Sports Blogs: The Next Step (Part 1)
In every news industry besides sports, blogs and websites are increasingly considered among the elite sources for information. In tech, some of the most influential outlets and journalists are bloggers or web-only, like Gizmodo, Engadget, and TechCrunch, to name a few of Technorati’s most popular blogs. The Huffington Post is one of the most read websites/blogs online, offering one of the top Internet-based “newspapers” out there.
The point is, websites and blogs are competing with “big timers” like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal—and mostly winning, as the newspaper and print industry in general has been in complete freefall. This is happening everywhere—except, by and large, in the sports media industry.
Think about it—we read most of the sports blogs we read because they offer fresh opinions, commentary of what’s already going on, and a central source for the actual news itself. How many sports blogs out there break news, or offer exclusive interviews with athletes and coaches or team execs? ProFootballTalk comes to mind, and Yahoo and AOL Sports have done a good job, too. (It’s a little different with AOL and Yahoo, because they entered the game with a lot more resources at their disposal.) (I’m disregarding ESPN and FOX Sports here, because they’re essentially just the sports versions of CNN and…FOX.)
But besides them, who is there? How has this happened—and why? With so many well-known sports bloggers, wouldn’t you think that at least one of them would be—dare I say it—more “mainstream” at this point?
And, therein lies the problem.
It’s a personal opinion of mine that within the sports blogosphere, part of the allure of blogging in the first place is having “an opinion without access”. It’s like a show of spite for the system—that the bloggers don’t even need to show up to the press conference, or the game, or talk to the players, and still offer great insight and analysis.
To a degree, that’s true. We’ve already discussed how the mainstream media does much of the legwork for them—breaking the news, getting the interviews, etc., that the blogosphere can aggregate and turn into analysis. Team PR staffs distribute quote transcripts and useful statistics that anyone can use in an article or post on a blog. So, granted—it is possible to cover sports without actually being at the event.
It’s this lack of “attendance” which keeps many of the mainstream media (and teams alike) from taking sports bloggers seriously (re: Buzz, Mitch Albom, Bob Costas, every major print publication in existence, etc.). To everyone involved, the impression they get is that these sports bloggers sit in their underwear in their mom’s basement atop some ivory tower, simply injecting opinions into issues that they really have no expertise in, while most print journalists covering the NFL have spent years upon years working their way up the ladder and honing their craft.
Moreover, as the sports blogosphere rises in power and notoriety, more and more sports journalists will continue to get fired, resulting in less “grunt work” for the blogs to pick up. In a way, the rise of sports blogs may also contribute to their next challenge: where will they get the news from when no one is left covering it in person?
The answer, simply, is to show up yourselves.
I totally understand the “cool factor” of being that outsider that doesn’t need real access to get your voice out there. But it isn’t the access itself that is un-cool; it’s I don’t need your stinking access, so shove it. If NFL teams were offering free orange traffic cones, it would be an utter hatred of free orange traffic cones. What if an NFL team reached out to you to offer you a game credential? Would you turn it down, because it’s cool to not have to show up? Really? Didn’t we all start blogging about sports because we’re getting to live out that dream we had of being a sports writer? Why can’t we act like the real thing?
It’s happened in tech, and politics, and the economy, and in Hollywood. The first few attempts are always the hardest; in sports, there’s still that initial fear on both sides of the equation. The teams aren’t really sure how to treat sports bloggers or what they’ll do when they show up, so they have been leery of granting them access. On the flip side, most bloggers simply don’t want access, and the ones that have tried have been mostly unsuccessful (to my knowledge?).
Eventually, however, the combined decline of the print media and ascension of the blogosphere will force the issue. At some point, when Deadspin applies for a Super Bowl credential, it won’t be possible to turn them down. When Pro Football Talk earns enough money to have their own network of bloggers, they’ll have their own writers attending games, live blogging in the press box, and attending team press events. Even the local blogs—every team has them—have, in some instances, garnered enough notoriety to eventually gain consideration for access into this inside world.
This is the real future of sports media. And it could be closer than you think. Who will be the first to take the plunge?
Great work here. In addition to PFT I see a handful of others making the kinds of moves that are driving the new guard’s potential to actually meet MSM on its own terms, if that is actually the goal. Check out what Mike and crew are doing at http://www.nationalfootballpost.com for example — real football NEWS from the inside.
The sports blogosphere is missing a source. Bloggers link to each other and somewhat reluctantly to MSM, but as independents like PFT, NFP, and hell, even the athlete bloggers on Yardbarker start giving bloggers reliable reports from behind the lines, we’ll start to see the space be taken more and more seriously.
From a reporting perspective, I think your critiques are valid. But, I don’t know if that’s how most blogs should be viewed. Traditional media outlets view independent websites as a direct threat, and paint them in that perspective.
I can’t speak for the The Big Lead in general. But, at least for my contributions to the site, I aim to inform, entertain and facilitate discussion. I would equate it as much to sports talk radio as to print reporting. I would also say that the majority of our links and story ideas come from the mainstream media.
I don’t think the “access” issue is a coolness thing, or a jealousy derivative of it. I see it more that the Press Box is not the only way to experience sports, nor, often, is it the most compelling way.
The blogosphere isn’t killing print media. It is a poor business model, lack of ingenuity and a changing audience.
I´m glad to read your blog and since the 49′ers have won this past weekend, can´t find a better word than happiness. People are looking all over the world for fresh alternatives on sports coverage, that´s why i value so much blogs and what they offer. It´ll be in the spotlight as an extended part of mainstream media, after sponsors realize they should look with greater emphasis on the new and most important development of journalist views and culture. MTR
Question: Any idea how many sports blogs there are these days? Or possibly when the first sports blog was created? Working on a paper about the influence of sports bloggin on the mainstream sports media.