A couple of assumptions/facts about this post 1. It's not 1935, it's 2012. 2. People other than the sports media have always had sources about what is going on inside a sports program, but had no way to tell the world. 3. The internet has changed #2 entirely. And I don't get why the media cannot understand this and gets so butthurt when people other than their sacred fraternity find out information and put it out to the world before they do. Maybe it's just because it is Knoxville and a smaller market and they don't want to hurt what "sources" they do have, maybe they are lazy and expect this to be handed to them, or maybe because internet users are not trained in the "rules" of journalism, I don't know, but I am absolutely amazed by the media in Knoxville and their reaction to stuff. If it wasn't so sad, it would be funny. Sorry, just a rant/question/gripe/comment. Carry on.
Laziness is the biggest factor. That and the utter fear of being kicked out of that ever so spectacular club.
I like Coach Bob Knight's take on sportswriters," We all learn to write in 1st grade, most of us move on to bigger and better things."
With the web access on every phone and computer they are adding no value. The average person simply paying attention knows what's going on with any sporting venue in seconds without them. So being a sport commentator versus a reporter is what they all angle for to keep themselves viable. The problems is they got so lazy and snarky that nobody actually involved in the sports in question will trust them with info.
Its really funny if you think about it, especially if you are Rucker with 247 trying to catch rivals. If he had taken any lead on the opportunities this had given him instead of completely scoffing at them, he could have probably gotten a lot of new subscribers out of this.
I think they can still serve a purpose, obviously they have access that most of us don't and can provide information. I also get that someone on here can go forward with something they know with less risk than a writer who's worried about a job, access, and the like. What I don't get is why some just can't understand that it's possible for the proletariat like us to have connections as well, and maybe even have access to information they don't for the simple fact we're NOT media. Rucker's butthurt just goes to another level though. The guy lost me after his 2 hour hit job on Tony Basilio, who had reported the Cam Clear stuff and turned out to be dead on. I doubt anybody listened to his show that day to hear that. Also he's spent months calling anybody who said Bray wasn't NFL-ready an idiot, but of course he doesn't apologize for it when he reaches the same judgement about 6 weeks later than everyone else.
Their access is greater, but our collective omnipresence and means of instant communication simply cannot be matched by traditional reporting. And while I understand the journalistic integrity stuff, there's also an air of pretentiousness to that, too. Sort of a high-mindedness that they can only trust us with information that is neatly bundled and in its finished form. The problems with that line of thought are many, but none bigger than the voracious need for not only information, but instantly - and we don't care if its sometimes messy. We want people to just tell us what they know, with some parameter of how reliable or certain it is, and we'll decide to assign whatever weight to it that we want. As long as they're waiting to get something confirmed by three independent sources, and again I understand their need to follow that line of thought, they're always going to be beaten to the punch, and not by minutes but days. To counter-balance their lack of agility, they focus on the credibility of their information, but this is a conundrum, too, because then they get even more conservative (now needing 4 sources, instead of 3), and naturally, slower - and the vicious cycle repeats. Were I a member of the media, I'd either lead it's reinvention (which will lead them to where we are, and not the reverse) or get the hell out of it, and too quick to talk about it.
That's why I love Gary Parrish. He will credit anyone with "breaking a story" or getting a scoop. He makes his value with his columns and radio show. It's the ppl that relied solely on being an "insider" that are screwed. They have no value anymore.
I agree. KISS method. We will figure it out without their cockeyed opinions and self absorbed delivery. Provide the pertinent points so that we have the substantiated information, or at the very least leads on it.
GP's radio show is entertaining as hell. He has a good on air personality, and is pretty funny most days. Geoff and he work well together, although it is pretty much just an off topic banter-fest for a half hour.
My favorite kind of sports talk radio. Talk sports, but just go off on tangents when they present themselves.
Hes smart enough to write about things that are not only interesting but have little to do with who reported it first or stating facts. HE makes it entertaining and a story.
