In any industry, it’s important to remember the innovators and their innovations. Without an accurate history of what happened, you lose track of how you got to be doing what you’re doing, because it just seems like it’s always been that way. We tend to forget so easily the hard work that went into making a product and the creativity of the innovators that made that product so great in the first place.
In the sports blogging industry, we should all tip our hats to Will Leitch, editor of Deadspin.com. Leitch is leaving today to take a position at New York Magazine.
While you might not agree with how they did it, you cannot argue that Deadspin and Leitch gave sports blogging a boost in exposure. That exposure was a direct result of Leitch’s sense for snarky prose and often lurid posts, making his website a fascinating mixture of sports and culture. In my opinion, Leitch’s ability to toe the line between sports, comedy, and a dash (just a dash) of sensationalism represents, within the sports blogging industry, true innovation.
How do I know this? Popular Deadspin-like sites are numerous now: Kissing Suzy Kobler, Sportsbybrooks, Every Day Should be Saturday, etc. etc. I’m not suggest that these sites’ existence is the direct result of Deadspin, but the mere fact that you know who they are is.
The Bleacher Report, as well, has a small debt to pay to Mr. Leitch for increasing its exposure. Without Deadspin, maybe only 50 people read my last article. Now, the hits have boomed to over 200.
Anyway, the next time you check your stats and see that a bunch of people have read you, just remember who helped you out.
That is all.
comments (0) write a comment »
write a new comment
This article has no comments.