribers out there, rest assured that we don’t intend to alter the formula you love and trust. I understand what makes Rivals.com special, and that’s why I’m so pumped about today’s announcement. Rivals.com’s CEO Shannon Terry and I will team up to ensure the continued success and growth of the best college and high school sports site on the Web.

So stay tuned, sports fans — we’re working on a winning game plan for Rivals.com and Yahoo! Sports.

Oh, and by the way, for those of you wondering how our recent management changes will impact our media operations here in Santa Monica, this deal should give you an indication that we’re going full steam ahead.

Jimmy Pitaro
General Manager, Yahoo! Sports