Dan Patrick's SI debut

And just to make it clear, I'm by no means a luddite. But I'm a firm believer that the importance and impact of journalism isn't measured by "Web hits." This has been bad because it makes something that's unquantifiable quantifiable.

 

rich

 

Which is why I canceled my subscription several years ago.

 

I recently didn't renew my subscription after more than 20 years... I still get ESPN Magazine, but I think I'm getting it for free, because I know I'm not paying for it...

 

Mizzou,

My guess is you are paying for it.
Once you subscribe to The Mag, they just keep renewing your subscription by charging your credit card.
Still not sure how they can do that without permission

 

Because you give permission when you sign up for the subscription.

 

If you don't think websites and video are crucial to the long-term survival or both newspapers and magazines, you just have your heads in the sand.

the two mediums don't have to be mutually exclusive.

You can combine depth of words with good video to create a full "media consumption" experience. In fact, not only can you, but you must.

Or, you can sit in the crow's nest and insist the ice berg on the horizon is merely a cloud.

 

Not true. I started getting ESPN The Mag out of nowhere one day and got it for about a year for free. I know that it comes with Insider, but I've never subscribed to that either. Then, the other day, I get hit with a $39.95 charge on my credit card. No idea how ESPN got that either. The charge only stayed on my account for a couple of hours. ESPN took it right off, though they wouldn't reveal their methods. Evil empire, indeed.

 

It's irritating how SI has become more and more like ESPN The Magazine. I stopped subscribing to ESPN The Magazine a few years ago because its non-stop fluff and sucking up made me puke. I have yet to ever hear anybody say, "Wow, did you see that Outtake Dan Patrick had?" Or "How about that 2-way with Stuart Scott?" I don't know. Maybe someone smarter than me has done research saying that readers really respond to that kind of stuff. But I know I would much rather read a well-done story about pigeon-racing than a smarmy sucking-up session with Dan Patrick.

 

Recent articles in SI:

Trinity squash team
Pigeon racing
A report on a cardiovascular abnormality that is killing young athletes
Alberto Salazar
Where do all the Rolles come from?

They're doing pretty good on the niche stories lately.

 

I skimmed Dan Patrick's debut page.

It's nothing more than the drivel he used to file for ESPN The Mag.

 

Quick question about the pigeon racing. Is that the league that is in Coney Island in Brooklyn?