Mone Davis - SI cover

Mo'ne is a hell of a story and a hell of a kid. I'm glad she is being recognized as a role model for young girls, but it's a hell of a lot of pressure to put on a 13-year-old kid, no matter how mature she seems. And in the past few days, I have seen a pitcher crying on the mound and another kid overthrow first base on a routine play to let the winning run score. I don't know if I would advocate not showing the LLWS at all, but I think they are treating it way too much like a big event. I'm sure it fun for the kids, and they are resilient, but I wonder what the effects are. I know there are numerous stories of players who went on to pro careers, but seeing a kid fuck up on nation TV is tough.

 

She wasn't on my cover -- I got the Royals.

I agree with the post about regional covers. They suck. Pick one and everyone gets it.

 

Covering Little League or youth sports seems to be divisive among everyone here. But the New York Times has people writing about the LLWS, and I'm sure the Philly papers are playing up Mo'ne Davis pretty highly.

Cover Little League -- yay or nay?

 

A timely cover with all the racial strife we're seeing.

 

Overwhelmingly nay, but the LLWS is something completely different. If your area has a team in the LLWS, they should have a writer or a stringer there.

 

I don't understand the antipathy towards regional covers. A lot of times, particularly for previews of college football or the NFL, there's no clearly prevailing storyline nationwide. Of course it's a blatant bid to sell more copies, but who gets harmed by this?

The big story about Little League IMHO is the need to switch across the board to bigger fields. Either that or start drug testing the kids.

 

The previews I don't mind so much - especially when it comes to college stuff which tends to be regional in nature. And I guess I understand hockey as well - but either a story is of national interest and belongs in a national publication - or it doesn't. It just seems to dilute the impact of the story.

 

At the same time it recognizes that people in Kansas City Royals territory don't largely give a damn about a black 12 year old girl who can routinely strike out white kids. Not to be cynical...

 

I'm also curious how much regional ad sales impact the decision on covers. There was a time when getting "the" cover of SI was a story in itself, not "a" cover of Sports Illustrated.

 

Nobody is "harmed", of course.

But since SI has long been in the habit of chronicling its cover subjects ("Michael Jordan has been on the most SI covers, followed by . . . "), regional covers just makes all that meaningless.

Does the UCLA quarterback count in the tally . . . even if 45 states never saw him on the cover?

 

I'm in favor of anything that helps SI survive. Anything. Sponsored content, regional covers, LeBron partnerships, whatever. When a billionaire buys it from Time Inc's bloody hands and runs it like Bezos runs the Post, I'm all for talking bout ethics again. Until then, screw it. Stay alive and enjoy this CFB Preview featuring Kate Upton.