Comments on: UPDATED: Bob Costas, You’re On Notice!

By: Schwanson

Schwanson — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:10:45 +0000

Too funny.

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:45:33 +0000

CJ, exactly. That’s why I don’t entirely understand this idea that the newspapers are going to disappear. Even if one day they aren’t in print, which again will likely never happen, people like to take the paper with them, the same outlets will still be posting news on the internet. These companies aren’t going anywhere. National media can only do so much, until CNN or ESPN decide to put reporters in every single city on the country, the newspapers will be here.

By: CJ

CJ — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:54:05 +0000

Nick makes a good point.

Bloggers need the newspapers. Sports bloggers. Political bloggers…all of them. They take what the newspapers report and then challenge it, expand on it, correct it, etc. It’s a good relationship.

By: ShooterB

ShooterB — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 19:36:21 +0000

Nice post. I wouldn’t have known about this if not for reading it here.

I’m not sure why people like Costas and Stephen A. Smith feel so threatened. I guess they prefer their readers/listeners/viewers to be silent and oblivious.

Enjoyed the read. Glad you brought this to our attention.

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 19:05:51 +0000

Not everyone should have access to locker rooms, and the thing is, 98% of bloggers don’t want access to locker rooms. They don’t want to have to go out and do the work. That’s the beauty of it, the journalists chase down the quotes, and the bloggers give their take on what that journalist has reported. Mainstream media, newspapers, will never go anywhere. I don’t see where this idea came from, but if the newspapers disappear so do the bloggers. There can’t be one without the other.

By: CJ

CJ — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:51:55 +0000

As a former “trained journalist” I can say that I enjoy sports blogs. (Even ones that make the cringe-inducing observation “Your vote has never had any influence on anything meaningful, ever. Voting is an illusion of democracy.”)

Further, I think sports blogs can make traditional sports coverage better by doing what traditional outlets will not: identify and discourage lazy coverage and analysis that falls short of actual “journalism.”

The good news is, guys like Costas will be replaced by professionals who came of age with sports blogs, so their attitudes will be different.

It also seems Costas and the guy covering his remarks are using “bloggers” and “blog commenters” interchangeably, which is a standard mistake/tactic of blog critics.

This point is on-target, however:
*Internet and talk radio commentary that “confuses simple mean-spiritedness and stupidity with edginess. Just because I can call someone a name doesn’t mean I’m insightful or tough and edgy.

This is true across the media spectrum. Radio (see: Cataldi, Angelo), Internet, TV, films, etc. Mean is easier than edgy. So once “edginess” became the buzz word, the market catered to the cheaper substitute.

Most of the Costas article was about controlling access to locker rooms. Which I can understand is a sticky subject.

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:17:17 +0000

I always looked at Costas like he was genuinely good guy, guess I was wrong. I was just wondering though, since we are playing by Bob’s rules here, does this mean I have to shut down my site until I finish earning my journalism degree from Penn State? I figured since I was an editor for the student newspaper and write for my local daily that it’d be ok for me to share my thoughts. I need a ruling on this Bob. God forbid someone cut their teeth a little while their skills are incubating while in pursuit of a meaningless degree.

I also find something else rather ironic. What kind of reporting does Costas do? Doesn’t he technically piggyback off others stories? All he does is presents a personal or editorial angel on big stories that others have broke. Pot, Bob. Bob, Pot.

By: MoonDog

MoonDog — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:51:18 +0000

Excellent post. You know how I feel about this. Oddly enough, I posted a very similar article at my blog along these lines, although I was unaware of Costas’ remarks.

I’m really disappointed too because I’ve always liked Costas. Among the many talking heads in sports journalism, he was one of the few that offered a truly insightful commentary on the issues.

Very well done.

By: Eggshmeg

Eggshmeg — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:14:01 +0000

“I know how to send electromagnetic signals to the thalamus”

Alright, that made me laugh.

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:14:55 +0000

Great going Bill.

The hubris of that midget has always annoyed me.

Oops! I called him a name…