More newsworthy: Wooden's death or college conference restructuring

[Stitch]

I'm looking at papers devote 40 to 50 inches on Wooden, but maybe 15 on the college conference meetings going on. I'm probably in the minority, but I think readers probably care and will talk about the conference rumors more than they would talk about Wooden dying.

 

[Precious Roy]

It's Wooden. He is the pinnacle of college basketball coaching. You can rehash all the conference crap over the next few weeks when things become concrete. Wooden is one of the, if not the, greatest coach in sports history. He deserves a lot of space.

 

[tapintoamerica]

For now, Wooden's the bigger story. Clearly. But if we're talking about long-term impact, conference realignment will be the bigger deal.

 

[pressmurphy]

I'd vote for the restructuring of conferences because it's new and it's "forward-looking," as editors love to say.

It's also highly speculative at this stage with more guessing than hard data. Big 12 teams are getting passed around like flasks at an Aerosmith concert.

 

[Trey Beamon]

Has the AP written a word about this?

If so, unless your paper is following the story, it's hard to make something newsworthy if said news is non-existent.

 

[Stitch]

Has the AP written a word about this?

If so, unless your paper is following the story, it's hard to make something newsworthy if said news is non-existent.

AP has passed a couple of stories on the conference shell game.

 

[HanSenSE]

Wooden. One of the major figures on the sports scene in our lifetime.

All the conference reshuffling right now is just that, talk. It's like building a house. Talk means nothing, but pouring concrete into the ground, that means something.

 

[writingump]

Wooden, because he's an iconic figure, regardless of what one might think about Sam Gilbert. I mean, the man has an award named after him (on which I vote) for a reason, and it's not because he was going to the Sweet 16 year after year.

 

[Moderator1]

Is this even a serious question?
Conference speculation and rumination versus the death of one of the biggest names in all of sports ever?
Seriously?

 

[dooley_womack1]

There'll be plenty of time to blow out conference realignment. You take a day or two to give Wooden his honors, then you're done with him, space-wise. Besides which, no true news has occurred on realignment.

 

[Den1983]

Is this even a serious question?
Conference speculation and rumination versus the death of one of the biggest names in all of sports ever?
Seriously?

Exactly. Wooden. No questions asked.

 

[JackReacher]

Is this even a serious question?
Conference speculation and rumination versus the death of one of the biggest names in all of sports ever?
Seriously?

Today your first day on SportsJournalists.com?

 

[dooley_womack1]

I guess the noob owes us a beer.

 

[Stitch]

Rue McClanahan's death or Japanese prime minister resigning?

 

[slappy4428]

I'm looking at papers devote 40 to 50 inches on Wooden, but maybe 15 on the college conference meetings going on. I'm probably in the minority, but I think readers probably care and will talk about the conference rumors more than they would talk about Wooden dying.

I can think of two writers I know who, if they were writing Wooden's obit because he coached at nearby Big State U, would have to continue it in the next day's paper

 

[MileHigh]

This is not even a question. This is on par with Nicklaus, Arnie or Ali passing. Yeah, the Wizard is that big of a deal. I don't save many papers these days, but my parents are getting me today's Times.

 

[slappy4428]

This is not even a question. This is on par with Nicklaus, Arnie or Ali passing. Yeah, the Wizard is that big of a deal. I don't save many papers these days, but my parents are getting me today's Times.

It is a big deal, you're right.
Yet, thanks to the ESPN crawl overkill, I'm getting the same 24-36 hour overload I had when Joe DiMaggio died in the same plane crash as JFK Jr.

 

[HejiraHenry]

I give ESPN credit for this: Wooden's reign predates the WWL's founding, and sometimes they want to act as if sports history only began when they did.

In this case, it might not be possible to overkill.

 

[MileHigh]

There's no overkill with this. He's that big in the sports world.

 

[steveu]

More newsworthy... you are kidding, right? Wooden all the way.