If you haven't stumbled across Mark Cuban's blog yet (yes, that Mark Cuban), I suggest that you pay a visit. The NBA ranks pretty darn low with me these days, falling below the World Poker Tour and the PBA, and ranking just above pro handball (nice gig, Ted Robinson!), yet I do find Cuban fascinating. "500 words to say nothing" takes the sports media to task for an environment that sacrifices understanding for the sake of pseudo-scoops.
The goal isn’t to know a subject cold and find elements that make all those read it smarter about the subject. There isn’t a Wall Street Journal or even a NY Times Business Section for sports. In sports, its about filling up 500 words. Quick story. On to the next day. ...
While the sports media won’t do in-depth analysis, it’s usually not the reporters fault. It’s the job they were given. At least they should try to make sure that what is in those 500 words is accurate.
I agree with him, and I give the guy a lot of credit for understanding where some of the fault lies instead of just blaming the reporters. Here's some recent subjects in baseball that deserve better treatment along these lines:
Performance enhancers. What else are players using? What exactly are the benefits and risks? Do these things really help in a game like baseball? Questec. Is it working? Is it accurate? Is the methodology sound? Why only some ballparks? What's the goal? Is it attainable? If so, do we want it? The closer myth. The publicly financed stadium fiasco.
I won't hold my breath. Meanwhile, go back to your regularly scheduled feature on Cody Ransom.
Speaking of publicly financed stadiums, there is ash blowing all over town today from the implosion of the Vet this morning. Wish you were here!
Posted by: Emily | March 21, 2004 at 01:00 PM
By sheer coincidence, I was in Cuban's office, interviewing him for profile, when his first blog entry came out. We had a 5- to 10-minute conversation about his frustration with sportswriters. What seemed to gall him most was their fixation on easy stories and scoops without spending the time to research and understand the context of what they write. He has a good point.
Posted by: Jon | March 22, 2004 at 09:51 AM