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Buzz Bissinger Would Rather You Stop Reading This

To be upfront, I didn't watch last night's railroading of Deadspin's Will Leitch on Costas Now. For the moment, all I can go off of is Will's recap of the events. I'm awaiting the videos to go live on the YouTubes and I'll see what all the hubbub is about. I was about to record the show when I got home when it occurred to me that I don't have HBO anymore (Blame Showtime and their stellar TV Show line-up...yes, it's better than HBOs...sorry). And so, I wait...

From what I can tell, we're looking at one of those landmark events. Not in the big picture. But for those of us who have been sports bloggers or have been reading sports blogs for some time now, this is one of those events on the timeline we'll look back on and remember...and laugh about. Kinda like Colin Cowherd bringing down The Big Lead or Kissing Suzy Kolber's Christmas Ape getting fired for revealing his identity. One day, when sports bloggers and sports journalists live side-by-side in harmony, we'll wonder what the hell the big deal was.
Cause it's certainly not us who are making all this fuss.

I have no doubt in my mind that the majority of people involved with sports blogs do not think that print journalism is obsolete. In fact, I'm willing to bet most of us don't even put the two together in the same category. I'm not a journalist and I wouldn't know the first thing about the proper technique for interviewing someone or writing an article in AP style. I just react to the things that happen around me, things that journalists like Donnie Webb and Mike Waters report on. Don't come here for the news. Come here for an analysis of the news. An opinion.
And that's what I don't think the "mainstream" seems to get. We're not here to replace anybody. And if that does happen, that someone stops reading your newspaper and starts reading our blogs instead, that's probably more your fault than mine.

Granted, I'm willing to bet Mr. Bissinger is a little more off in left field than most people outside our little bubble. And like I said when I spoke with Brent Axe on his show, yes, the "guy in his parent's basement being anonymously mean" exists. And we may be a descendant of him (if you believe in Evolution that is. If not...go back to disproving dinosaurs existed.) But like anything else, if they actually took a second to read the blogs, don't you think they'd finally get it? Yes, we use bad words sometimes (God forbid). Yes, we make fun of others from time to time (no sports columnist has ever done that!). And yes, we make far more Hitler and child molestation references than your average writer...but that doesn't define a sports blogger. Unless you're on AngryHitlerAndChildMolestationEnthusiast.Blogspot.com I suppose.


Anyway, I'll shut up now cause I haven't even seen this thing. I'll go watch it and chime back in when I actually know what it is I'm talking about. But I already know this has "stubborn old guy complaining about something he doesn't understand" written all over it. We shall see...

(Update - Here's Part I, thanks to AwfulAnnouncing)