Sports blogs and the new media merge with traditional media
You probably have not heard of Jerod Morris. But you probably have heard of Raul Ibanez. You may not recognize a site called Midwest Sports Fans . But you do recognize the Philadelphia Inquirer.
This latest episode of how the new media and old media are coming together offers a critical lesson we teach in our internet/communications sessions to professional athletes, like the NFL teams with whom we worked this summer, and college athletes with whom we will begin our annual tour of in a couple of weeks.
Quick background: Morris wrote on his blog recently that Ibanez, who is having an all-star season with the Philadelphia Phillies after a relatively low profile with other teams, has to be considered as a possible user of steroids. Ibanez strongly reacted to the blog, challenging the writer to prove his suspicions and generally ripping most bloggers in the process. Ibanez told the Inquirer, "I'll put that up against the jobs of anyone who writes this stuff. Make them accountable. There should be more credibility than some ... blogger typing in his mother's basement."
Ten years ago this wouldn't have happened; some one writing in a blog probably would have been laughed off by a player, but in today's media world things have changed dramatically. It wasn't as much as Morris' blog has widespread coverage; rather it was the fact the Inquirer felt compelled to address the issue and Ibanez' subsequent comments. John Gonzalez, Inquirer sports columnist, went on ESPN to explain in today's media landscape writers and editors have to respond to such issues regardless of where they may start. A similar situation exists on talk radio; a caller with little journalistic credibility can trigger a day's gabfest by simply offering an opinion or claiming he or she overheard some rumor about a player or school. An editor driving to work hears this exchange, tells his beat reporter to find out about it, and suddenly it enters the bloodstream of mainstream media.
Ibanez reaction was both justified and over the top; justified if a newspaper reporter asks him about his views; over the top if he was just mad at bloggers who hint he may not be clean.
Our sessions emphasize to athletes and coaches alike that the real audience isn't the reporter or blogger who writes the story and asks the question; it is the vast audience who reads the stories or listens or watches the broadcast reports. It is a tough lesson to learn, especially when you feel unfairly victimized by innuendo or rumor.
The other solution would be to have the mainstream media "consider the source" and not take these blogs and talk shows so seriously. But in age of dwindling circulation, shrinking ad revenues and in some cases, bankruptcy, the so-called "old media" must consider the internet postings competition. When more and more people or getting their information -- accurate or not -- from blogs and posts than the papers that arrive at their doorsteps -- it is an inevitable fact of 21st century journalism that the lines between what's real and what isn't are slowly fading away.
It is thus up to the athletes and coaches to be taught how best to handle these situations and understand the ever-changing landscape of sports media.
This latest episode of how the new media and old media are coming together offers a critical lesson we teach in our internet/communications sessions to professional athletes, like the NFL teams with whom we worked this summer, and college athletes with whom we will begin our annual tour of in a couple of weeks.
Quick background: Morris wrote on his blog recently that Ibanez, who is having an all-star season with the Philadelphia Phillies after a relatively low profile with other teams, has to be considered as a possible user of steroids. Ibanez strongly reacted to the blog, challenging the writer to prove his suspicions and generally ripping most bloggers in the process. Ibanez told the Inquirer, "I'll put that up against the jobs of anyone who writes this stuff. Make them accountable. There should be more credibility than some ... blogger typing in his mother's basement."
Ten years ago this wouldn't have happened; some one writing in a blog probably would have been laughed off by a player, but in today's media world things have changed dramatically. It wasn't as much as Morris' blog has widespread coverage; rather it was the fact the Inquirer felt compelled to address the issue and Ibanez' subsequent comments. John Gonzalez, Inquirer sports columnist, went on ESPN to explain in today's media landscape writers and editors have to respond to such issues regardless of where they may start. A similar situation exists on talk radio; a caller with little journalistic credibility can trigger a day's gabfest by simply offering an opinion or claiming he or she overheard some rumor about a player or school. An editor driving to work hears this exchange, tells his beat reporter to find out about it, and suddenly it enters the bloodstream of mainstream media.
Ibanez reaction was both justified and over the top; justified if a newspaper reporter asks him about his views; over the top if he was just mad at bloggers who hint he may not be clean.
Our sessions emphasize to athletes and coaches alike that the real audience isn't the reporter or blogger who writes the story and asks the question; it is the vast audience who reads the stories or listens or watches the broadcast reports. It is a tough lesson to learn, especially when you feel unfairly victimized by innuendo or rumor.
The other solution would be to have the mainstream media "consider the source" and not take these blogs and talk shows so seriously. But in age of dwindling circulation, shrinking ad revenues and in some cases, bankruptcy, the so-called "old media" must consider the internet postings competition. When more and more people or getting their information -- accurate or not -- from blogs and posts than the papers that arrive at their doorsteps -- it is an inevitable fact of 21st century journalism that the lines between what's real and what isn't are slowly fading away.
It is thus up to the athletes and coaches to be taught how best to handle these situations and understand the ever-changing landscape of sports media.
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