National Sports Journalism Center

Send news tips to John Oehser

"Stephen A. Smith’s sports column appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday for the first time in more than two years after Smith agreed to the Inquirer’s demand that he remove political opinions from his Web site and agree to stop espousing them on cable news shows," Richard Prince writes, adding, "Smith’s agreement to the Inquirer’s ethics policy — which he contends has not been applied to other news employees — applies ‘until the dispute is resolved by an arbitrator,’ Bill Ross, executive director of the Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers Association of America Local 38010. While the capitulation, however temporary, silences Smith’s views on politics, it also removes the Inquirer’s rationale for not running his column."

Julie Jacobson/AP Photo

"The New Orleans Saints’ victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M*A*S*H" to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history," the Associated Press wrote Monday, citing Nielsen Co. numbers. "Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season." The AP quotes CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus, "It was one of those magical moments that you don’t often see in sports." || Virginian-Pilot reverses Super Bowl score. Here.

The IU National Sports Journalism Center’s panel discussion, "Who’s Covering Home? The Transformation of Baseball Coverage in America and What It Means for Sports Journalism and Fans,” has been postponed because of the impending snowstorm in Indiana and on the East Coast. The discussion had been set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the audotorium at Ernie Pyle Hall. The NSJC will work to reschedule the event later this year.

"American skier Lindsey Vonn, one of the potential stars of the 2010 Winter Olympics, told her nearly 35,000 Twitter followers that she would not be posting to the social network until after the Games were over, perhaps based on a faulty understanding of the International Olympic Committee’s rules on blogging and social networking," Mark McClusky writes, but adds, "There is no Olympic rule that sets up a blackout period for athletes according to Bob Condron, the Director of Media Services for the United States Olympic Committee. . . . McClusky adds that, "Rule 49 of the Olympic Charter says that ‘Only those persons accredited as media may act as journalists, reporters or in any other media capacity.”’

"Turner Sports will look to take its marketing shots for TNT’s February 14 NBA All-Star Game telecast outside the sports media arc to avoid a very cluttered marketplace," Thomas Umstead writes, adding that among the events cluttering the landscape are, "the launch of NBC Universal’s presentation of the Olympics on February 12 and the Daytona 500. which Fox also drives into American living rooms on Valentine’s Day. . . . Turner Sports senior vice president of strategy, marketing and promotions Christina Miller said the company plans to offer what amounts to a double-digit increase in the number of All-Star game-related TV spots on non sports-based broadcast and cable networks compared to last season."

"While Olympic host broadcaster NBC expects to lose money televising the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, it also anticipates near record-setting audience numbers," Gary Mason writes, "Who knows, if a couple of figure skaters come to blows, the ratings could go through the roof. NBC sports boss Dick Ebersol says he would never hope for such a thing. But nor will he ever forget how the Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding soap opera drove viewership numbers for the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994 to never-before-seen levels."

At Social Media Week in New York last week, I found myself returning to one thought: How will the growing use of social media by athletes change sportswriters’ roles?

Athletes are already breaking news via social media: Last fall Allen Iverson announced his signing with the Memphis Grizzlies on Twitter, and the Cincinnati Bengals’ Chad Ochocinco reported that first-round pick Andre Smith was close to ending his holdout, pre-empting Smith’s own agent. The always-entertaining Ochocinco even has his own NFL social-media news service, called OCNN. (That’s the Ocho Cinco News Network.)

OCNN may be a lark, featuring moonlighting NFL players and two guys from the CollegeHumor Web site. But athletes have more and more reasons to use social media. It’s a way for them to sidestep the traditional media and present stories on their own terms. It’s also a way for them to enhance their own personal brands, building a connection with fans that will be like catnip to sponsors. And it’s a relatively easy way to do those things. Twitter in particular is a natural fit for busy athletes: They can be followed by fans without having to reciprocate, and they can engage their followers by entering short messages from a smartphone.

Read more