ESPN exec John Walsh on B.S. Report

It's the economy, stupid!

 

Buck, I can see your point.

It's obvious by reading his 15-million word columns that writing concisely isn't exactly a strength of his. I can see where his skills are ill-fitted for newspapers and writing on deadline.

But now he writes in a venue that's much better-suited for his skills. What's wrong with that? I understand where ripping his former employers for things that were his own shortcomings is off-putting, but I think he does have some points.

Like when he says he pitched a fantasy column for the Herald in 1994 and they shot it down. Clearly, with the way fantasy sports have exploded, maybe it would've been a decent idea for sports sections to pay a little more attention to fantasy matters than they ever did. Most newspaper people think fantasy sports aren't "legit," but considering it's turned into a massive industry, I think a lot of papers really missed the boat with their customers by totally disregarding fantasy sports.

That's one good point Simmons made here. Again, buck, I realize he's prone to ripping newspapers because he's bitter and because he's blaming them for his own shortcomings as a sportswriter. But he's obviously in a position now that's perfect for his writing style, and I happen to find his stuff entertaining, funny and occasionally even enlightening.

If we have to agree to disagree, that's fine. But I do think the thing that stands out in this chat more than anything is that sports media outlets need to continue to always think ahead and to always be more creative, and I just think most newspapers failed to do this. That's why they're in such big trouble, because of a massive lack of creative and forward-thinking leaders who were obsessed only with quarterly profit margins and nothing else.

 

Then why was newspaper circulation declining massively long before we hit this current economic recession?

Of course the declining economy has hurt the newspaper industry, just like it's hit every industry. But this bothers me. This is the excuse that all MEs use when they fire off another round of lay-offs. "Well, the economy sucks, so we have no choice." In part that's true, but in part it's a bullshit excuse.

If more newspaper leaders would've thought how they could adapt and improve their products in the face of an exploding new medium (the Internet) instead of obsessing over short-term profit margins, maybe newspapers would be a little better equipped to get through this economic nosedive.

It's no coincidence that businesses that get through these recessions are ones with forward-thinking leaders who aren't short-sighted and are always hellbent on asking how they can improve their business and how they can do better. Too many newspaper leaders were apathetic and short-sighted (and many CEOs in other industries, especially the auto industry) over the years that now the economic recession has absolutely murdered them because they were totally ill-equipped to navigate through tough times.

 

The circ declines didn't cause the newspapers to start folding. Circ was dropping for years and years, and this just suddenly caused many newspapers to cut people or fold? No.

 

Because he acts like a douchebag at every conceivable turn. Simple as that.

 

But shouldn't years of declining circulation have forced newspapers to examine the way they operate and present their product? To maybe start wondering why circulation was declining and how to deal with it?

There's no doubt the economy has been the tipping point to cause massive job cuts. I won't disagree with that. But I find it unfathomable that so many newspapers could sit there and watch circulation decline and not change the way they operate.

The newspaper industry was struggling well before the economy went to shit.

 

Each newspaper could open a car wash and a doughnut shop in the parking lot, too. They are legitimate businesses that could be profitable.

Actual sports = news
Fantasy sports = not news

Lots of people play Bingo as well. But unless there's a scam going on, there's no news in it.

 

Why are you assuming they didn't? They just didn't go about it in successful ways.

It's actually laughable that Simmons thinks rejecting fantasy sports columns is one way where newspapers failed. Fantasy sports are built for the web. Live scoring, chatting with foes, offering trades, looking up stats, etc. -- newspapers have no chance against this. That's not to say they shouldn't bother with them. But I'm fairly certain newspapers were making a hell of a lot of money until the web cannibalized half their revenues.

 

Car washes, doughnut shops and bingo don't have anything to do with sports.

Fantasy sports does have a lot to do with sports. Major distinction there. I didn't say "cover" fantasy sports, but I don't see why newspapers can't devote a weekly or bi-weekly column to something that millions of sports fans are interested in. And this is coming from someone who's not really all that into fantasy sports.

Honestly, I really think this another example of the arrogance of newspapers. "Oh, we're above fantasy sports, we don't cover that. It's not real sports." Meanwhile, millions of sports fans suck up that stuff like it's gold. So what's wrong with devoting a little space in your paper to fantasy sports? Again, just because you're changing the way you've always done things and always regarded things doesn't mean it's wrong.

 

I understand your point on how fantasy sports are much more Internet-conducive, but that doesn't mean papers can't devote some space to something that so many sports fans care about.

And maybe I am assuming that newspapers didn't do a whole lot to change their ways, because in my experience, I haven't seen a whole lot of papers trying to change until now, when they're all dying and every change is seemingly a half-assed attempt at "citizen journalism" (like running reader comments on the front page, which I think is just a total joke). I just feel that the newspapers industry got complacent for a long time without feeling the need to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, and now they're paying dearly for it.

For a long time, the newspaper industry was pretty much untouchable. Then the Internet came along, and instead of adapting, too many newspapers scoffed at it as an illegitimate media source. Well, now newspapers all of a sudden are clamoring to get on the Internet bandwagon, and it's too late.

 

Um, if I'm not mistaken, don't Rotoworld and Yahoo and Sportsline and Baseball HQ and Baseball Prospectus and all the other fantasy sites use newspaper reporting to update player injury information, position battles, etc., etc.?

Or do all those sites have reporters out in the field digging up all that info?

Newspapers ignore fantasy sports? Shit. Newspapers are the original fantasy sports Web sites.

All that being said ... I'm not at all against a fantasy sports column once a week in a newspaper sports section.

 

There's not a single serious fantasy sports player in the world who would buy a newspaper for a weekly fantasy sports column. That stuff is old news by the time it hits the paper.