Simmons on sports writing

Blue font, right?

 

Simmons had a good broad point: The overexposure of sports is getting a little ridiculous. He really just should say that and not try to get specific when he doesn't know the specifics.

Unless you can stop the stories that will scrutinize those comments to no end, then no. What do you think is more likely the cause of a pro athlete clamming up: the number of people in the room, or the fact that what he says will be dissected, analyzed and likely distorted by newspapers, 24-hour broadcasters and bloggers (not unlike Simmons)?

-- And to the original point of his rant:

Good on Abrams. But if you're wondering why no one brought it up for years, it's because the story was covered quite extensively in 2004. Once you get, oh, say, five to eight years down the line, today's news isn't exactly 2004's news, so it might not come up until someone gets the bright idea to do a retrospective (and, once again, good on Abrams). So why does "I think this reporter did a good job" translate into "something must be wrong with everyone else"?

 

Could Wetzel have written his Super Bowl column from his couch? The one where he followed Brady from his locker to the bus in emotional detail for 54 minutes? An excellent piece of writing done at arguably the most over-saturated media event on the sports calendar. It can be done.

 

Yeah, it seems like in some corners, all the appetite is for sensationalism and commentary.

 

Simmons basically invented his own form of sportswriting and good for him. But it stands to reason he therefore doesn't appreciate the other forms. If he had to work a beat for a season, I have no doubt he'd be excellent. But that first week, he'd be sweatin' bullets.

 

Dan Wetzel's Super Bowl column will always be the argument for sending your guy to the big game, for in-person game reporting:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-wetzel_tom_brady_super_bowl_gisele_bundchen_defeat_020512

Jason Whitlock's Super Bowl column will always be the argument against.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Eli-Manning-New-York-Giants-Super-Bowl-XLVI-remember-his-heroics-020512

I know I've had my issues with Whitlock, but seriously: Read that column and tell me Fox got its money's worth—that's what he wrote after a week in Indy, flights, hotel, the whole shebang. He really could have written that off his couch. If that's what everybody did, Simmons would be right.

Thank God guys like Wetzel still exist, otherwise none of us would be sent anywhere anymore. We should all give him some of our air miles for that column alone.

 

Look, we should all just wait for the latest cool anecdote about his kids*, because it replaced an anecdote about how cool it was to be in Las Vegas smoking, but not inhaling, Marlboro Ultra Lights at the baccarat table like a true gang-star.

 

I agree with Simmons, and I've been making a similar point on here for years. I think vastly fewer people should be credentialed.

Uncle Ruckus left out the beginning of what Bill wrote, which was something to the effect of -- Should sports journalists recalibrate? Should they think about new ways to approach this? And the answer is not yes but hells yes. The old system is becoming less effective by the day.

I covered a postseason series in Boston several years ago-- I've told this story on here before-- and there were many members of the media-- major outlets-- you know who you are!-- who had NO SEAT in which to view the game inside Fenway and NO CLUBHOUSE BADGE. That meant they watched they game on TV inside the cafeteria and used pool quotes for postgame.

The big dirty secret few like to discuss here is that many sports journalists prefer to view the game on TV rather than watch it in person. That way they don't miss anything.

 

During the game is arguably the least important part of a sports journalists's job.

Any journalist who thinks they are just fine with pool quotes rather than going down to the locker rooms to get the quotes themselves? I don't want to know them. (Sorry. I'm on a serious West Wing kick).

 

Yes. In a perfect world for beat writers, there would be no games at all. You'd just spend all day writing stories surrounding the games that don't exist.

 

Somewhere, Eddie Munster's ears are burning . . .

 

Not even close to what anybody said, but don't let that stop you.