Sports Illustrated will soon be bringing an online version of one of its most popular print sections to high school sports site Takkle.com, which hopes to become a social network for athletes.
Under the agreement, SI will move its popular print feature "Faces in the Crowd," which salutes amateur athletes, to the just-launched Takkle.com, according to Sports Business Journal (sub. required). The partnership will also allow SI to jump into the area of user-generated content, since high school athletes, coaches and athletic directors can post user-generated videos for a weekly "High School Video Face in the Crowd."

Takkle.com hopes to eventually become the social-networking site for athletes, especially those still in high school. The site is being built on an advertising model, but MTV was the site's only advertiser last week, when Takkle.com launched. investors include Greycroft Partners, Wasserman Media Group, IJ Smith Enterprises, and Jack Schneider, managing director at Allen & Co.

With the move, SI continues its shift toward digital from print. SI also gains access to the teenage sports market, thus far dominated by rival ESPN. Moreover, the affiliation allows SI to potentially gain equity in the site and sell sponsorships involving Takkle.com assets.