Strong online sports section presences

Hi, all, looking for some recommendations here. I like to check out the online sports presence of papers across the country. Metro markets, rural markets, in-betweeners, etc.

Who does a good job with their online presentations? Clean interfaces, impactful stories, fun projects, etc. It’s especially interesting to see what shops are doing during this bizarre time. A couple that stand out to me are the Minnesota Star Tribune and Dallas Morning News.

Where else?

 

Pittsburgh Post Gazette and Lexington Herald Leader. The Coraopolis Record usually does a good job of covering the local high school, Little League, and dirt track racing, but during this pandemic quarantine with everything shut down they're just sitting it out.

 

The Boston Globe gets a bit too clickbaity and cute for me at times, especially on the news side, but the sports folks do good work.

 

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star still do quality work.

I read the former for Cardinals coverage, writer chats and columns. I read the latter for Chiefs coverage, Sam Mellinger and Vahe Gregorian (who is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet).

 

In a business full of sad homers, Ben Frederickson might be the biggest one. But I suppose he knows his audience.

 

Greeley Tribune

 

So much this. I follow Stl sports from afar, but can't stand the P-D lineup. Goold is a smug prick, Hochman is an attention-whore clown who would rather make a joke than take a stand, and Hochman and Matter are pom-pon waving homers.

All that would be fine if they had a Miklasz-type writer to deliver chin music when needed, but they are a Nerf-level media outlet, IMO.

 

Jose de Jesus Ortiz had a nice balance while he was there. Unfortunately, the readers didn't like "balance."

 

I have a theory there was something else the readers didn't like about him, but it's just a theory based on what I saw when I lived there.

 

The DMN puts out a ton of clickbait stories, but normally you can cut through it to get to the news nuggets.

 

Define "clickbait." It's not bait-and-switch. They have strong headlines, which is good in 2020. Never had a problem with their headlines in recent years.

 

Just say it.

Hell, I'll say it: racism. Sure, St. Louis has racial problems like everywhere else, but fan antipathy isn't what gets anyone fired. Ortiz's problem was that he was a bad fit who didn't know the market or the history, which showed in his writing. He lasted, what, four months? Obviously the bosses there — suits, if you prefer — determined he wasn't a fit and probably encouraged him to look elsewhere, but to say racism informed there opinion is a stretch. I found his writing to be hit and miss, but — even with what I've said — I wish he would have gotten a longer stretch there. He was the first person of color since Burwell died.

To address other complaints lodged elsewhere: Goold a smug prick? Did he kick your dog, laugh about it and say there's nothing you can do about it? He's one of the best beat writers going, and in my brief interactions with him I've found him to be anything but smug.

Hockman definitely likes his jokes. He's a columnist, so I'll give a little leeway about being a homer. I read his articles less now than I did when he first started.

Dave Matter has 20 years on the Mizzou beat, and I'm not sure how he would ever be classified as a homer. He's been plenty critical of Mizzou coaches and administrators.

Frederickson? Eh, whatever. He's fine-ish.

No doubt the P-D was better when Burwell and Strauss were there.