How Many People Still Read What Sports Columnists Write?

I am conducting an informal survey related to the thread about bad sports columnists.

How many hits does the columnist at your paper receive in comparison to other beats. If you could mention the size of your paper in general terms that would be helpful.

 

How many people still have a newspaper subscriptions?
Our local paper concentrates on local sports, none of which I follow. I don't read them at all.

I used to read: Royko, Grizzard, and several local columnists. ... I used to read Ed Bouchette at the PG. He's no longer there and he's become a hardened, if not bitter, NFL beat writer.
Does Peter King count? If not, I don't read any columnists.
I am to point I detest talking heads and people who's job it is to only talk about sports/news etc .... Report the news/sports, and that's it.

 

I’m pretty sure that most sports columnists are read by fewer editors.

 

At The Boston Globe, Dan Shaughnessy is definitely a hit. Look at their most-read stories bar and his latest is on it. Of course he’s been in the market forever and knows how to twist the knife at the right angle.

 

I read Mellinger and Vahe at the K.C. Star and Frederickson and Hochman at the Post-Dispatch. Sometimes I'll read one in the NY Times, but I don't regularly follow sports there.

I'm very much regional these days, although in earlier years I'd read the guys in Orlando, Green and Bianchi. And I'd hit the Chicago papers for Tellander and a few others. Maybe another paper or two.

This place is my biggest time suck.

 

I read Whicker every day unless he writes about boxing.
One bad column, which is all that most of you remember, shouldn't taint a brilliant career.
If you let that one bad column dictate your feelings toward him as a columnist, you're missing out.
No, I am not Mark Whicker.

 

As a former South Floridian, I'll read Dave Hyde and Greg Cote when I get a chance because they generally have some interesting takes on what's going on down there.

 

If there is a big game or an interesting issue, I will often seek out the local columnist. The good ones are better than the national ones in their area.

 

How many columnists raise a bigger stir on Twitter, the radio or on a local cable show (or national) than they do in print? Better to use the column for what is really a short feature - the more heartfelt the better - about an old fan, a young sick kid, a longtime team employee.

 

Bill Plaschke still shines on those types.

I don't read most of his other columns because they are mostly reactionary: Dodgers are great, Dodgers suck, based on the day..

 

Reusse at the Strib remains a must-read for me and simply my all-time favorite. I think he's the best in the biz.

And yeah I still read Sid. Figure he's only got 15 years or so left so wanna read the tidbits while I can.

And as a group I think the Star Tribune columnists probably remain about as big a draws for a paper's sports section as any group of writers at any other papers.