Why ESPN hates bloggers
I like Deadspin. The articles are usually pretty brief and witty. However the people at ESPN don't all feel the same way and I know why. What little I know about professional athletes includes this truism "what happens on the road stays on the road." When beat writers are following a team, they depend on the players to provide some talking points so they aren't likely to chronicle the after hours activities. And maybe some media types might want to do some of these same things on the road. When that is reported by bloggers, I can see why they might get a little upset. Now their alter-egos are on display for anyone w/ a computer, like say, your wife.
posted by Dan Smith at
1:46 PM
2 Comments:
I think Deadspin succeeds because in a sports world with an increasingly corporate veneer, it cuts through the crap and identifies it as such whereas media outlets like ESPN refuse to do so. Basically, Deadspin is a conversation with your buddy while ESPN is a conversation with your sales rep. You know that sales rep, as friendly as he may be, is trying to sell you something and will be completely biased towards his product. That's part of the reason why Deadspin takes so many shots at ESPN.
As a by-product of that, Deadspin likes to peek behind that veneer and show ESPN's increasingly plastic or inane television personalities as the imperfect humans they are. If the folks at ESPN want to be treated like celebrities (i.e. get beautiful women), they're being naive if they think that people won't talk (or blog) about their private lives.
What's up with the new design? It looks like Kissing Suzy Kolber.
3:39 PM
The point is bloggers aren't above taking personal shots at athletes or sports personalities while the old guard media keeps this stuff under wraps. And guys like Chris Berman who have kept quiet about what happens at the Super Bowl or in training camp don't want their personal shit out there for everyone to see. It's one thing to report on Sean Salisbury emailing pictures of his penis to coworkers. It's quite another to report on Stuart Scott macking on some babe in his free time. I realize it is considered "reporting" when you let the world know Britney Spears isn't wearing panties, but I'd rather read criticism of ESPN b/c of its on air attributes. Speaking of which, Brian Kenny acts like he brings as much to a story on football, basketball, baseball, or any other sport as the athlete he is interviewing. I wish they would banish him to Fox Sports.
The new design - My eyes hurt from reading pink lettering on a white background, so I had to switch to something darker.
2:09 PM
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