SI new hires

That's fair... ESPN does throw a lot of people out there as "experts" who don't even cover games... I'm not talking about their top guys, but there are some who work for the dotcom who may not see more than a handful of games each year. To be fair, some of the other big websites have been guilty of this in the past...

 

Wasn't Chuck Scott the SE who suspended his college hoops writer a few years ago for getting duped and re-running a fictitious story from hoosiergazette.com?

 

ESPN has better brand-name recognition right now. Their business model is great - they simply attach "ESPN" to everything: ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, etc. I agree the quality of writing - and the photo galleries - is way better on SI.com. Unfortunately, their brand is only associated with a magazine, one that the ESPN generation considers dated. And thus, it lags. Folks who appreciate good writing - Lee Jenkins, Damon Hack, and probably a greater percentage of SportsJournalists.com posters than the general public - would like SI.com better, plain and simple. I'm generalizing when I say this, but It's more a question of which pond you want to be in: the pond with more money but lesser journalistic talent, or with less money and more talent.

 

I agree with the above, but we shouldn't pass around the collection plate just yet for anyone who heads to SI. Like everywhere else, the stars are paid commensurate with their performance. It may not be quite what they could have made at ESPN, but then again you never know. A few years ago, SI dug deep to keep Gary Smith. I'm sure it'll do what it has to do to remain competitive.

 

I think SI is doing a good job on it website, expanding with a lot more entertainment avenues (extra mustard, SI on campus, truth and rumors, etc ...) without watering down the meat and potatoes sports journalism it is famous for, the links to the swimsuit issue don't hurt either, once again, it is a matter of opinion, but I would rather read a column by someone who is out in the field, or at least making phone calls, than someone ranting from their livingroom couch, that's just me ...

 

Amen, scrub.