Much has been made of the dustup on Bob Costas’s show between diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan and blogger Will Leitch of Deadspin and Buzz Bissinger, sportswriter and, most famously, author of Friday Night Lights.
Much has been said already at every other sports blog on the web, so a recap should be easy to find.
The central issue seems to be the meme that the mainstream media (MSM) is dying and that its members lash out at bloggers in fear and anger.
That is certainly what Bissinger did, taking full advantage of the fact that HBO is not censored. He trotted out the standard material we’ve all heard: that bloggers are the rabble of the earth, living in their mother’s basement and “spewing” out invective by the truckload.
There also has been talk of a generation gap effect, and that’s part of it. Leitch isn’t doing much novel work over at Deadspin, though, as his site is basically a sports tabloid with humor articles sprinkled in. It just happens to be online instead of on the newsstand.
The core of the conflict is between those who understand the Internet for what it is, and those who don’t.
A Brief History of the Internet
The Internet grew out of the US military’s reaction to Sputnik. As time grew on, it became more and more academic, and later, social.
By the end of the 1980s, the most popular part of the Internet was Usenet, a distributed system of newsgroups where people exchanged messages. Someone would post something he thought was interesting, and people would discuss the topic by replying to it. Usenet is where a lot of Internet culture was born, including concepts such as FAQs and spam.
Usenet was divided into categories, ranging anywhere from academic discussions of science and math to discussions of nonsense and unspeakable horrors. It was where the things such as the World Wide Web, Linux, and Mosaic (the first graphical web browser) were originally announced to the world. It was the main influence for message boards and chat rooms as we know them today.
For the most part the Internet was a place of libertarian ideals, where there was no censorship, a naturally-occurring etiquette and slang, and in most places, no one to chide you for being profane.
It was its own little world; aside from a few kooks and trolls, no one bothered it and it didn’t bother anyone. Whether you wanted to be rude or civil, there was a place for you.
That still remains true today. Many of the people who have shaped the Internet along its journey through the Endless September
4 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Matt Wallace about 1 year ago
This is a very well written take on the situation. My main problem is not with Bissinger's main points, which do have some validity. I'm not entirely sure that Leitch et al. know the power that they have in their blog, and I think they have some responsibility (not owed to anyone, but more a personal moral responsibility) to use that power fairly. However, Bissinger's combination of ad hominem and straw men certainly didn't do any of his arguments any favors.
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David Wunderlich about 1 year ago
I agree, but as I said I see Deadspin as a tabloid, or the New York Post. Sites like his only have to be fair enough to keep their readership, just like any other publication. I agree that fairness and ethics are important just for a being a member of humanity, but as he said Leitch is beholden only to his readers.
It's a case of supply and demand. There is a demand for what he writes about, so he's going to supply it as long as it lasts. People have always loved gossip and profanity, and they always will.
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JJ Stankevitz about 1 year ago
Very well-written article, David. I have to admit, I enjoy EDSBS and think SMQ provides some quality analysis, but people need to learn to separate those blogs from actual journalists with access.
Say what you will about EDSBS, but I find it to be funny. It's profane, but behind it is some pretty decent football analysis that makes me laugh. And behind that analysis is a well-educated man who certainly isn't just living in his mom's basement. But when I really want my college football news, I don't go there or to SMQ—I'll go to ESPN, CBS, or SI online to get it. THEN I'll read EDSBS and laugh at their take on an instance where a Missouri walk-on damaged numerous cars (mine included) in a parking garage on campus.
You have to distinguish between profane opinion, thought-out opinion, and falsity on these blogs. If you can do that, they're pretty damn enjoyable.
It's all about the tone of the blog, too. My friend co-owns www.rockmnation.com, and the tone of that blog is certainly not sophomoric humor and the posts and analysis are always very well thought out.
Finally, you're 100% right about blogs—they occupy their place in the world and enjoy it. Until bloggers start getting press credentials and the like, they'll stay there and really shouldn't harm the journalism industry that much, in my opinion.
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David Wunderlich about 1 year ago
I love EDSBS too. It's a daily read for me.
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