Top 5 Ways Bleacher Report Rules the World! (SFWeekly story)

Saw this linked on Deadspin.

http://www.sfweekly.com/2012-10-03/news/bleacher-report-sports-journalism-internet-espn-news-technology/

http://deadspin.com/5948516/bleacher-report-is-the-worst-thing-in-the-history-of-journalism-is-the-headline-bleacher-report-would-write-for-this-story

 

Very clever headline.
I've noticed Bleacher Report-itis has creeped into news coverage. Don't know if you can go a day without a news website featuring a "5 things" type story. Maybe this is how we'll present the news and stories from here on in.

 

Bleacher is the only honest part of the name Bleacher Report.

 

I'm about halfway through, but wanted to chime in one one point ending Page 3 and continuing into Page 4: Writers, traditionally, have nothing to do with their headlines. This is vilifying amateur BR writers for their hyperbolic and grandiose SEO-friendly headlines, but ignoring the tradition of inciting puns and wordplay on backpages. Grabbing eyes is part of the business, and if it means the Post illustrating the Jets in a clown car or BR saying Tom Brady is the most overrated quarterback of all time, both tactics are wheels on the same vehicle.

EDIT: It's challenging inexperienced teenagers and fanatic trolls for doing the same thing people like Mushnick, or Myers, or Whitlock, or Francesa, or Stephen A. are paid to do. It's a little unfair to critique people looking for attention & Bleacher badges when the most promoted and identifiable columnists in the business lure in traffic and ratings with their own version of bullshit they don't believe, and regularly backtrack.

 

A clever hook created by a human being that draws you to a story and reverse-engineered copy created on the directive of a SEO editorial robot might get you to the same places, but the vehicles couldn't be more different.

 

That story was fantastic. The ending was particularly awesome. I don't think it was criticizing the writers for Bleacher Report at all. I'm not even sure it was criticizing Bleacher Report, even. The point seemed to be that Bleacher Report is accomplishing everything it's setting out to accomplish, even if it bastardizes this industry in the process. The sad part is no one will read this story (at least not in full) who doesn't already dislike Bleacher Report.

 

Loved the ending. Absolutely did not see that one coming.

 

In an era when those who have more get more, when so many have been forced to recalibrate their expectations, it's hard not to see Bleacher Report as epitomizing more than just sportswriting on the Internet. Those on the top have profited handsomely. For the folks whose work powers the site, however, Bleacher Report is often the best opportunity they can find, and a springboard to diminished dreams.


Damn. Ain't that a kick in the crotch ...

 

Love it. Great story. Anybody who subscribed to Bleacher Report alerts via email should now feel compelled to cancel. I know I did. I am ashamed to admit I was taken in by this scam. I assumed -- silly me -- that the writers were at least reasonably compensated.

 

Really enjoyed the story but don't understand where the traffic they get comes from.

I've looked at that site once, when they broke the Hugh Freeze hiring, and that story was taken down. According to someone here, who claimed to have written it, he got a royal ass chewing over the scoop.

I didn't understand then but at least I do now.

With so many other, higher quality content sites why would anyone even bother with bleacher report? Is it that hard to type in si.com or espn.com or any of the dozens of places that have paid professionals writing and editing the stories. Or twitter for really breaking news.

 

Google.