Clay Travis on the most searched sportswriters

http://claytravis.net/wordpress/?p=1339

 

Headline: "Clay Travis Reports That Clay Travis Needs To Get PAID, Motherfuckers!"

Using Reilly's salary as a gauge of online sportswriter worth is like saying every pitcher who is better than Barry Zito deserves to make more than $18 million a year.

 

Younger consumers (love that phrase for readers, says it all) want to read columnists they've seen on TV. Younger consumers who DO read local columnists, however, might actually, you know BUY the local paper someday.

 

Sabre metrics really peaked in 1999, but the concept lost steam when Brett Hull scored that disputed goal.

 

I'd never heard of Clay Travis before this thread. I guess I should Google him.

 

Also the parasite who thought it would be funny to ask Tim Tebow if he's still a virgin..

 

That's b/c every younger "consumer" thinks he knows more about the team than the local columnist.

 

Except he's convinced he's the best writer ever and his stuff doesn't stink. Aside from an ego as massive as the Grand Canyon, he's all right.

 

Travis's post is obviously self-promoting. But I think in today's economic environment any sports journalist who passes on a chance to build his brand name is a troglodyte, so my comment is offered as praise.

I agree with his larger point that sports writing will eventually become driven by metrics. For example, if I was ESPN management I might think about pushing Forde up to the home page rather than Wojciechowski based upon the number of hits each receives.

 

I'm always surprised how little time I spend on ESPN.com. Usually chock full of previews of stuff airing on ESPN, off-field stuff about players injuries etc. on the front page - but nothing really newsy.
I tend to spend more time with SI columnists (King, Mandel, JoPo), I dig Wetzel, and I'll sometimes pick something off of Real Clear Sports.

 

Travis has a good premise, but including himself made him seem like a whiny brat. And, while he's very talented, he's always come across as a whiny brat. So that makes sense.