Oklahoma State coach Gundy blasts Oklahoman columnist

pick on me ... bitch.

 

Are you a man? Are you 40?
Are you a mother...of children?

 

I, too, am a little amused with all these claims of disconnect. A lot of people in this business (and, ahem, out) do a lot of hand-wringing and still are able to put food on the table. I think I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

 

The end of Wojo's column: "The real work is to fix what's broken. There is a growing disconnect between the sports media and the coaches and players we cover, and the people who read that coverage. There have always been disagreements -- that's a given -- but there also was a common ground and a mutual respect.

Now it's something much more polarizing.

Mutual distrust."

As someone who has covered D-1 sports for five-plus years, I agree with him.

 

I blame this on BLOGS! and message boards. Fans now have a place to publicly and easily whine about poor coverage, and a way to rectify it through a form of media.

And like someone said on the women's World Cup thread, organizations want publicity, not more coverage.

 

Damn Internet! We were better off when we had no idea what people were thinking.

 

I know you were sarcastic, but I think you're onto something.

 

Good with the bad, good with the bad.

 

I'm sorry. What's Wojo babbling about here? Is there a disconnect between us and the peiople we cover, between us and our audiences, between us and the people we cover and our audiences? All of these? If so, then there are a couple of "disconnects" -- which ought not to be a noun, dammit -- and not a single solution for all of them.

 

yes, yes and yes.

 

I think that's the disconnect he's talking about!

 

Sure there's a disconnect.

The loudest fans, those on message boards, wonder why we can't write nothing but complimentary things about their favorite team. They also wonder why we don't constantly write uncomplimentary things about that bum of a coach who isn't winning as big as they would like.

Further, they wonder just why we hate their favorite team and why we love the rival.

And we are amused by this, because their type of fandom is one of those things that eliminates logic and critical thinking in favor of adults leading lives of rah-rah and breathless wondering where a 17-year-old is going to attend college. So all we hear is the people who fire up the modem to rip a story or coach they hate. (I wonder how much support Gundy would have gotten at www.dorkOKstatefan.com had his tirade come after a loss).

There are smart fans out there who enjoy compelling stories and honest journalism. They just don't post on message boards, for the most part.

And that's the true disconnect: thinking the loudmouths speak for all fans, when that is not the case.