Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Good, bad and indifferent

There's an interesting conversation about modern sports coverage taking place today on nbcsports.msnbc.com.

With the proliferation of 24-hour cable networks, blogs and other online outlets, coverage of today's athletes - at all levels - really has changed. And not necessarily for better or worse. It's just different.

I rarely read deadspin.com or thebiglead.com but, somehow, most of the conversations I have about sports and athletes with my friends and colleagues center on the sort of items you might find on those blogs. For instance, I know a lot more about Travis Henry's issues with condoms than I do about his prospects for a return to the NFL .

I don't know that I'm smarter about sports despite all these new avenues to information. But I seem to know a lot more about the guys who play them. Meaningless sports tidbits tend to overwhelm my inbox these days: Many of them focusing on the drinking exploits of some major-college quarterback (of questionable relevance) or pictures of Erin Andrews (certainly a bonus).

To me, there's really no answer to the issue of whether this is a bad thing or a good thing - athletes and traditional sports reporters lean toward the former, bloggers and online producers trend toward the latter. Mostly, I'm just sort of relieved that my days as a sportswriter appear to be over.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Solely internet writing can be faster than the networks:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/39946-espn-confirms-bob-mantz-bleacher-report-jetsfavre-scoop

&

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/43181-br-exclusive-nys-wafels-dinges-awards-favre-its-1st-monthly-waffle-award


Can include far more satire:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/43424-erin-andrews-the-chicago-cubs-want-their-women-to-hold-it

Can be in depth and hard hitting:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/42841-the-darkside-of-sport-surgery-and-recovery

and can hold the 'currently mainstream' media to task:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/44417-quick-notes-wfans-mike-francesa-says-andy-pettite-goes-8-tonight

That is why some writers are climbing the ranks when it comes to story power:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/39164-vote-me-in-businessweeks-power-100-of-sports

Bob Mantz
Bleacher Report Columnist
http://bleacherreport.com/users/29624-bob-mantz/archives

blackink said...

Hey Bob, thanks for stopping by and for your important feedback.

And don't get my wrong: I love reading the blogs and online sites, of all types.

They're an important part of sports coverage these days. Hell, news coverage in general. And they grow more important with each passing day.

My only concern is that some - some - sites do little more than spread innuendo and rumor, and occasionally contribute to the breakdown in general decorum.