The nature of sports journalism has changed a lot in recent years, but some elements stay the same including the fact that many athletes are, for lack of a better term, a pain-in-the-ass to deal with. Today's longread is about how one columnist turned the tables in a classic piece of sports writing.
Happy Friday!
"Director's Cut: ‘Oh, No! Not Another Boring Interview With Steve Carlton,’ by Diane K. Shah" by Michael MacCambridge
Published on Grantland, September 21, 2012
Eric
It seems to me pro athlete today are incredibly available?
ReplyDeleteWell, it's not just about availability. It's about meaningful availability, which often isn't the case (eg, they are forced to give an interview and say nothing during the interview).
ReplyDeleteIn general, though, I don't think it's about whether they take interviews or not. It's about how we view sports writers and athletes. Instead of seeing the sports writers as parasites clinging onto athletes (as Carlton did), Shah turned the tables by pointing out that a.) athletes gain quite a bit from the relationship with journalists and b.) their approach is often just rude, which sucks in and of itself.
Eric