Wanted: ESPN NFC North Blogger

In 2008 ESPN.com hired eight bloggers to cover each division of the National Football League. One of the eight chosen was Kevin Seifert from the Minneapolis Star Tribune to cover the NFC North. 

During the off-season Seifert posted many articles that I was very pleased with, several that had great insider information and awesome coverage of the NFL Draft. What I didn't realize was yet to come was one of the most Homerific, yes I am making a new word for this situation, beat writers I have ever read. 

For those who don't stay in touch with Seifert's blogging itself, it is good material: if you are a Viking fan. Not only has Seifert covered the Vikings more than any other team in the North, the comparison is not even close:

Detroit Lions (786)

Chicago Bears (788)

Green Bay Packers (840)

Minnesota Vikings (1030)

Now I realize that the Vikings are in first and Chicago contains its own ESPN.com branch website, but for a blogger to consider himself part of the NFC North and his job is to touch on all things NFC North, why would he continue to only write upon the Vikings. This didn't bug me to begin with, they signed Favre and that was a huge story; when the Bears signed Cutler they got a lot of coverage too, but it didn't stop at Favre.

Recently Seifert posted an on-line blog post in which he is wearing a Minnesota Vikings jersey, he recently began a blog post with this opening paragraph:

"Minnesota has a bye this week, making it an awfully difficult chore for me to develop interesting blog items. Initially for this week’s Have at It, I was going to suggest you debate the following question. What’s worse: A weekend without Vikings football or 48 hours of fingernails scratching on a chalkboard?"

Clearly he was trying to make a joke, I get that. What I don't get is with all his accusations of being a homer towards the Vikings, why that would make the readers laugh? You will never see Mike Greenberg anchoring SportsCenter in a Bears Jersey or Jets Jersey, you will never see Mike Wilbon on PTI in a Cubs Jersey, so why would this be okay to the blogger?

I certainly know I am not the only one who shares this opinion and I may not be the first person to post something, but the content of the blog has been completely one sided and isn't a true representation from a very "black and blue" division. 

Solution: ESPN.com in the next coming years should hire a blogger per team or perhaps put a quota or cap on the team information. I realize there may not be tons to write about Chicago and Detroit, but obviously there was enough to give Chicago its own website. When I go to the North blog I want to read articles on how the division is comparing up, predictions, injury updates, big key match-ups, instead, we are getting a Percy Harvin for Rookie of the Year campaign, a mockery of anything that isn't Vikings, and inadequate coverage of where the division is going.

Don't get me wrong he is a great writer, I would never take that away from him, but he really needs to take a long look at what his title is and maybe take a step down and head back to the Tribune in Minneapolis.