Where Have All the Sports Writers Gone?: The Athletic Sports Journalism Revolution Has Arrived!

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One of the biggest sports stories of 2017 was not about the many different athletes and teams from all sports who are on and off the field but rather about the writers and reporters whose job it is to cover them and their stories.

2017 was the year that signaled a definitive shift in how sportswriters and reporters would go about doing their jobs and how fans would consume their fair share of sports stories as a result of a significant amount of layoffs at ESPN, FOX Sports and other sports media outlets. The main reasons for these layoffs taking place appears to have been done in an effort to cut costs and salaries at ESPN while at FOX Sports, the head decision makers who were there and in charge at the time appeared to do so in an effort to change the overall look of the website to one that now shows video highlights and promotes the various personalities and shows that can be seen on FOX Sports. As a sports fan myself, I can tell you that I did not like it very much when I saw what the new look of the FOX Sports website now looks like. As a matter of fact, I have not really visited it very much at all since the changes were made.

While all of the writers and reporters have gotten back on their feet and have found a new job since being laid off or eliminated, not all of them have found a new job all at the same place. A vast majority of those writers and reporters though have found a new job at the one place which is relatively new to the online sports journalism landscape. This new media outlet is the the online sports news journalism website called The Athletic. The Athletic is a new paid subscription based sports news website that offers a wide variety of the latest news and coverage across all major professional sports leagues as well as most of the teams in each league in a wide number of cities across the United States and Canada. It was officially launched and created in 2016 in the city of Chicago, Illinois by Alex Mather and Adam Hansmann.

If you are a sports fan like me and have already gotten a subscription to The Athletic then good for you. If you have not done so yet, I highly recommend that you get one as soon as possible. I have had one now myself for a little over a year now and it has been well worth my time and money spent.

Of the numerous professional sports leagues that are covered on The Athletic the one whose stories I follow the most are for Major League Baseball (MLB). While I have not looked at or read too many of the other stories from the other writers on The Athletic's roster who cover some of the other sports besides baseball, I do plan on checking out some of the other writers who cover the other sports and the stories that they have written at some point.

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Furthermore, two of the writers who were affected in one way or another by the changes at both ESPN and FOX Sports now write stories and cover the sport of Major League Baseball (MLB) for The Athletic. Those two writers are Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark who both joined The Athletic after spending time at both FOX Sports and ESPN respectively.

In Ken Rosenthal's case it should be noted that while he is no longer serving in his role as a writer for FOX Sports, he is still a current member of the weekly MLB On Fox broadcasts on TV as a reporter. It is a different story for Jayson Stark who is no longer an employee at ESPN due to the layoffs. The good news though is that since then Mr. Stark has found a new job at both MLB Network (MLBN) and the Stadium network. Since they both cover the sport of Major League Baseball (MLB) I have read quite a few of the stories that they have written since they started working for The Athletic.

While it was somewhat disappointing to see companies like ESPN and FOX Sports layoff a large number of their writers and or reporters over the course of the last couple of years or so for one reason or another, it is nice to see that a majority of those same writers and or reporters have been able to get back on their feet fairly quickly thanks to the arrival of subscription based websites such as The Athletic.

The model of sports websites like The Athletic also illustrate another valuable lesson in terms of the overall impact that the profession of journalism and great in depth reporting can have on the consumers who choose to read about the latest news and developments. Hopefully that lesson is that the role of a sports writer or reporter can still be one that is very valuable today in an ever changing world in the workforce.

As a fan it is nice to know that there is now a new place where I can go to read some of the most in-depth sports stories from some of the top sportswriters in the country. I have enjoyed the experience so much to this point that I plan on being a loyal reader and subscriber to The Athletic for many years to come. During the year or so in which I have had a subscription, it has certainly been more fun and interesting that when the entire sports journalism landscape went dark for a few months when there was almost nothing to read about at all.

Tim Musick-Copyright 2018
All Rights Reserved. 

Catching The Worldwide Leader: The New Age Of Niche Market Sports Television

Chris Berman, one of ESPN's original and more polarizing personalities.  

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Back in 1979 a trend was set in sports television viewing that would forever change the landscape of sports television.  I'm talking about the arrival of ESPN and SportsCenter.  For the past 36 years and counting ESPN has had a place in virtually every sports fan's life in one way or another.

In its early heyday, ESPN was the one stop marketplace for fans with pay TV to get their fix of the latest sporting events and news of the day and 36 years later it continues to have an influence on the still growing new sports network landscape whether we like it or not.

As we get further into the 21st century, another thing about ESPN is still quite clear-the network will always have its critics.  I'm one of them.  I have another confession to make.  I don't watch ESPN to get my daily fix of sports news anymore.  The only real use I have for ESPN nowadays is to watch the live sporting events I want to watch where ESPN is the only network carrying said sporting event. I also watch some of ESPN's original programming options such as Around the Horn, Pardon the Interruption and the 30 For 30 documentary series.  That's it.  

So where do I get my daily sports?  With the arrival of sports networks that are specific to each league they cover, it is now easier than ever to follow the ebbs and flows of sports without having to rely on the rely on the Worldwide Leader.  For baseball there's MLB Network.  The NFL has NFL Network.  NBA TV has the Association covered and the NHL Network covers the league invented by the USA's neighbor to the North.  Each of these networks does a far superior job in cover each league's daily news and happenings in comparison to the "Big Boys" in Bristol Connecticut.  So the next time you feel yourself getting tired of the latest discussion on the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry or New England Patriots scandal, consider flipping the channel if you want a more balanced view on sports.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2015
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Michelle Beadle Goes Full Circle

If there's one thing to take from the following story, it's that the you sometimes don't realize how good you have it until it's gone.  Better yet, the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Does this sum up how things have gone for you the last few years Michelle Beadle?  For those who need a quick update, Beadle is back at ESPN, the network that made her a big name star as co-host of Sportsnation in 2009.  To say that Beadle is ecstatic to be back at the World Wide Leader after spending two rather tough and tumultuous years at NBC would be a huge understatement.

Her show at NBC Sports Network, "The Crossover" was canceled about as quickly as it began.  Beadle apparently couldn't find the right chemistry with co-host Dave Briggs like she had with Colin Cowherd on Sportsnation.  Combine that with the fact that "The Crossover" had putrid ratings, then you have the makings for a disastrous show.  It also probably didn't help that at the time Beadle left ESPN to join NBC, NBC Sports Network was in the stages of its infancy at the time and hadn't gained the traction with viewers that it probably has today.  

For the record, I admire Beadle for her honesty and willingness not to sugarcoat what she's thinking at any given moment, even if she's a little too honest and forthcoming at times.  Sports programming needs these kind of personalities to thrive in my opinion.  Best of luck to you Beads on your second go around with ESPN.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved  

Charles Barkley Dishes On What We've Known About ESPN For Quite A While

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You gotta love Sir Charles.  He is definitely not afraid to speak his mind and be openly honest with his opinions.  In that sense it wasn't surprising that he would take a jab at the self proclaimed World Wide Leader in Sports.

During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show last week, Barkley said that ESPN has gotten in contact with him in the past to gauge his potential interest in a role with the media sports giant.

There's just one problem with that though.  Barkley made it clear that he has no interest in working for ESPN because they have a bad habit of manufacturing stories to create drama.  Oh, and he stills hates Skip Bayless with a passion!  Them's some feisty fightin' world Charles!  What a turrible thing to say...syke!  You know what?  He's right!

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It's confession time folks.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  I have stopped watching ESPN for the most part when it comes to getting my daily fix of sports news.  The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back was the seemingly never ending Tim Tebow saga where they covered his every move as quarterback of the Denver Broncos a few years ago.  

It was around this time as well that ESPN went full steam ahead with their asinine "Embrace Debate" mantra across all platforms with Bayless in the starring role.

Good for you Charles for sticking to your guns.  Keep up the good work on TNT.  

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved

Tim's Two Cents-January 6

3D to Become a Reality in Sports Television.  Just when we thought HD was the latest and best innovation to television, now comes word that 3D technology will soon be a fixture of ESPN in te sports field.  The new ESPN 3D channel is set to debut in June.  My question is it really necessary to watch sports in 3D?  To me, the true 3D sports experience is seeing the games live in person. 

As for television, HD seems to be a very good viewing method already.  I don't have an HD television myself but I have seen some HD sports broadcasts and the picture quality is very outstanding.  It's like watching a sports film in the theatre. 

I don't know how successful this new 3D venture will be but if there was ever a company bold enough to try something like this, it would be ESPN.  They have been the unquestionable frontrunners in sports programming for 30 years and counting.  I will say that I'm not surprised an innovation like this would come along in television history.  It was probably bound to happen at some point.  It would seem really silly to wear a pair of 3D glasses while watching various forms of sports programming.  I can just picture watching a baseball game and see a home run ball not only go out of the ballpark, but also through our television sets.  Would we, the viewer, be allowed to keep the ball as a souvenir?

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