Sporting News Today thread (what do you think?)

They are "devoting their smaller news holes to local stuff" so they can save on newsprint costs. Why would they want to spend the money to print 34 tab pages per day that don't add revenue, especially when the identical product is available to their readers online?

 

They've had a "start 'em, sit 'em" every day so far.

 

My evaluation after three days: Not impressed.

Not only isn't it The National, it's not even close. I don't see any good reads in here, no columns or features -- just notes and tidbits and short stories that you can get in easier-to-navigate form other places. (Their web-unfriendly format really is a pain, even since they discovered links.)

But here's the other reason it isn't The National, nor is any other web publication: The people who launched that publication realized that sports, at its heart, is local -- in the sense of, if I'm a Philly fan, for example, I want to read all you can give me on the Phillies and Eagles and Sixers and Flyers. The National was way ahead of its time in melding local content (at least in those urban markets) with national content.

It probably will never happen again. But if some billionaire wanted to roll the dice, to assemble a staff of not only national writers but local beat guys, columnists and GA types in each major market and establish it as a Web-only publication, I'm betting a resurrected National would blow ESPN.com, Yahoo, CBS and the rest out of the water.

And if Warren Buffett or the like is reading this and wants to reach me ... if you've got the money, I've got the ideas.

 

I'm really enjoying it and real glad they're not linking to AP and ESPN. The death of competition has dampened journalism. I like that they're proud of themselves. I get enough ESPN and other venues. When I read Sports Illustrated (the paper version), I don't go looking for other magazines, I just want to read SI. I have the same method in reading online.

In this case, less is more.

I'm really enjoying the daily online version, great job. I know people will nit-pick at it here and that's OK. I think it's an outstanding product.

 

That's what The Sporting News is though. The magazine has been a champion of this form of journalism for years and years. It's intended to be something you can sit down and digest completely in one sitting, without the long-form content.

Not saying that's necessarily what everyone wants or anything. Just saying that they're sticking with what they know and what they do well.

 

And that's the problem. There are already plenty of places on the Web at which you can do that.

 

I like what I've seen thus far. I am looking forward to seeing how the new bi-weekly mag will look.

 

On the late box score complaint I posted, I've heard through the infinitesimal D_B_V network that the advertising staff wanted to have a page that had ALL late-late-news and boxscores, so then they could go to an advertiser and say, "look, everyone will want to read this page because it's content that no one else has in their paper, so please pay us to put your ad on the 'late' page." That's the thinking/reasoning behind why the late baseball boxscores are on a separate page than the other boxscores. I suggest they link back and forth between all those pages.

 

Except the Sporting News has a great brand name. SI.com has gone into swimsuits and celebrities. You can also find that on the web. ESPN's website is too busy and I'm tired of their brand and having them always yelling at me, either in print or on TV, and at very high decibels.

Actually you can use, "I can find that elsewhere" on the web anywhere. Right now it's better than the local papers I'm getting (though I get those for local news, not national).

TSN has a great brand name, some excellent writers, and a good, solid approach towards sports journalism, IMO. I don't need to be yelled at and I don't care about someone's "crib" or "ride" or who Matt Leinert is boinking.

I like football, basketball, and baseball. I'm not into Neckcar, so I skip that part of TSN, that's OK. They do a great job on college sports, which I like.

I also like tennis and running, I seek news there in different outlets.

TSN's new online entry is much better than ESPN, Fox, and SI.com, their competitors.

More power to them, great job.

 

"Our champion ... no matter how many losses ... I'll put up against anyone in the country ... " says Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt.

Uproarious. And yes, I think the SEC can bring it. But the SEC has this Napolean complex about it. You never hear the Pac-10 thumping its chest with such vigor. The only fanbois worse are the Big Tenners.

 

Huh?

 

Why does the SEC have to come up with these comments like, "our champion, no matter how many losses" can beat anybody's ass? Isn't the SEC above that? I think the SEC and Pac-10 are the two best conferences. But the SEC postures so much. Just play the games and see what happens toward the end of the season.

This whole "we're better than anyone" 5 weeks before the season starts just gets to be old.

Edit: As for the product, it's pretty cool. I was just struck by the cover story.