To the guys running Deadspin, Big Lead, Kissing Suzy Kolber, With Leather, Dave Lozo, and anyone else in the circle that feels compelled to shell each other publicly like it's junior high:
Okay, so is it official to say that the blogosphere has become everything I hated about mainstream sports media? Exclusive clubs where only a small number of guys hold all the cards and have routine pissing matches with other blogs they don’t like? Yeah, cause nothing makes me want to read KSK, With Leather, Deadspin, DaveLozo and The Big Lead more than wading through the invective pool.
I mean, look at the comments on Deadspin, for God’s sake: you have to audition to be considered for commenting privileges…! This isn’t a crappy FOX reality show, it’s just a sports blog. Granted, 89% of all sports blogs are inherently more funny than ‘The Best Damn Sports Show Period,’ but I digress…
If the editors of a blog want to blast commenters who step out of line after the fact, fine; it’s their prerogative.
When did the sports blogosphere become a mine field? Wasn’t this supposed to be about a bunch of guys and gals from across the globe just spouting their own opinions and linking to actual news stories along with the occasion picture of some half naked chick? I thought this was supposed to be like that episode of ‘The Simpsons’ where the townsfolk, fed up with the idea of Monty Burns owning all the media outlets and telling them everything from his point of view, decide they’re going to start publishing what they want.
Sure, it resulted in a saturation of new media, half of which was nonsensical anyway, but the point was people were going to start doing their own thing and get their info from anybody who could cater to their needs.
In this case, all I want to do is read about sports and laugh. And blast Jay Mariotti. And Skip Bayless. Simple, but effective.
Now quit turning this series of tubes into a giant pissing match and get back to making me laugh, dammit!
"See Lisa, instead of one big-shot controlling all the media, now there's a thousand freaks xeroxing their worthless opinions!"
--Homer Simpson
4 comments:
That right there is a damn fine post. Fuck Deadspin. On the other hand, I've still got a permaboner for those magnificent bastards at KSK. The difference is that the KSK boys still manage not to take themselves too seriously.
Goofing on jerks can be fun. It only stops being funny when the participants stop being funny. I don't think KSK has stopped being funny. Deadspin, on the other hand...
It's inevitable, reach a certain threshold of notoriety and the self-absorption starts creeping in. It ceases to be about what you do, what gained you the notoriety in the first place, and it becomes all about you.
Media types and bloggers who can't help themselves from indulging in that kind of thing will eventually find themselves knocked off the mountain. That's where blogs > the traditional media. It's much more difficult to maintain a "closed shop" old boys network. The blogosphere don't play that shit, holmes.
and Deadspin has become wildly unfunny. the internal self-referencing is becoming like watching one of those bad movies about Hollywood business starring Hollywood people, filled with in-jokes and barbs... super fucking yawn.
- Pico
This needed to be said. But I'm not sure how With Leather got lumped into this group.
We've linked to some of the things going on at Deadspin, but other than that, we've not been involved in any sort of dick-slinging like what's been characterized here.
JZ
I agree with the crux of this post: sports blogs are strongest when they focus on actual sports news, not critiques of other blogs.
However, when the MSM takes a look at certain blogs and says, "Look at the sensational crap blogs are producing," other bloggers are justified in taking a step back and saying, "Hey everyone, this jackass doesn't represent sports blogs."
Thanks, GW, for your sentiment about KSK. And I'm with Josh about With Leather: WL has always done its best to stay away from wasting time with posts about other blogs.
-MU
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