Sports Bloggers at the Press Conference

I can't tell if SoSueMe is a newbie just out of school or a cagey vet looking to 'guard' his turf from this 'basement-dwelling' bloggers. The logic, you must admit, is bizarre.

So let's say DC Sports Bog is only getting credentials because of its affiliation with the Washington Post.
And let's say DC Sports Bog leaves to create an independent blog, not affiliated with the paper. Does this now mean he suddenly loses all of this access? He's in with the flacks who determine such things, and they see and know him as an educated, respected writer. What, suddenly they won't let him in? Lunacy if you ask me. (For the site I'm at, there's no need for access.)

I think you'd actually be surprised at some readership #'s. Just for a point of reference, let's take the biggest blog chain on the web - Gawker. A well-oiled machine. It's rather incredible what Nick Denton has accomplished in 5-6 years. Have you looked at Deadspin's #'s? Using
http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0004420.html
on week days, Deadspin is averaging more readers than the following papers: The Record (NJ), Asbury Park Press, LA Daily News, Fresno Bee, Akron Beacon Journal, Toledo Blade, Lexington Herald Leader, etc. That's readers of a sports site vs. readers of a paper.

With newspaper circ going down, and blog readership going up ... do you not see where we are headed?

ps - As for the advertising thing ... kindly check out the NYT business section from Monday. page 3, i believe. I think something like $35 billion is slotted for internet advertising in 2010.

 

These two threads ignore the salient factor in the credentials equation, namely, the sports organizations which issue them. These are not given out from a benevolent endorsement of the public's right to know. It's to generate free publicity. Blogs can too prove their audience numbers, far more accurately than newspapers when it comes to it. No reason they shouldn't be credentialed if they serve the team/league/whatever's purpose.
But people shouldn't act like assholes at a press conference or in a press box, whether they have a blog or work for the New York Times.

 

thebiglead

You seem to think I'm calling all blogs equal (and, equally bad), but I'm not - not at all, in fact. I said MANY. Again, someone who isn't reading my posts thoroughly.

If the DC Sports Bog is affiliated with the Post, he's in. If he starts an indy blog, but still works for the Post, he's in, as a working member of the Post. Although, if he leaves the Post entirely, then this is an interesting case. He's proven he's good at what he does, legit and pro. That's a gray area yet to be fully encountered.

 

Hey, I should have chosen a less obscure user name. My bad. This is Dan Steinberg from The Post.

Anyhow, I thought the argument, or at least part of it, was that bloggers would be a hindrance/distraction/nuisance to the real journos in the press box, and that they would often lapse into unprofessional fan-like behavior. Having worked side-by-side with more than a dozen different indie bloggers at MLB, NBA, MLS and NHL events, I've found them to be none of the above. As more and more bloggers are credentialed, this could surely change. If so, I'd hope the unprofessional folks would become uncredentialed.

In the meantime, the Nats have regularly credentialed writers from the George Washington University student paper, which isn't necessarily known for its MLB coverage. The Wizards regularly credential a writer from something called "The Eagle News," I believe. Sure, all readership numbers are fuzzy, but blogs like The Big Lead, or, locally, DCist, unquestionably have greater reach and impact than the GW Hatchet or the Eagle News. I can't think of a single argument to credential the latter and not the former, other than the fact that the latter come printed on pieces of paper. That's all I'm saying.

Btw, I really have to move my office to my basement, just on principle.

 

So you work for the Washington Post as a blogger?

That's different than what we are talking about.

 

Flying -- that is my point -- a lot of papers are going that route and I don't think anyone would have a beef with someone blogging for a legitimate outlet.

It is when I start to see Joe Blow from No.1fan.Com rolling in wearing shirts and hats of the home team that I get miffed and there are far more of those kinds of blogs than the legitimate ones you are describing in this case.