Having re-launched 16 of its news websites after overhaul operations recently, The Sun-Times Media group plans to deliver the United States' largest sports monthly magazine, called Athlon Sports, for its readers beginning October 21, Editor & Publisher reported yesterday. Seven million copies of the monthly magazine will be circulated nationwide by the media group's 47 newspapers.

The magazine will appear each month in the Thursday editions of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Southtown Star, the Post-Tribune, the Courier News of Elgin, the Beacon-News of Aurora and the Herald-News of Joliet, the Naperville Sun, the Lake County News-Sun, the Pioneer Press and The Doings Newspapers, NewsandTech.com reported yesterday.

"Athlon Sports is a leader in the sports magazine industry, publishing leading magazine brands including Pro Football, Fantasy Football, National College Football, Big Ten Football, College Basketball, Pro Basketball, Racing, Golf and more. It makes sense for us to get together and offer our readers the best of both worlds: local sports and national sports coverage," Jeremy L. Halbreich, vice chairman and CEO of the media group stated in the press release posted on BusinessWire.com. "Our advertisers benefit, too, by being able to reach local and national audiences through a diverse array of attractively priced media packages."

The sports magazine will feature players, teams and coaches across multiple sports and cover everything on sports, from college and pro football, Major League Baseball, NBA, golf, racing, hockey, soccer, tennis, horse racing, Olympic sports and youth sports, according to the press release.