Behind the Build: USA TODAY Sports Media Group
Welcome to WP for ENTERPRISES, where we go behind the scenes of BILLION-DOLLAR WordPress websites.
In this issue, you'll discover:
- How 58 separate codebases were bleeding USA TODAY's resources dry.
- The strategy that powers 80+ sites from one codebase.
- How they deploy 32 NFL team sites faster than most launch one.
- Real numbers: 50+ million monthly users, zero downtime.
By the way, this migration was expertly handled by WordPress VIP. Multidots was not involved in this project but I'm sharing their story because it perfectly illustrates what's possible with enterprise WordPress at scale.
Picture this: You're managing 58 different sports websites. Each one has its own codebase. Its own hosting. Its own problems.
The Super Bowl is trending. Traffic explodes. Half your sites crash.
Now that’s a mess nobody needs.
This was USA TODAY Sports Media Group's reality until 2013. Today, they run the same 58 sites—plus 22 more—on a single WordPress platform.
How they did it (and what it means for your enterprise).
Let's dig in.
THE SPORTS EMPIRE THAT ALMOST BROKE
USA TODAY Sports isn't just one website.
It's For The Win. The Big Lead. Draft Wire. MMAJunkie. HoopsHype. All 32 NFL TeamWire sites. High School Sports. Fantasy Sports. GolfWeek.
Combined, these properties get more traffic than half of USA TODAY's entire network.
We're talking millions of sports fans hitting these sites daily. During March Madness? Traffic that would melt most platforms.
But here's the thing: Before 2013, each site lived on its own island.
58 different codebases. 58 different hosting platforms. 58 different headaches.
David Parsons, their Software Engineer, put it bluntly:
"We spent as much time managing and supporting sites as we did on editorial work and growth."
Translation: Their tech team was firefighting instead of building.
THE ACQUISITION THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK
In 2012, USA TODAY acquired The Big Lead—a popular sports blog with its own custom setup.
Now they had 59 different systems to maintain.
The math was brutal:
- More servers to monitor.
- More code to debug.
- More potential points of failure.
- Less time for actual journalism.
Something had to give.
ENTER WORDPRESS VIP (AND A RADICAL IDEA)
USA TODAY's team made a bold call: Kill the chaos. Build everything on one platform.
But not just any platform. WordPress VIP.
Why WordPress for a network this massive?
Most people think WordPress can't handle enterprise scale. USA TODAY and WordPress VIP proved them wrong together.
WordPress VIP offered something their 58-platform nightmare couldn't:
- Unified management from one dashboard.
- Automatic scaling during traffic spikes.
- Shared resources across all properties.
- Enterprise security without the headaches.
The Big Lead became their test case. If WordPress could handle that acquisition, it could handle anything.
THE UNIFIED THEME REVOLUTION
Here's where USA TODAY got creative.
Instead of building 58 different themes, they built one master theme that powers everything.
Think of it like this: 58 different sports cars, all using the same engine.
How it works:
- One codebase serves all 58+ sites.
- Individual sites toggle features on and off.
- New features deploy network-wide instantly.
- Brand customization happens at the configuration level.
Build once. Deploy everywhere.
When they developed a new commenting system for For The Win, it immediately became available to MMAJunkie, Draft Wire, and all 32 NFL TeamWire sites.
No rebuilding. No retesting. No deployment hell.
MULTISITE MAGIC: THE CONTENT DISTRIBUTION HUB
USA TODAY didn't just use WordPress Multisite—they turned it into a content distribution machine.
Here's the genius part:
When a major trade breaks, editors can push the story across relevant team sites with a single click.
Patriots trade their quarterback? The story hits:
- For The Win (general sports audience)
- NFL TeamWire Patriots site (team-specific coverage)
- Draft Wire (fantasy implications)
- Fantasy Sports (roster moves)
Same story. Different angles. Zero duplicate work.
WHAT 80+ SITES ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
During his WordCamp talk, David Parsons dropped a bombshell:
"We've grown from just having one site on WordPress to having over 80 sites on WordPress over the course of the past 5 years."
Eighty. Sites.
All on WordPress. All managed by the same team. All scaling together.
Their traffic? Over 50 million monthly uniques.
Their downtime? Basically zero.
Their team's focus? Building awesome stuff instead of fighting fires.
THE NUMBERS THAT MATTER
Let's talk results:
New sites launch in days, not months. NFL TeamWire: 32 sites deployed faster than most companies launch one.
Eliminated 58+ hosting bills. Reduced development overhead by 60%+. One platform beats 58 platforms every time.
50+ million monthly uniques. Zero downtime during Super Bowl Sunday. WordPress VIP auto-scales like magic.
One feature deployment reaches 80+ sites instantly. Build once, deploy everywhere.
THE BOTTOM LINE
USA TODAY's journey offers three critical insights:
1. Unified Beats Fragmented: Managing 80 sites on one platform is easier than managing 10 sites on different platforms.
2. WordPress Scales (When Done Right): 50+ million monthly uniques. Zero downtime. WordPress VIP handles enterprise traffic like a champ.
3. Editorial Workflows Drive Success: The best technology serves the people using it. USA TODAY built for their editors, not their servers.
USA TODAY Sports Media Group runs one of the busiest sports networks in America on WordPress.
80+ sites.
50+ million monthly users.
Zero downtime during major sporting events.
If they can do it, your enterprise probably can too.
Sometimes the best solution isn't building something custom—it's building something that works.
RESOURCES & FURTHER READING
Want to dive deeper into USA TODAY's WordPress VIP transformation? Check out these resources:
- WordPress VIP Case Study: USA TODAY Sports Media Group
- David Parsons' WordCamp Talk on How to Maintain a WordPress Site with 50m+ monthly uniques
Special thanks to WordPress VIP for making this behind-the-scenes look possible.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
By the way, in the previous issue, I shared "Why Enterprise Content Teams Are Asking For Real-Time Collaboration in WordPress?". Check out this link.
In this issue, you'll discover:
- Why enterprise teams have been requesting real-time WordPress collaboration for years.
- How to get Google Docs-style editing in WordPress today.
- Real workflows that cut approval time from weeks to days.
Anil Gupta
👋 Until next time, Anil | CEO and Co-Founder → Multidots, Multicollab & Dotstore.
P.S. I also write about personal growth and agency growth.
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