Here’s to sports blogging
Posted by kj on Monday, August 25th, 2008
One of the Big Ten Wonk’s four dullest topics for a college hoops blog is/was “The historically unprecedented and epochal influence of bloggers.” Heeding the Wonk’s advice, I have thus far managed to avoid wading into the bloggers-vs.-media debate (which I generally think both sides tend to overplay).
(OK, now I can’t resist. Short version: What the sports blogsphere has to offer is something that, even at its best, sports journalism cannot: namely obsessively in-depth analysis, a community of fellow fans, and a touch of irreverence. And sports bloggers should worry less about journalismy things like behind-the-scenes access.)
Back to the point of this post: Today I read two posts by sports bloggers (one of whom is also a journalist) that highlight the very best of what the medium has to offer:
- Brian Cook at MGoBlog on his mixed emotions regarding the end of the Bo Schembechler era.
- Joe Posnanski (of the KC Star) on going to a Springsteen concert immediately after returning from Beijing.
Now I am neither a Michigan football fan (you probably knew that) or a Bruce Springsteen fan (I only own his Greatest Hits disc). So I have no particular vested interest in either topic. But both these posts communicated things about the nature of being a sports/music fan and, if I may be so pretentious, the nature of being human, that you’re not going to find in a newspaper article.
The sports blogosphere, like most genres of communication, is a potluck; there’s a whole lot of mediocre casseroles to wade through to find the good stuff. But let there be no doubt that the good stuff can be pretty darn good.
Filed in commentary, links3 responses so far
3 Responses to “Here’s to sports blogging”
Benon 25 Aug 2008 at 4:17 pm 1Posnanski is incredible. I wish I could do the things he’s able to do with words.
Nickon 26 Aug 2008 at 1:17 am 2Personally, I always get a little smile on evenings when I check the internet and find that kj has a new post on his blog. Then too, I feel the same way on days when Rexrode has a good article on Green and White.
Cheers all around–I think the common factor is excellence in the chosen medium.
kjon 26 Aug 2008 at 9:12 am 3Rexrode’s a good one. No doubt about it.