TJ Simers on changes in Los Angeles Times sports section going into effect Monday

I've got to believe that everybody still at USC was ordered to keep quiet because the Times exposed Bohn's issues and forced his departure. Bitterness abounds, etc. Probably complicated the issue. So somebody was more than happy to leak it to ESPN to get even with the Times.

 

Over the course of the blog, it could be seen how much editing Simers' work probably needed at times -- something that maybe not many people would've realized when he was an LAT columnist.

To wit, this paragraph made no sense: They no longer exist, the full-page story in the LA Times sports section with pictures recently in a column by Helene Elliott on former UCLA golfer Lilia Vu.

But he's not wrong in the sentiments expressed throughout, and this entry was a sad thing to read. It was sad to have to read it -- that it really has come to that.

 

Thanks to the internet, there's more bad sports writing than ever before.

Thanks to the internet, there's more good sports writing than ever before.

Discuss.

 

I'm not sure if this is sarcasm or not but I agree with the first part of this take. Feels like the quality of sports writing has plummeted in recent years.

 

It's really not. And I'm not trying to specifically defend the Times here.

National reporters almost always break hiring news everywhere because they cultivate relationships with the agents and power brokers of their respective beats. For the LA Times to break that story, it needs someone at USC to break it to them; universities are chock full of risk averse/can't-come-back-on-me people who are sincerely worried that even a one-minute leak will cost them their jobs. The national reporter has all of the agents and power brokers. That's not to knock any of them. At all. But the symbiosis between the national reporter and the source plays out in 12 times in different ways over time.

The LA Times reporter offers no benefit to a source. Simers would not break that story if he were on it today.

 

Good writing? Probably. Different voices for sure, which I like.

Bad writing? Not so much that as the lifestyle/social media writing culture. A lot "hey, how great are you, and how great is this, even though you're 12-36?!?!" kind of stuff.

 

My guess is it's the same thing w/music. There's a lot of really talented people who can't get the ever-elusive record deal (and would probably lose money on the deal even if they could) but can share their gifts with the world from their iPhones. There's even more people who suck and are foisting their William Hung-ness upon the world whether we want it or not.

 

LOL. That's some world-class bloviation there, even for you.

 

ooook.

 

I don't see where Alma is wrong/bloviating/etc. Look at how news gets broken in the major professional sports. The beats rarely break the big trades, firings, etc, probably b/c of the same reasons listed in Alma's post, plus a desire to ferret the big info to the sport's broadcast partners.

 

Bots.

And BLOGS!!!!!!1!!!!1!!!!!!

 

South Florida media didn't break LeBron going to the Heat. And it didn't break him leaving Miami to go back to Cleveland. And the Fort Lauderdale guy has been on that beat for 35 years.