I tried.

No, really, I did.

This article was never going to be written. After all, there just seems to be more than a handful of those on either side of the issue that want to pull hard one way or the other. Partisan politics in Washington, D.C. doesn’t seem to come close to the battle raging over sports and how it is reported.

Yes, it’s a no-holds-barred cage match.

In this corner, it’s the mainstream media. In the other, it’s the alternative media, a.k.a. the bloggers.

Straight up, I’ll tell you that I’ve got friends on either side of the fence. Whether it’s Jayson Stark, John Brattain, Ken Rosenthal, Craig Calcaterra, Rob Neyer, it’s all “content” to me.

Recently, however, something akin to the battle of the Hatfield and the McCoys has been launched, and frankly, I just don’t get it.

The battle is over whether content published by those in the alternative media should be given any credibility based on accountability.

The answer is, it depends.

Of course, this will not do for those firing off salvos. It’s got to be black or white, which is ridiculous. Anyone can publish and configure a blog in a matter of minutes, so now anyone with an internet connection and an opinion has a platform for all to see.

Welcome to a world of crap and treasure. Fine dining and greasy spoon. Baseball Prospectus and “The Hottie Wife/Girlfriend of Sports Guy” Blog.

So, when Barry Jackson reports on Bob Costas and his views on bloggers, you get the following:

What bothers Costas — and he’s not alone — is Internet and talk radio commentary that “confuses simple mean-spiritedness and stupidity with edginess. Just because I can call someone a name doesn’t mean I’m insightful or tough and edgy. It means I’m an idiot.

“It’s just a high-tech place for idiots to do what they used to do on bar stools or in school yards, if they were school yard bullies, or on men’s room walls in gas stations. That doesn’t mean that anyone with half a brain should respect it.”

This, of course, didn’t tell the whole story. Jackson got it part way right, and so Costas responded by talking to Deadspin:

I don’t have any problem at all with the mainstream media being challenged or supplemented by new media. No entity has a monopoly over good writing from a valid point of view. In that sense, the more the merrier. In fact, many bloggers, on numerous subjects, sports included, are talented, humorous and bring fresh perspectives.

My commentary was aimed solely at a portion of Internet sports discourse, an unfortunately large portion, that consists of nothing more than potshots, ad hominem arguments, ignorance and invective. No one who is familiar with the general tone of public discourse, whether it be sports, politics, whatever, can honestly deny that much. It comes from that direction.

I was absolutely not saying that most or all bloggers were losers. It just seems so often that commenters use insults in the place of arguments. Is there a lot out there that’s also well-written? Or course. But forgive me for not placing the exact same value on an comment on a political blog that I would to something said by Ted Koppel. Sure, they have the equal value in a voting booth. But you have to assume that if you’ve done something reasonable well for an extended period of time, you have some notion of what you’re talking about.

At least Bob’s partially telling the truth.

For those sitting on the sidelines – the readers – myself and others wage the battle daily to gain credibility. It doesn’t help that there are a host of idiots out there publishing pablum in the blogsphere.

And, it doesn’t help that respectable individuals in the mainstream media are painting those working to an accountable standard with a broad brush. Those in alternative media should strive for higher standards, while mainstream media is hardly impervious from agendizing the news. For every blogger/columnist, there’s Jay Mariotti, or Bill Plaschke. What makes them any different than John Brattain? There isn’t, although I ask forgiveness for offending Brattain by placing his name so precariously close to Mariotti.

Confession time… I despise the word “blogger.” I don’t like being called one, even though you’re reading on a blogging platform now, and the Business of Sports Network is internet-only based. I have been lucky enough to gain access and network with, some high-level individuals in sports, regardless of where my content gets published.

It’s only when I try to get credentialed that the rubber stamp of “Blogger Guy” gets used. That chaps my hide.

Waging an uphill battle everyday to publish respectable stuff gets overshadowed by “A Review of the Dallas Cheerleaders”. Sure, the latter will get more traffic, but at the same time it becomes another weapon for the detractors of alternative media. Thanks for that one, Beavis.

For me, this is a weigh station. A stop over. I’m working to move station-to-station. I’d rather write for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports or the Sports Business Journal, to be honest. I don’t want to be “agenda guy”; I want to do investigative reporting on sports.

Last thing on Bob Costas, as an insight into the guy…

When I was less of a nobody than I am now, I contacted Costas about doing an interview. This was in 2003. When I called his office in St. Louis, his assistant took the call, asked who I was, and said she would patch me through. Now, he could have turned the call down, or go, “Now, exactly where are you publishing this?” He answered, “Hi, Maury. How are you today, and what can I do for you?” To date, short of possibly my interview with Charley Steiner, I have never had a more enjoyable and comfortable interview experience. The point being… Bob’s certainly not a bad guy, nor someone that has an ax to grind with the alternative media. If so, he wouldn’t have done my interview.

So, pardon me if I’m not outraged by all of this talk about bloggers not being accountable, and mainstream media members all being idiots or afraid of losing their jobs. It doesn’t change how I continue to report and investigate in any manner other than I want to do it better, and grow as a journalist. I took the steps of starting an LLC, which helps lend some legitimacy. But, in the end, if the shingle on the door is all anyone is going to read, then they’ve made their minds up already. If perchance, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, or The Sporting News took a flyer out on me, would I be viewed any differently? Guess that depends on who’s reading.

OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK

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Lake Elsinore Storm Offer Barry Bonds Front Office Position – The Biz of Baseball

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Checking or Rubbing? Stars’ Modano Welcomes NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson to the Ice – The Biz of Hockey

Nashville Predators to Qualify for NHL Revenue Sharing – The Biz of Hockey

Wife of Disgraced Referee Tim Donaghy Files for Restraining Order – The Biz of Basketball

Ford Field Sues AAFL – The Biz of Football

CFL: Commissioner Cohon Working to Bring Team Back to Ottawa – The Biz of Football

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.

Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 12:10 pm and is filed under Maury Talkin' Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.