Usually I hate Jason Whitlock's columns because a lot of the positions he takes are completely off base and saying that they were a stretch would be something of an understatement. However, I read his New Years column and there were several parts that rang absolutely true about sports journalism.
Here are the two items I one-hundred percent agree with:
7. If you've ever wondered what makes Bill Simmons the second-best sports columnist working today, check out this column written in November about the death of NFL home-field advantage.
Wow. I've spent the past month obsessing over this column and recommending it to friends in and out of the sports-writing profession. It's brilliant. It combines humor, useful information, analysis, storytelling, original thought and a fan's perspective. It's the best thing I've read on the NFL this year (excluding the NFL Truths).
Simmons gets hammered by many traditional sports writers. They say he doesn't report, writes too long and cracks stale jokes. They're wrong. They're jealous.
If newspapers consistently wrote pieces like the Simmons' piece referenced here, newspaper sports columnist wouldn't be losing their relevance and influence so rapidly.
Traditional sports writers are so caught up in the 1980s and 1990s, Mitch Albom model of overwritten narrative of things we've already seen on television that our industry fails to recognize that the publishing of original ideas is the only thing of value we can consistently offer.
Simmons is a star because he specializes in original thought.
6. Given what I just wrote about Simmons, it's no surprise that I think ESPN wasted 3 million bones on Rick Reilly, whose last original concept was hoodwinking ESPN into giving him a golden parachute from Sports Illustrated, back-page irrelevancy.
Oh, Reilly had his day. He was at the top of the game when he broke news about a Michael Jordan comeback. Reilly's descent began in 2002 when he sanctimoniously asked another grown man (Sammy Sosa) to pee in a cup.
By the time ESPN made it rain on Reilly he was more qualified to work the door at Spearmint Rhino than make more money at the Worldwide Leader than Simmons, Wilbon, Van Pelt and countless others.
Despite the improved platform, his columns create zero buzz and his television commentaries make Mike Lupica seem informed, Jay Mariotti sound clever and Skip Bayless appear genuine.
Please, God, take me tonight and bring me back as a washed-up, 50-something American white man. Only in America.
While sometimes I think Whitlock says things just to piss people off, at least he isn't afraid to do it. The NFL home-field advantage article was an excellent piece by Simmons, and honestly, he's the only one that could write it.
All the other sportswriters are two deeply ingrained into the "haves" of the NFL that they don't even notice that the regular fans are being pushed out. They go to lavish press conferences and are afraid to say anything to inflammatory for fear of burning bridges.
Simmons really doesn't have to worry about that because he doesn't interview anyone. He simply write what he thinks without having to worry about T.O. throwing a tissy fit about it.
And Reilly? Well anytime Simmons has a piece on the web, it's like opening a brand new present. Anytime Reilly writes a column? Well I haven't read one of his ESPN columns yet.
Shouldn't have left SI, buddy.
Thanks Jason! For once I don't totally disagree with you.
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