CBSSports Turns Its Back On Bleacher Report Correspondents

I believed Bleacher Report might have finally hit on a good idea.  Not only had they created a sports news website where amateur sports journalists could report on their favorite teams and players, but they had recently begun a search for talented aspiring journalists to be NFL correspondents for CBSSports. 

Briefly, beginning in May, Bleacher Report had asked its crop of dedicated writers to apply for 32 Correspondent positions, one for each NFL team.  For over a month, 2,800 of the sites most valued writers engaged in an application process that required each applicant to publish four articles on a team of their choice, on topics of Bleacher Report’s choosing. 

Most recently, those writers were informed that of 32 spots, only 16 would be filled with Bleacher Report writers because as word spread of this bold initiative, many veteran sports writers began submitting their resumes and writing samples directly to CBSSports.com. 

            Had Bleacher Report realized that mainstream sports journalism had grown stale?  One need only look as far as ESPN, Sports Illustrated or their parent company, CBSSports to realize that the business has grown generic with copy cat-ers exploiting tired sports idioms to describe a rookie Wide Receiver as explosive or my favorite defense as smashmouth. 

Their correspondent idea was a fresh one: a search through the ranks of amateur writers in the hopes of infusing a sour industry with journalists who have not yet become jaded by the grind of the sports beat, instead offering – in addition to writing about their teams with passion and insight – an array of diverse interests and skills. 

In genetics, mutations are a healthy part of what adds biodiversity to a gene pool.  Without mutations, there is no adaptation and thus, no opportunity for evolution.  

By inviting amateur writers to write as paid correspondents, Bleacher Report could proudly boast that they were adding diversity to the pool of sports journalists, that instead of hiring out-of-work veteran writers, they were giving the industry a chance to grow and expand upon its constricting limitations. 

            When the out-of-work journalists got wind of what Bleacher Report was planning, I suppose many were furious, and so, sent resumes and forceful cover letters to the CBSSports offices.  Those applying through the Bleacher Report official application were suddenly at a disadvantage. 

Had I been asked for a complete resume I would have had the chance to impress with my Masters degree, my Bachelors in Science and my experiences in the first year of medical school.  I would have been proud to admit that I had not worked for a dying Boston Globe or Baltimore Sun.  That, although I am diligently perfecting my skill in writing, I also feel comfortable discussing the effects of illegal steroids on the body or the importance of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). 

            Sadly, Bleacher Report was not able to see their project through in its entirety.  Where would be the sense, they claimed, in turning down hordes of experienced professional writers with such impressive backgrounds and credentials? 

Many amateurs took the time and energy to put their best foot forward, not from the unemployment line, but from jobs and schools where they would write over a lunch break or in between classes.  These are the folks capable of bringing an exciting new lingo to an exhausted sports language. 

Diversity is important, for it allows an industry to adapt and survive in a changing environment.