http://sportsjournalism.org America's most comprehensive sports media program Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:06:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/texas-am-commerce-coach-apologizes-for-comments-regarding-players-stealing-campus-newspapers/ http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/texas-am-commerce-coach-apologizes-for-comments-regarding-players-stealing-campus-newspapers/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:06:33 +0000 joehser http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5037 Guy Morriss told campus police the actions by his players was ‘the best team-building exercise we have ever done.’ On Monday, the former Kentucky and Baylor coach apologized for a ‘lapse in judgment’ and said the comment was made facetiously. Police were investigating the disappearance of newspaper editions that included a front-page article about two football players being arrested on drug charges."


]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/texas-am-commerce-coach-apologizes-for-comments-regarding-players-stealing-campus-newspapers/feed/ 0 http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/new-era-pinstripe-bowl-at-yankee-stadium-to-be-aired-on-espn-through-2015/ http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/new-era-pinstripe-bowl-at-yankee-stadium-to-be-aired-on-espn-through-2015/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:10:59 +0000 joehser http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5032 "ESPN has reached a multiyear agreement with the New York Yankees for exclusive national television and radio rights to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl to debut this year and be played at Yankee Stadium," Sports Media News writes, adding, "As part of the agreement, the post-season college football bowl game will be televised by ESPN, broadcast on ESPN Radio and can be simulcast on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV through the 2015 season. The inaugural game will be played on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010. . . .The contest will mark the first NCAA football bowl game in Bronx, N.Y., since the Gotham Bowl on Dec. 15, 1962, when Nebraska defeated Miami 36-34 at the original Yankee Stadium.
]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/new-era-pinstripe-bowl-at-yankee-stadium-to-be-aired-on-espn-through-2015/feed/ 0 http://sportsjournalism.org/center-news/investigating-the-business-of-college-athletics/ http://sportsjournalism.org/center-news/investigating-the-business-of-college-athletics/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:46:21 +0000 kjbeaver http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5028
The workshop will be streamed live from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on this page.

The program also includes Rob King, editor-in-chief and vice president of ESPN.com, on finding story ideas on message boards and social media; Wallace Renfro, senior adviser to the NCAA president, on finding public information on the finances of college athletics; Steve Berkowitz, projects editor for sports at USAToday, and Jodi Upton, sports database editor at USAToday, on Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests.

]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/center-news/investigating-the-business-of-college-athletics/feed/ 0 http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/erin-andrews-wont-be-there-to-console-tim-tebow-on-draft-day/ http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/erin-andrews-wont-be-there-to-console-tim-tebow-on-draft-day/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:01:31 +0000 joehser http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5022 "As we know, ESPN’s Erin Andrews will be part of this year’s Dancing With The Stars and, according to ESPN, her appearance on the show shouldn’t interfere with her other WWL duties," The Big Lead writes, adding that Andrews won’t be part of ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage. "ESPN did not give any reason why Andrews won’t be there to console Tim Tebow, but the WWL said she will finish out her sideline princessing for NCAA basketball games. In fact, Andrews brought her dancing partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, to last week’s Duke-UNC game."
 ]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/erin-andrews-wont-be-there-to-console-tim-tebow-on-draft-day/feed/ 0 http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/focus-on-off-field-goings-on-places-more-pressure-on-star-athletes-and-on-those-who-cover-them/ http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/focus-on-off-field-goings-on-places-more-pressure-on-star-athletes-and-on-those-who-cover-them/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:01:51 +0000 Eric Deggans http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5025
While working as a CBS News correspondent in 1963, Kalb had the misfortune to walk into a private elevator at the same time as a shapely young lady under escort by Secret Service agents, presumably for a – ahem – private meeting with then-President of the United States, John F. Kennedy.

One hammerlocked takedown and fifty years later, Kalb never discovered who the woman was – surprised only by his immediate and almost reflexive decision not to do any more reporting on the matter.

Flash forward half a generation, and a man who was once the Democratic nominee for vice president has seen his life undone by a love child exposed in the press. Both John Edwards’ former aide and his soon-to-be ex-wife have written books and the gossip sheet that exposed his lies has submitted its work for a Pulitzer Prize.

I think of this or something like it every time I see a sports fan or sportswriter grousing about the increasingly gossipy nature of modern sports journalism. Because I don’t think media or the audience deserves all of the blame for this particular turn in our craft.

There must be, it seems, a middle ground between pursuing famous athletes with intrusive attitudes and long-distance camera lenses and accepting any hogwash they want to feed journalists about their off-the-field lives.

Let’s be honest. Anyone who has clocked a few dances in this rodeo knows that the most successful athletes, the ones with the million-dollar endorsement deals and regular spots in the sports media firmament, do more than dominate their game.

They sell success with a story.

It’s a story eventually told and retold by blow-dried sports anchors and long-winded columnists with tight deadlines. The story becomes a legend, artfully managed by careful handlers and fertilized by regular applications of media attention.

And all too often, part of this legend involves non-sports issues — a strong family foundation with a beautiful wife and smiling kids; a respect for the rules that precludes any use of performance-enhancing substances; a reputation for success as a focused leader who can be an example for others.

Tiger Woods and his billion-dollar endorsement network may have been the most successful at converting his winning image into cold cash, but there are many more working the same hustle for smaller paydays. Those endorsement contracts don’t come with morals clauses for nothing.

But, as the Bill Clintons and John Edwards and yes, Tiger Woods, have shown us all, some of our most-admired leaders fail to meet their own often-articulated standards of morality and discipline.

So when that happens, are journalists supposed to make like the clubby good old boys of years past and turn their heads? Do athletes get to keep on selling high-end watches and luxury cars and sports drinks on the backs of a public image that may bear no resemblance to their actual, off-field life?

Do we wait until they wrap a car around a fire hydrant or get investigated for an assault before we demand the charade ends?

The hitch trapping us all is that the American public has developed a taste for – and expectation of – the fall-from-grace story.

In a media universe where the consumer’s needs drive content more than ever, the audience’s willingness to wallow in assorted scandals means new outlets will rise to feed their appetites – hence the upcoming TMZSports.com – while established platforms struggle to keep up.

Hence, ESPN’s attempt to cover the latest controversy surrounding Ben Roethlisberger with some effort.

It’s a new media environment, with less tolerance than ever for journalists who write less than they know or celebrities who do more than they’ll admit. This new landscape will get ugly – think back to pictures of thickheaded Olympic star Michael Phelps stupidly puffing on a bong in public to remember how a youthful mistake can become a career-damaging worldwide headline in a heartbeat.

But this new world also means more pressure for reporters to write what they know and star athletes to avoid creating the story in the first place.

And that can’t be entirely bad for sports or journalism.

Eric Deggans is TV and Media Critic for the St. Petersburg Times and a 1990 graduate of the Indiana University School of Journalism. His work has also appeared in the Washington Post, Village Voice, VIBE magazine, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Sun-Times and many other publications. He also writes a blog on media, The Feed, at www.blogs.tampabay.com/media.

]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/focus-on-off-field-goings-on-places-more-pressure-on-star-athletes-and-on-those-who-cover-them/feed/ 0 http://sportsjournalism.org/uncategorized/nascar-ratings-ratings-for-kobalt-tools-500-inch-a-bit-higher/ http://sportsjournalism.org/uncategorized/nascar-ratings-ratings-for-kobalt-tools-500-inch-a-bit-higher/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:45:42 +0000 joehser http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5015 "For NASCAR, even the smallest increase in ratings is preferable to the alternative," Sports Media Watch writes, adding, "Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta drew a 4.8 overnight rating on FOX, up two percent from last year (4.7), but down 14 percent from 2008 (5.6). Compared to last week’s Shelby American (4.1), Sunday’s race was up 17 percent. This marks the first time this season that overnight ratings have increased for a NASCAR race."]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/uncategorized/nascar-ratings-ratings-for-kobalt-tools-500-inch-a-bit-higher/feed/ 0 http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/scott-van-pelt-radio-show-on-espn-to-expand-to-three-hours-in-april/ http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/scott-van-pelt-radio-show-on-espn-to-expand-to-three-hours-in-april/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:25:35 +0000 joehser http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5012 ESPN Radio has announced today that, effective April 5, the Scott Van Pelt Show will expand to three hours — from 2-4 p.m. to 1-4 p.m. — and “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd will be cut back to 10 a.m.-1 p.m.," Pete Dougherty writes, adding, "Cowherd’s show returns to the time slot it had before expanding to four hours February 2, 2009. According to the network, the move allows Cowherd additional preparation time for ESPN2’s “SportsNation,” which premiered July 6, 2009."
]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/scott-van-pelt-radio-show-on-espn-to-expand-to-three-hours-in-april/feed/ 0 http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/a-brief-tale-of-fighting-major-league-baseball-and-winning/ http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/a-brief-tale-of-fighting-major-league-baseball-and-winning/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:01:28 +0000 joehser http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5010 John Miley has an extensive sports audio collection that spans more than 60 years … original calls of college and pro games in football, basketball, baseball, etc.," Brad Schultz writes, adding, "He maintains his vast collection and charges a few dollars to those interested in a getting a copy of some historic sports moment. When Major League Baseball found out Miley was selling part of his audio collection it got upset. MLB contacted Miley and said it owned the rights to all those old games and so he couldn’t sell copies anymore. Not only that, but MLB wanted to start charging him rights fees. Miley hired a lawyer, fought the case, and after a couple of years MLB backed down."]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/a-brief-tale-of-fighting-major-league-baseball-and-winning/feed/ 0 http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/dan-le-betard-it-felt-to-me-like-the-game-changed-forever-that-day/ http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/dan-le-betard-it-felt-to-me-like-the-game-changed-forever-that-day/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:44:43 +0000 joehser http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5019 Dan Le Betard writes, adding, "It was while viewing a photograph of Alex Rodriguez that made me feel dirty in June 2007. He was getting on a hotel elevator late at night with a curvy blonde woman who wasn’t his wife. It was gotcha! gossip disguised as . . . what? Investigative journalism? Regardless, it was in a major American newspaper. And it felt to me like the game changed forever that day. America’s endless entitlement and fascination with celebrities had never made its way into sports journalism in that way before, with a New York Post photographer blurring the line between private and public by secretly taking pictures that could wreck a man’s family. . . . I guess I sort of/maybe/kind of understand covering the politician or pope or people of real power this way. . . . But the third baseman?"
]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/dan-le-betard-it-felt-to-me-like-the-game-changed-forever-that-day/feed/ 0 http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/hockeys-luster-from-2010-winter-olympics-already-ready-to-fade/ http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/hockeys-luster-from-2010-winter-olympics-already-ready-to-fade/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:01:00 +0000 joehser http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=5000 "Enjoy hockey’s Olympic moment while it’s still aglow because its luster is beginning to fade," Dave Anderson writes, adding, "Instead of looking forward to the splendor of the world’s best players again representing their nations in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, the National Hockey League is leaning toward secession from the Winter Games. Sochi is too far away for its fans to care, the NHL argues. With an eight-hour time difference between Sochi and the Eastern time zone, some games there would be played when most American viewers are working or asleep.Television money is involved. When the rights to the Sochi Olympics and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro are up for bid late this year, the two expected bidders, NBC and ESPN, will need to know whether the N.H.L., which supplied 140 players for the Vancouver Games, will play again. If not, the bids will probably be lower."]]> http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/hockeys-luster-from-2010-winter-olympics-already-ready-to-fade/feed/ 1