Pearlman on sportsjournalist.com: "long-faded turf"

He's probably right - most of us aren't "insiders" anymore - we're "outsiders" with a decent perspective on the craft, seeing the industry as many other "outsiders" do - no longer with the natural gut instinct to defend or justify less than professional work or behavior. I guess this is only a "great" site when a certain writer is praised?
I think Pearlman IS great at cutting through the BS. His piece on Rocker is still genius. His book on Payton WAS uncomfortable to read - which made Payton's greatness seem more real and less like a hagiography.
I can only imagine how tough it has been within the industry to navigate the field in the last 10 years, while remaining focused on the "mission" of the work. Entertain? Inform? Engage? Excite? Sell?

 

Nobody's gone anywhere from here.

It's still the place regardless of where the industry is.

Jeff ain't never left here either. He exerted alotta Jeff Juice to post about this joint.

 

Social media didn't exist when this site was founded. A lot of the pithy observational discourse of those early days has moved there.

 

eh

 

There was some interesting stuff in that post, actually. As others have pointed out, I think there's a huge majority of people left on this site who have left the biz. I've been posting here since the old sportspages days, so it's just part of my daily routine, and I've met some pretty cool people through this site. The discourse here is clearly a lot more tame than it was back in the days...

 

Well, times have changed.

*Many left the business.

*A lot of young writers/journalists never found the board or made it to it, nor is an outlet for expression needed. Twitter exists for that. Podcasts do.

*The place has become a place of catharsis to the point where mourning what's been lost trumps where the business has gone/is going.

*Over time, the hall monitor mindset of Deadspin/Defector and Twitter has drifted here, too. Which often isn't a bad thing. But it's had a chilling effect.

 

I say this without rancor or even sadness. I cherish this board and its oft-inspired lunacy. You are all among my favorite Internet acquaintances, even the ones I argue with most. That said, what earthly reason would a newer journalist have for participating here? I've been out of the business a long long time and if somehow was put back into it (much against my will) wouldn't even recognize it, let alone share the concerns, frustrations, joys that its current participants find. At bottom, Pearlman is noting an inevitable fact of life. The core participants of sj.com have gotten older, and this has changed their perspectives on well, everything.

 

Agreed - the thing I love about this place is the thing I miss most about working in a newsroom, the banter, the quips, the movie references that are tragically lost on younger generations.

 

There are two completely different message boards formed and populated by people who left here or were banned from here. Some post at more than one of the places. Some lurk here and wish they still posted here. Or maybe still do under different names. But plenty have left.

 

Honest question: What is this place, if not social media?

 

When will Jeff do a podcast about Kangol hats?