Here are some stats for you, via CBS MarketWatch: SI.com has 7 million unique visitors a month, far behind ESPN's 20.4 million visitors. This is a rather large discrepancy — Yahoo and Fox Sports are ahead of SI as well — but one that SI.com doesn't worry too much about.

Why? Because they're much more cultured than ESPN.

"They're a TV network," [Sports Illustrated Group editorTerry] McDonell said dismissively. "We're playing in a completely different league. We've always been about more than the score. We're more nuanced than other Web sites."

This is absolutely true: SI.com is all about the nuance.

For example:

• The cheerleader of the week contest.
• Jenn Sterger on Britney Spears.
• Oh, and, yeah, whatever the hell they're making Dr. Z do with that swimsuit model.

Delicate, subtle, almost imperceptible nuance, absolutely.

SI.com Tries To Top ESPN.com [CBS MarketWatch]

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