The Athletic ... any thoughts ...

That excerpt makes a good point.

The other thing that I think newspapers struggle with is all the little shit you gotta do, the add-ons, the 3 this and the 3 that, the note that has to be expanded into a story because "we have space." I'm not sure they add any real value to the product, because they don't naturally flow from the writer's consciousness; they're standing irritants, if you will.

 

There are also the million high school playoffs, college basketball games, local charity golf tournaments, and other similar events that newspapers are still wedded to covering because they "deserve" it, even if nobody actually reads the story. The Athletic is completely unencumbered. All that matters is whether their readers will care about the story.

 

I wasn't around in the 90s, but I can't believe so many good, grounded sportswriters would leave their stable jobs if there was such a certainty that this thing would fall on its face. I know it's impossible to see into the future, but I believe The Athletic is in it for the long run.

 

Que?

 

I knew that could possibly raise some comments. I know, I know....no job is safe in this industry. The entire industry is 100% 20-25 year olds, right?

Yet the writers they've hired (at least in my local market) are guys who've been on their beat for 10+ years, and have all worked their way to be the best in the market and arguably some of the best in the country.

 

Sorry man, there's no way to characterize any newspaper job as "stable."

 

Well interestingly, only one of the three hires here actually came from a newspaper.

 

The skeptic in Fredrick says this will sadly fail. Why? It's a startup in the wrong wrong wrong industry. I read some story written by some foundation saying newspapers only hope is to recommit to print. They aren't going to get enuf subscribers. These startup guys are starting up in the wrong industry. Not enough $$s now for news. Ask ESPN.com.

 

Interesting. So he says "I’ll get to actually watch the third period of a hockey game instead of having my head down, pounding the keyboard and missing key happenings because I have to file a story 'at the gun.' "

And then there's this:

So much for keeping your head up.

 

Dunder Mifflin: Limitless paper in a paperless world.