Random Thoughts, Sights and Sounds - A Potpourri of Knowledge

I caught an episode of the HBO show 'Bob Costas Now' earlier this week and there was an interesting discussion regarding how the sports world is being covered in the Internet Age.

Author Buzz Bissinger vs. Deadspin editor Will Leitch. The old guard vs. the new guard in the world of sports coverage and the old guard is angry. Deadspin is the #1 rated internet sports blog.

Bissinger brought out the big guns from the word 'go' saying to Leitch, "I really think you're full of shit" Nice way of starting a discussion. This is from a Pulitzer Prize winning author. He continued, saying "Here's insight in blogging, because it really pisses the shit out of me."

Bissinger's attack on Leitch comes as the tip of the iceberg of a larger issue, the dying newspaper industry. The sports consuming public is relying less and less in getting their sports news and coverage from newspapers. Instead, they are turning to the Internet (news sites and blogs) for their sports news. Sports news isn't limited to what happens on the court, field, ice or diamond anymore and that's part of what's pissing Bissinger off.

You can watch the Bissinger-Leitch War of Words by clicking here.

Sports news moving from the newspapers to the Internet, and the dying newspaper industry is no different than the change the newspaper industry underwent fifty, sixty years ago. Newspapers used to publish two editions (morning and afternoon/evening) through the early part of the 20th century. But that died off with the advent of radio and TV. There was a big uproar then, as people couldn't imagine life without two editions a day of their favorite paper, but change happened and it happened for the better and now it's happening again.

The average age of a newspaper reader - 55 and up. Percentage of 19-34 year-olds that read newspapers on a daily basis - 19. No wonder the printed newspaper is a dying breed.

I grew up reading papers (read the Boston Globe and Herald everyday) and for the longest time all I wanted to be was a sports writer (which I was for seven years). I can't remember the last time I picked up a newspaper and read it, instead of reading it online. Though I read the Sunday Boston Globe pretty regularly until six months ago.

There's plenty of things that my three-year-old son won't experience that I did (and that's fine).

He probably won't sit down and go through a newspaper front to back, as I used to. If he does, it's only because I (because of my newspaper background) got him interested in it at early age, but eventually that will die off.

He'll never own cassette tapes or CD's (as I never owned 8-tracks or records) - he'll only know .mp3 files and iTunes. He's 3 and he already wants an iPod (because Mommy and Daddy each have one).

As Bob Dylan once said, "The Times They are a Changin'"

Bob Dylan had a concert at Northeastern when I was a freshman (and that my friends is what they call a transition).

Today, Friday May 2nd, is the 106th Commencement of Northeastern University's senior class (see how nicely I pulled that transition off). Walking around campus last evening, I was reminiscent of getting my undergrad degree at NU in 1995 (though it was six weeks later - June 17th). That 1995 class was the last graduating class (and final event) in the old Boston Garden, the building with no air conditioning, prompting this question on everyone's mind - 'How hot is it going to be in the Garden for graduation?'

My thoughts went back to the activities during Senior Week - Going to the Tent in Quincy, now known as Waterworks (and finally ending up at Uno's on Huntington Ave.). Nice idea to take a bunch of graduating college seniors to an outdoor bar overlooking Marina Bay. Spending a day/night at Shannon's parents house down the Cape. Having a formal dinner Senior night on the Spirit of Boston (and ultimately fake proposing to my now wife, which is a story left told for another time).

Then Govenor William Weld gave the commencement speech, which was significant in that he referenced a letter to the editor that my roomate wrote to the Boston Globe and appeared in the Globe earlier in the week.

Although it was 13 years ago, and doesn't seem like that long ago, a lot has changed since then. CD's were still the best way to get music, Napster, mp3's and iTunes hadn't arrived yet. Those who had a mobile phone - had a car phone (as I did). Mobile phones hadn't hit yet. Digital cameras and picture phones were years away from being developed. Their was no text-messaging or e-mail. The Internet was in it's infancy (ESPN.com started as ESPNet SportsZone on April 1, 1995). Dial-up through Netscape was the way to dial-up to the internet, where it took 45 minutes to download a 30-second audio file.

Finally, Quote of the Week comes from Will Leitch during his appearance on Bob Costas Now. Channeling his best Wesley Snipes impression (from White Men Can't Jump), Leitch said, "To get a consistent (blog) readership you have to be serious and you have to be consistent. It's hard god damn work to do a blog".

Amen, brother. It is hard god damn work to do a blog. Enjoy the weekend.