Homerism a cancer to our industry?

I just read Reeves' column and I didn't find it homerish at all. It was a column and I thought it did a good job of looking at the game from the Cowboys side of things. The fact is the Cowboys lost the game more than the Seahawks winning it, so I thought the column was very appropriate.

 

And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids and that darn dog!

 

The struggle of not waking up this morning? Reeves echoed the sentiments of every Cowboys fan in a personal sort of way.

And I'd agree about columns being a different animal. Without saying it, that's what I was thinking of when I posted before. Jesus, couldn't you read my mind?

 

There's a big difference between being a fan and being a homer.

I'm a fan of sports. Not of the home team.

The only reason I write more about the home team is because I believe that's what my audience wants.

 

If there's a cancer in this industry, it's this line of thinking. And it absolutely permeates too many newsrooms and press boxes around the country.

 

The cancer is the attack mentality. Fairness has been tossed away because unbridled attacks get you noticed and/or promoted and/or hired away to a better job. You wonder why fewer people are reading ... it's because they don't believe you're giving them a fair look at what's really happening.

 

That's what some people see. But I think that is very rare. In most places, the fans get mad if the newspaper just tells the truth.

Look at message boards. You can have your big-time fans on there ripping players, questioning the team and no one blinks.

The local newspaper columnist writes something 1/4th as strong and those same people jump all over him.

 

Ace,
This has always been the case, though. There's a legitimacy seeing it in print from a supposed professional. This isn't new ground.

 

I am not defending homerism, I just am pointing out the "negativism" is almost always overblown. Usually a collection of unpleasant facts.

 

I certainly agree.

 

Is it the paper running its own ad that says "Go Huskers" or did it take money from an advertiser that wants the ad to say that? Big difference.
If the newspaper wanted to take away from the newshole to say "The Press says 'Go Huskers' " that would be wrong. If a local business wanted to buy a 4x6 or 8x10 ad that says "Joe Bob's Feed Shop says 'Go Huskers' " and the newspaper took the ad, I'd have no problem with it.

 

Joe, you're dealing with faulty semantics there.

This IS an ad ... an ad for a job at the newspaper. But it is not an ad in the newspaper.