Jay Mariotti

This isn't new news. His hire as Sports Director/Columnist at the San Francisco Examiner was already noted on the jobs thread.

San Francisco Examiner Sports Editor | SportsJournalists.com

Apologies for jacking but there wasn't much on the Mariotti hire and I assumed that might have been because it wasn't on the journalism thread. Considering Mariotti's history and profile, I think the hire warrants discussion. For those who may not know, the Examiner is a free daily tabloid that's nothing like it was under Hearst ownership (Hearst now owns the Chronicle). The position was originally advertised (on this site, among others) as a Sports Editor gig, but was apparently revised to reflect the multimedia approach the Examiner is taking with this gig (or one that better suited Mariott's skill set).

I don't know Mariotti personally and have no beef with him. Since he pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges (for what it's worth, the conviction was expunged), not going out on a limb here saying he's obviously got some character flaws. But let's be honest here, he's not the only one in this business who fits into that category. So what's up with Mariotti? Is there another side to his story? Has he gotten a bum rap, or is he truly as evil as he's been described?

 

My personal dealings with Jay were always pleasant, but it's really difficult to say he's gotten anything resembling a bum rap.

He was on Whitlock's podcast a couple years ago and he sounded guilty as fuck. Even before all of that, there wasn't a bridge he wasn't more than happy to torch. Sometimes guys get away with that for their entire careers, and sometimes, in the case of Jay, it catches up to you.

 

I am with RJ here. I got along fine with Jay, but he was and I assume still is addicted to the hot take and fiery stands of alleged independence. That wears on people -- readers and bosses especially. I know nothing about the facts of his legal issues, but that's a very bad crime.

 

Quaint that someone with such a big name would be headed to print or more precisely, a free shopper.

 

SF Weekly, a sister paper of the Examiner, has a story about the Mariotti hire noting what the new editor views as similarities between him and Hunter S. Thompson, claiming that hire represents the company's intent to "dust off the spirit of gonzo."

New Editor, Controversial Sports Writer -- What More Could You Want (To Be Outraged By)? | News | San Francisco | San Francisco News and Events | SF Weekly


Here's an excerpt:

"He's a friggin' lightning rod, hated by some, loved by others. He's become a pariah in some quarters, and a cause célèbre to those who think he's been treated unfairly."


Yeah, they said that. I'm not aware that he has any public supporters or his "cause" is a cause célèbre to anybody but Mariotti himself, but if the SF Weekly says it must be true right?

 

I wouldn't call the Examiner a shopper. More so than you'd expect from a metro daily for sure, but not exactly a shopper.

 

Mariotti's intro column:

What the Hell Were You Thinking?: The Lightning Rod of Sports Journalism Explains What on Earth He's Doing In San Francisco | Feature | San Francisco | San Francisco News and Events | SF Weekly

 

The SF Examiner is invisible. It's below the stature of a shopper.

 

Mariotti says the domestic assault charge was expunged, and that he never touched or stalked anyone. So why are so many fellow media people still pounding on him regards the alleged domestic assault?

 

Good thing sports writers never have to write about domestic violence.

 

To say he's not popular among industry peers would be an understatement, so there's that. His convictions were expunged - not overturned. I don't believe it's libelous to refer to him as a "girlfriend batterer" (that's the tweet SF Chronicle Editor Audrey Cooper put out that Mariotti was referring to in his column)

 

1. The editor of the Chron shouldn't be tweeting that.
2. Mariotti has ripped guys like Mariotti for much less without foundation.