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H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger
Rant Against Sports Blogs Sparks Debate on Sports Journalism
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Sports writer Buzz Bissinger criticized the rise of sports blogs, blaming them for destroying sports journalism and dumbing down society.
30-Second Summary
Will Leitch, editor of the popular sports blog Deadspin, appeared on HBO’s “Costas Now” with Buzz Bissinger to discuss the Internet’s role in the future of sports journalism.
Bissinger immediately launched an attack on Leitch and sports blogs: “I think blogs are dedicated to cruelty, they’re dedicated to dishonesty, they’re dedicated to speed.”
Armed with a folder of Deadspin content, he continued to belittle a somewhat stunned Leitch, slamming him for vulgar writing and for humiliating athletes.
Few in the media have applauded Bissinger’s hostility towards Leitch. Bissinger himself admitted that he was too aggressive and that his anger clouded the points he was trying to make.
The episode has renewed the debate on blogs and the mainstream media. Mainstream writers have accused bloggers of lowering journalistic standards, while bloggers allege that mainstream writers are bitter that their medium is being supplanted by the Internet.
Bissinger immediately launched an attack on Leitch and sports blogs: “I think blogs are dedicated to cruelty, they’re dedicated to dishonesty, they’re dedicated to speed.”
Armed with a folder of Deadspin content, he continued to belittle a somewhat stunned Leitch, slamming him for vulgar writing and for humiliating athletes.
Few in the media have applauded Bissinger’s hostility towards Leitch. Bissinger himself admitted that he was too aggressive and that his anger clouded the points he was trying to make.
The episode has renewed the debate on blogs and the mainstream media. Mainstream writers have accused bloggers of lowering journalistic standards, while bloggers allege that mainstream writers are bitter that their medium is being supplanted by the Internet.
Headline Link: Bissinger and Leitch debate on ‘Costas Now’
Bob Costas hosted the debate on a special-edition live episode about sports media. Featuring Bissinger, Leitch and NFL player Braylon Edwards, the debate quickly became an assault on Leitch and sports blogs. The New York Times argued that Bissinger’s profanity-laced rant and “scornful body language” obscured any cogent points he made and instead served to “symbolize the mainstream media’s fear and suspicion” of sports blogs.
Source: New York Times
Video: The debate
Deadspin hosts a video of the entire 18-minute “Costas Now” segment on Internet journalism.
Source: Deadspin
Background: The mainstream media/blog divide
In March, Costas disparaged sports blogs, calling them “just a high-tech place for idiots” written by “pathetic get-a-life losers.” AOL Fanhouse blogger Tom Ziller points out that Costas seemed to confuse blogs with message boards.
Source: AOL Fanhouse
The “Costas Now” panel discussed a Deadspin post that accused mainstream writers of being out of touch with the average sports fan. Writer “Big Daddy Drew” said that mainstream writers are too privileged and have too much access to players. Bloggers, on the other hand, are real fans that other fans can relate to; he writes that blogs have “value to me, as a fan, specifically because the people writing are non-credentialed jackasses, just as I am. They experience sports the same way I do, so I'm more apt to connect with what they’re saying than with the dude who gets to hang out with Phil Mickelson at the pitch and putt.”
Source: Deadspin
Reactions: Leitch is relieved, Bissinger is regretful
Soon after the show aired, Leitch posted on Deadspin about his experience. He was relieved that the show was over and felt that he had made his point by remaining calm while Bissinger ranted. “But we felt, in a way, the point was made for us. Watching this talented man spin himself into a typhoon of imploding bluster showed the fear, showed the anger, showed the futility of it all.”
Source: Deadspin
Bissinger appeared on Dan Le Batard’s radio show, where he expressed regret for attacking Leitch so forcefully. He clarified his thoughts on blogs, saying “blogs are a threat—not a threat to old school, it’s not a threat to … the mainstream media—it’s a threat to writing and reporting. … It’s not all just about what flies into your head and ‘let’s put it down and let’s be nasty and mean-spirited and hope we get as many posts and comments as we can so traffic increases and then bingo-bango, we make some money.’ That’s not what it’s about.”
Source: 790: The Ticket
Opinion & Analysis: The journalistic integrity of sports blogs
Jason Whitlock believes Bissinger was misguided in portraying all blogs as vulgar and mean-spirited, pointing the large number of excellent sports blogs. He opines that “bloggers are no different from writers or journalists. There are good ones and bad ones, fair and unfair ones, moderately accurate and horribly inaccurate ones. None is infallible.”
Source: Fox Sports
Joe Posnanski is a blogger and columnist for the Kansas City Star who was almost invited to appear on the “Costas Now” panel. He believes that Leitch was put into a difficult position having to defend the crude and malicious content on sports blogs, while problems in the mainstream media were glossed over. He also praises blogs for giving an outlet to talented young writers, saying that if W.C. Heinz was a young man today, he would be blogging: “If you love to write, if you want to be heard, if you feel like you have something to say, this is what you do.”
Source: Joe Posnanski
Key Players: Bissinger and Leitch
Buzz Bissinger is a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter and the author of the bestselling-book-turned-movie-turned-TV-series “Friday Night Lights.” He has written for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Chicago Tribune and his work has been featured regularly in magazines such as Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated and The New York Times Magazine.
Source: BuzzBissinger.com
Will Leitch started Deadspin in September 2005 and it quickly grew into one of the most popular sports Web sites. The SportsBusiness Journal named him the 20th most influential man in online sports, saying that he is “helping to redefine how sports fans communicate.” He has written three books, the latest being “God Save the Fan.”
Source: SportsBusiness Journal
Related Topic: The rise of “citizen journalists”
The debate over online journalism isn’t restricted to the sports world. FindingDulcinea reported more generally on the growing influence of citizen journalists and their often uneasy relationship with the mainstream media.
Source: findingDulcinea
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