Sirs, Madames,
1. I think the whole thing is goofy. Is it about settling a score or a cameraman stepping on Dater's toes (gawd knows his feet are big enough)? It certainly isn't about serving the readers. Why the hell write it? Self-therapy?
2. The notion that ESPN doesn't do journalism at all is wrong. Print doesn't have a monopoly on it. Both print and ESPN could do more, aim higher, whatever. Yeah, there's stuff that makes an old-school believer cringe. There's also stuff that's cause for faith. Frankly, how much breaking/investigative stuff can AD claim or the Post (on the sports front at least)? If it was a criticism that was being lodged by Sy Hersh or the late Halberstam I'd take it more seriously.
3. What was written about ESPN folks recruited from print is precisely true. They come with their values intact. They don't go to ESPN to stop doing journalism.
Too much has been said about this already.
YHS, etc