"What's Wrong with Sports Illustrated? And How to Fix It."--Josh Levin, SLATE

• On Michael Farber's recent SI profile of Seattle Mariners' JJ Putz, Mr. Levin notes:

"The piece, like the great majority of SI's profiles and game stories, is bereft of ideas—

• it never explains how it feels to close a baseball game or why Putz's magic dust is any different

than Mariano's magic dust...

• The old SI used sports as a window onto life and culture beyond the playing field or, failing that, as a vehicle for great writing. The new SI uses sports as a window onto itself or, failing that, as a vehicle for cringe-inducing anecdotes."

I'VE NOTICED THE SUBSTITUTION OF SPORTS REPORTER FOR MULTI-PLATFORM MEDIA CELEBRITY. MR. LEVIN ALLUDES TO THIS PHENOMENON AS WELL:

• "But Sports Illustrated didn't hire Dan Patrick the writer. It hired Dan Patrick the sports-themed corporation. His magazine column, Web site, and radio show "represent engaging platforms to both sports fans and the advertisers looking to connect with them," according to SI's press release. When longtime columnist Rick Reilly departed for ESPN days later, SI's biggest personnel move in years became, in effect, a swap of TV personalities.

Who needs a journalist when you can get a celebrity multimedia empire?

• SI's focus on brand extension is a reaction to the competitiveness of the media environment.Before ESPN the Magazine launched almost 10 years ago, SI had never faced a sustained challenge from the print world. Rather than having faith in its product—curious, well-written literary journalism and vigorous reportage—Sports Illustrated has taken to imitating its younger rival (ESPN).
• Sports Illustrated has plenty of competitors besides ESPN and the New York Times. The increase in sports television coverage, and partly the popularity of SI itself, created a huge demand for comprehensive, sophisticated sports journalism. Traditional beat reporters, Web writers, enterprising bloggers, brainy statisticians, and YouTube videographers are now producing plenty of smart, funny, indiscreet, insidery material every day.
• Sports Illustrated used to distinguish itself by writing better, and securing better access to its subjects, than anyone who wrote faster....."

Mr. Levin notes SI could be an important instrument for change if it chose to:

• SI is "still an influential voice. At least it would be, if it ever tried to exert any kind of influence over the games it covers. SI rarely picks fights or filibusters for change.

Sports Illustrated could also beef up its investigative reporting."

• (I hoped Mr. Levin was referring to crucial topics, but unfortunately he suggested subjects related to sexual orientation and the area of performance enhancements. What needs attention are topics outside the confines of a players' body, into the business end of things). sm

More of what to do, Levin: "...the Web has simply become the next place for SI to get its ass kicked by ESPN. For a decade now, ESPN.com has pursued a scorched-earth policy, hiring loads of writers (including from SI) and running so much content that a sports fan need never leave...

• And rather than pounce on the one built-in advantage it has over ESPN—a half-century's worth of magazine pieces—SI seems determined to keep its archives shut. A magazine with a rich literary history comes off on the Web as tacky and desperate, a hub for cheerleader slide shows and swimsuit videos. ESPN has a franchise player in the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons. SI.com has the embarrassing, beauty-and-the-beast video series "She Says, Z Says."

From Slate article by Josh Levin, 10/31/07

• I learned of this article from Neil Best's Watchdog sports media blog 10/31/07 in Newsday wherein Mr. Best notes:

"At ESPN's current rate of hiring editors and reporters from other media outlets, soon I will be the only veteran sports journalist in America without an ID card to get me past the ornery security guards in Bristol."

• If everyone worked for the Republican Party or if everyone worked for the Democrat Party, people would probably say that's bad. But no one thinks it's bad that everyone works for ESPN. (sm)

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