44-year-old writer is treated like a real player on the team

I would hope I wouldn't have to take the field to have the team I cover respect me or for me to respect them.

By the way, you can call me Mizzou, we're all friends here...

 

That article : Paper Lion :: this post : Deep Throat

 

Here's the thing about stories done in this model. If they illuminate something unknown to the reader about the team, or about the nature of the way it trains, or about a specific individual, terrific. But most of them do not. They illuminate nothing. They offer the writer a chance at discovery, but most writers discover nothing, even about themselves.

I'll let others decide the specific merit of the piece in question on this thread.

And an historical aside for our youngsters: Mr. Plimpton didn't invent this template. He refined it - nearly 40 years after its creation. Its modern inventor was a fella named Paul Gallico.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gallico

 

I don't think he was trying to make himself the story. I'm pretty sure he was trying to get across what it must be like to be in a football training camp for those of us weekend warriors who never have or never will experience it for ourselves.

If he were actually trying to make a team he covers, that would be making himself the story.

 

Excellent point.

 

I don't see that big a problem with it.

But like someone else said, it would get a negative reaction from the public if this were done at Ohio State or Florida or Alabama or any other big college football program.

Also, we had a features writer (who is no longer in the biz, fwiw) go back to preschool for a day last school year. Did he become the story in that? No. He did everything he could to make the story about the kids and teachers in the class and not him.

And it was a damn good read.

 

All access stories are always better than "look at me" stories

 

Mr macg,

I wonder if his participatory venture was enuf to push him out of sportswriting. I've had a first edition of Farewell to Sport on my shelf since I was in short pants. BTW The Nine Lives of Tomasina was my daughters' favorite kids film.

YD&OHS, etc

 

And I don't see this piece as one of those. At all.

 

If anyone is an expert on the concept of "look at me," it's Mizzou. Few other posters seem to respond to every post on so many threads as if everyone here is speaking only to him.

My opinion? Every story stands or falls on its own merits, not according to an absolute rule or policy.

 

Gotta love the picture and cutline they have on the Web site.

 

Perhaps Dempsey simply knocked some sense into him.