You probably thought Yahoo! Sports and it’s fantasy sports division has always been on top in terms of market share, but that’s not the case. Up until just a couple years ago, ESPN was the undisputed leader in sports media. But a few years and a strong fantasy sports product later, Yahoo! has caught up. In an interesting read from February 2008’s edition of FastCompany.com, Yahoo!’s unlikely climb up the sports media ladder is analyzed.

The story states Yahoo’s dedication to improving their standing in the online sports world:

Yahoo beat “the worldwide leader” in unique visitors in August, September, and November 2007, according to comScore (NASDAQ:SCOR) Media Metrix. In the money game, according to a private Nielsen/NetRatings AdRelevance report obtained by Fast Company, both Yahoo Sports and ESPN.com generated about $80 million in ad revenue through the first three quarters of last year. (Nielsen, ESPN, and Yahoo wouldn’t comment.) No wonder CEO Jerry Yang cites Sports as part of his goal of “becoming the starting point for the most consumers on the Internet.”

The story goes on to detail how Yahoo! did exactly that, primarily by hiring sports luminaries to help re-develop its’ site and reputation. And that quote from Jerry Yang is something to behold.

But what is even more interesting is some of the data cited in the article as it applies to sports media and marketing online. The article again stated what we in the sports media and technology business have known for some time, and that is that it’s a great demographic that consumes sports content online and that advertising potential is increasing at a fast clip.

Sports content, which draws the majority of its adherents from the highly desirable demographic of men between the ages of 25 and 49, is a gold mine. Yahoo has plotted a strategy to earn a big share of what eMarketer reported to be $548 million in online ad revenue for sports sites in 2007, a pot that’s expected to grow to $1.1 billion by 2011.

Doubling of revenue in a matter of four years? That is certainly possible and it is an exciting development for those of us who cover and work in the sports media space.