Chris Carr, Prep Sports Director
The Minnesota Star Tribune hit the launch button on its first sub-brand: Strib Varsity, the state’s new destination for every flavor of high school sports coverage. There’s a lot to learn about Strib Varsity, and here’s a varsity starter set of 10:
(1) One subscription gets you everything Star Tribune and Strib Varsity
Star Tribune subscribers: Strib Varsity is all yours. Have at it. Dive in. Your subscription just got more valuable. Thank you for your support and business. To those who’ve been on the fence about subscribing or hadn’t consider it much: there’s never been a better time. A Star Tribune subscription now gets you access to the full sweep of Strib Varsity offerings, plus every corner of startribune.com. Join the team, and do so by taking advantage of our Strib Varsity sale on our subscription price, right here.
(2) A homepage for every school
We lost count somewhere near 500. Whatever the final number is, every high school that competes in MSHSL varsity sports now has its own homepage, produced and published by us here at the Minnesota Star Tribune. These Strib Varsity homepages will feature stories that have statewide appeal and coverage specific to each school. Find the “Schools” tab at the top of the website and explore.
(3) More journalists, more coverage
How often have you read lately that a regional news organization is doubling the size of one its coverage teams? Not often, if at all, but that’s the investment from the Minnesota Star Tribune. The reporting and editing team at the Star Tribune focused on high school sports now numbers in the double-digits, with experienced veterans who can coverage our communities and issues with authority, and newcomers bringing fresh eyes and ears to the scene. Read about our team expansion here.
(4) Read, yes, and watch, too
You’ll be able to watch more livestreamed games on our website than ever before. We aim to offer a wide variety of games and events to watch this school year, starting later this month. And we’ll have weekly videos to watch, and even a live show on football nights, featuring this guy ...
(5) Hello again, Randy
Football nights in Minnesota just weren’t the same last season without Randy Shaver giving us the late-night rundown, live in the studio. Shaver, a semi-retired free-agent after leaving KARE-11 last summer, jumped at the opportunity to get back in the hot seat. “Strib Varsity Live with Randy Shaver” will debut Aug. 28 at 9:30, streamed on stribvarsity.com and startribune.com. It’ll be Shaver at his best, we’re sure of that. Tune in!
(6) New socials
Make sure you’re following the news, updates from across Minnesota, a bunch of fun and more, by following Strib Varsity on social media:
On Instagram.
On X.
On YouTube.
On Facebook.
On TikTok.
(7) Make it yours
On your first trip through Strib Varsity, look for the star icon at the top of the website. There you’ll be able to select schools, teams and sports you want to follow, and we’ll surface stories and video that match your selections. As Strib Varsity expands later this year, we’ll be rolling out more personalization features.
(8) But wait, there’s more ...
This is just the beginning for Strib Varsity. We have a dozen more features in the works for our website, newsletter, social channels, video and more. Keep an eye on us as a grow and improve. We love ideas from our readers and Minnesota high school sports fans, too, so email us anytime at varsity@startribune.com.
(9) State Fair snack on me
You’ve made it this far in this article. You deserve a reward. Come find me at the Minnesota Star Tribune booth at the State Fair on Aug. 26, “Strib Varsity Day at the Fair,” and I’ll buy you a snack. It’ll be on me, and we’ll chit-chat about high school sports while eating something on a stick.
(10) Subscriber bonus: newsletter just for you
We’re trying many new things here, as you can tell. Here’s another: a subscriber-only newsletter, written for our loyal customers with highlights of the week, a little humor, a lot of celebrating, behind-the-scenes peeks at how we do our jobs, and more. Current subscribers, look for an invitation email later this week to “The Quiz: Strib Varsity’s newsletter.” Any new subscribers to Strib Varsity will receive The Quiz when it launches later this month.
Thank you for being interested in Strib Varsity. We hope you dive in and explore Minnesota’s new destination for all things high school sports. And don’t forget to come say hello at the Fair.