“Good Will Hunting”: Deadspin’s Debt to Blogciety
May 5, 2008
“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together…”
I am not the Walrus, but I am Will Leitch… whether I want to be or not… and if you are a sports blogger, so are you… If this perception wasn’t already reality before last week’s HBO COSTAS NOW “Sports and Media” special, it certainly is now to any non-blogger who saw author Buzz Bissinger and Bob Costas tag-team Deadspin’s Will Leitch like he was Barack Obama at a presidential debate. While Leitch received no questions about his St. Louis Cardinal lapel-wearing habits or whether “he loved sports more than Skip Bayless”, Bissinger’s pit-bull bark suceeded in overshadowing some legitimate points. Meanwhile, Costas seemed content to play “good cop” at the time although he suggested disappointment in Bissinger afterwards.
Blog Reaction Recap: It wasn’t just the Buzz bluster that peeved most bloggers, it was the sweeping brush-stroke applied to an entire medium. Throw in clips of Jay Marriotti lecturing on media “mindlessness” and panelists like Jason Whitlock ruminating on “race”, and Mr. Costas also forfeited his moral high-ground. Bloggers wondered why Bissinger’s brilliant Friday Night Lights was allowed to define mainstream instead of last month’s ESPN ambush of Miguel Tejada or last year’s unconscionable print coverage of Sean Taylor while he lay on his death bed — offenses that make Deadspin’s Matt Leinart photos seem as artisticly-tasteful as an Annie Leibovitz cover shoot. Okay, bad example!… but you get the point…
As a medium, the sports blog community has now peaked to an unfair “image problem” of NBA proportions. Carmelo throws one punch and the entire NBA are a bunch of “thugs” while 10 base-brawls, 100 hockey fights, and 1000 Mariotti vs. Paige screaming matches register applause… (okay, maybe not that last one!) Fair or not, this form of “blogism” is now a problem for the entire online sports community. Okay, it was always a problem, but now HBO has made it official. And because blogging is a “democracy” and not a “meritocracy”, Leitch is the elected spokesperson to the off-line community. And like Charles Barkley once before him, he is a very reluctant role model.
After last Tuesday, a simple Deadspin evolution — not revolution – will help the entire online landscape – including Deadspin itself…without diminishing its clicks. Upon further self-reflection, Bissinger has since apologized for his boorish delivery on Dan Le Batard’s radio show and in today’s contrite interview with The Big Lead, Now it is time for Will Leitch to take inventory. As the face of sports blogs everywhere, here is what Deadspin owes blogs:
1) CLEARLY DEFINE YOURSELF:
Who are you Will Leitch? A journalist? A writer? A blogger? A comedian? Convenient chameleon? There will always be some label crossover, but clarity – and not fence sitting — is needed from you. In this interview last year with The Starting Five, you state:
“I do still consider myself a journalist. I’ve written for the New York Times … I think the notion of journalism vs. blogs is misconceived. Blogs are just a medium. That’s all they are. When television came around, news papers were like, ‘That’s not journalism.’ So blogs are and aren’t journalism. It’s just a medium. Some forms are going to be journalism based. Whether mine is or isn’t I’ll leave for everyone else to judge.”
Will, I’m with you on the whole “medium” thing, but still confused with mixed messages. Letting “everyone else judge” has been the problem – for the medium. And if you care about the medium, then YOU need to judge yourself. Jon Stewart or Bill Maher are not held to same standard as Tim Russert or Anderson Cooper because they have the decency to tell us that they are comedians first and political pundits second. If Deadspin is a comedic sports gossip site first, then tell us all, print it on your tag line, and make sure Bob, Buzz, and the rest of the classicly-trained journalists clearly know the deal. Then we will all be freer to laugh along with the punch-line.
2) CONTENT:
In that TSF interview, you also state: “One thing I’ve tried to do with the site is not to be a document for athlete misdeeds. I hope it doesn’t come across that way. If it does then, it’s certainly not my intention.” …Will, it DOES come across that way, and this can be easily quantified. But since it is “not your intention”, perhaps progress will come with raised awareness. If Deadspin is in the business of “humanizing athletes”, then there are better and fairer ways to do so.
How about some more positive athlete stories? Since Deadspin has meticulously chronicled every conceivable negative off-court story of Stephon Marbury over the last two years, would Deadspin readers leave in droves if it were mentioned that Marbury has been named as one of the “Sporting News Good Guys” three separate times; runs annual charity basketball tournaments; had “Starbury’s Give Back Day“ with two 18-wheelers filled with 75,000 items of free merchandise; broke down crying at the Knick’s “Post Katrina Conference” (go to 3 min marker of video); or the fact that he announced a pledge of FOUR million dollars to NYC workers last summer?
Will, last Tuesday Braylon Edwards sat across from you. Did you know the story of the 15 year-old boy who died in October while being buried with Edwards autographed jersey, or about the “Braylon Edwards Charity Blitz” last June… or that he pledged $1 million to fund college scholarships for 100 youth in Cleveland. Okay, you did know about that last one since you devoted a one line link, that read: “Braylon Edwards, Nice Guy”. It’s a nice start, but how about posting it as a stand-alone story with that picture of Braylon engulfed by children? You know, like the way Deadspin posted that article and money shot of Edwards taking aim with an assault rifle under military supervision. One of your commenters was able to provide some context: “Braylon Edwards is from Detroit. I’m sure he’s handled the odd firearm before.”
Posting the bad and ignoring/minimizing the good is a great way to mimic ESPN. Or you can run more positive stories — just like you did today with Miguel Tejada.
3) LINKS:
There is no need to name the usual link suspects. These are usually blogs with the same tone, tenor, hue, and view as Deadspin might have with few exceptions. Under different circumstances, Deadspin wouldn’t owe anybody anything. But as the de facto sports blog ambassador, and until blogland is recognized for its diversity, Leitch owes a representative sample of links that include sites that: write more than three paragraphs; have comment sections of more than three sentences; mix sports with social issues; analyze sports statistics; and that are run by minorities and women . “Blog diversity” should be more than a shield against mainstream critics who paint with large brushes, but a tool to show those critics why and how they are dead wrong. (Full disclosure: while writing for COSELLOUT, Deadspin had linked me to at least three separate articles with the last one coming in October 2007. No, Deadspin personally owed me absolutely nothing, and yes, I was appreciative.)
4) COMMENTS:
Costas is correct. The tone of posts do influence the direction of commenting flow. However, that important discussion should start, first and foremost, with the editors of that mob called “ESPN Conversation” and work his way back to Deadspin and other blogs from there. Disclaimers aside, while some comments are often very funny, some of Deadspin’s comments are atrocious – and bigoted (again, like ESPN). But what is really notable is the lack of counterpoints vs. many other blogs. Perhaps this is because of a screening process. About a year ago, I posted my first comments, but apparently didn’t pass the “snark test” or exceeded the unwritten two-sentence limit code. Not really sure. The bottom line is that I was screened out, and opted not to keep on trying or begging for permission. Whatever the case, the Deadspin comment section is not some random forum, but one that is influenced by it writing and editing policy: one that may be worth revisiting.
5) RACE:
The worst aspect of mainstream sports media is its terrible record on race where a cadre of black athletes are perceived, assessed, and interpreted – and often misinterpreted — through the almost exclusive lens and biases of white eyes (including my own fallible lens). Dr. Richard Lapchick’s comprehensive 2006 study of the Associated Press showing that 90% of America’s sports columnists are white, and that black editors are virtually non-existent. The study prompted Washington Post’s Norman Chad to write “we’re whiter than Newt Gingrich’s 4th of July Barbeque”, and ESPN’s Scoop Jackson to remark that black youth statistically have a “better chance to make it to the NBA”. As The Big Lead recently pointed out mainstream websites have followed suit [1].
The only place left to have an honest and nuanced discussion on matters involving race is the sports blogosphere (i.e. this site, The Starting Five; Black Fives Blog; The Black Quarterback; Edge of Sports, and many others). That’s where Deadspin can help… or not. Depending on whether he believes Michael Wilbon’s words in the last COSTAS segement on race when he said: “White men, specifically, do not get absolved of the responsibility of writing about race in this culture. It’s an obligation to engage the reader”.
Judging from past interviews, articles, and pictures, Will’s record on race is less than stellar – to put it kindly. What is more important is that Deadspin conducts itself tomorrow differently than how it did yesterday. Yeah, it would be nice if Deadspin had racially diverse writers that might offer different points of view. But if not, Deadspin should highlight some of the websites that regularly confront race from other vantage points whether he disagrees with them or not. Why? Because of the fact he states on page 229 of his book: “the most contact the majority of white sports fans have with black men, on a day-to-day basis, is through watching sports”. …and the most contact they have over the blogosphere is through reading Deadspin. Will’s own take today on his recent criticism contains some parts that were refreshingly introspective, other parts that were just flawed, and possibly, a step in the right direction. Whether it was damage control or the start of a continued dialogue remains to be seen.
—————————————–
WHAT DEADSPIN OWES BLOGS:
In contrast, in today’s self-reflective interview with TBL, Bissinger makes a generational and cross-media plea for blog professionalism:
“…you guys are not simply the future; you are the present. All I ask, …is to take up your responsibility with seriousness and honor while not stifling what is the best part of the Internet, which is the way in which it gives a voice to everyone…”
In less than one week it is the old man Bissenger who has grown, but what about Will Leitch? In reading and listening to him, you get the sense that he is increasingly aware of his influence, but just doesn’t care so much for the responsibility. If I asked him about it, I’d expect to hear, “oh, I don’t really know how much influence that I really have. It’s just sports. I’ll let others decide…” While no one expects Deadspin to become the Columbia Journalism Review anymore than we expect “50 Cent” to morph into Common, the time is right for Will to meet Buzz and others in the blogosphere half-way. Just a few core changes would lose no viewers, but gain some respect.
Blog-guilt-by-association or “blogism” can be a bitch. As it stands now, every time Deadspin posts a Leinart party photo, I may as well have personally snapped the picture with one hand, held the funnel with the other, while every other beer-drenched blogger chanted “go, go, go, go, go, go, go”
Bottom line: Whether I like it or not, whether you solicited the title or not, and whether it is fair or not, you, Will Leitch, have been officially anointed the blog commissioner… After last Tuesday’s watershed blogging moment, now is a good a time as any to implement a dress code to get everyone in the league out of our underwear, out of our basement, and into prime-time…
“I am the keg-man, they are the keg-men, we are Deadspin, goo goo g’joob…”
—————————–
Authors Endnote: This article breaks a personal policy in critiquing another blog for the very first time. In general, I find the practice to be counter-productive to the larger goals of bringing accountability to the real giants like ESPN and Co. However, in blog terms Costas Now was no ordinary moment, so this article is treating it as such. Finally, so many blog articles have weighed in on Deadspin this past week, and it might be time to have a general practice where bloggers disclose just how much and how often Deadspin links to them so that readers can make up their own minds if a conflict of interest exists.
Comments
25 Responses to ““Good Will Hunting”: Deadspin’s Debt to Blogciety”
Got something to say?
Interesting, MODI….still working through most of it. God, if some of us had to disclose every time Deadspin linked to a site…that might start actually being problematic. Improving Blogdome in the fashion you suggest is obviously the easiest way to go, and work from there in content to mix in regular stories.
A lot of the suggestions are worthwhile, although I would say that a completely open commenting policy would turn Deadspin into ESPN Conversation, Part Deux — no one wants that.
Very good work Modi. It’s maddening how much I agree with you.
I will say this every single time I speak on Leitch. The Black Table could have been one of the most incredible sites on the web. I wish somehow someway he would have followed through with what could have been a stoooopid innovative inspiration that could have helped us all.
Deadspin has linked to me on numerous occasions–whether it be SLAM or TSF–for that I’m very very appreciative.
I caught a lot of flack on TSF from two of my readers who thought I should mount up with Deadspin in some kind of no Deadspin in the blogosphere no Bissinger peace type thing.
I can’t do that.
This has nothing to do with Will as a person because the cat is as smart as they come but the content and some of the snarky ass comments just leave me shaking my head and straight up disgusted.
S2N some of the comments on Deadspin are very similar to ESPN the Conversation. The difference is they might be Manhattan NY Neanderthal instead of your garden Manhattan KS Neanderthal variety.
There must be objectivity in everything we do and Deadspin isn’t beyond criticism because the comments are locked.
It’s funny, but if you look at it this way, Deadspin is the bastard child of tabloid sports journalism. Without one, you wouldn’t have had the other.
Walter Winchell must be proud.
Mizzo, I’m not gonna even try and deny that there aren’t comments on Deadspin that aren’t flat-out nasty. Snark and nasty outweighs thoughtful on the Internet nine times out of ten — much like real life, and I wouldn’t dare think Leitch or Deadspin beyond criticism. God knows I have a least a few snarky jabs as a commenter on the site that I wish I could have back because they were in bad taste.
My whole opinion on this is that Bissinger always had points, but obliterated the substance of them by being a complete boor.
I don’t care if he screamed or sung his words butt ass nekked, he said some ish that needed to be said.
Like I said on TSF…
Will Leitch can take care of himself.
Why were people up in arms because Bissinger was hot again?
This is the problem and I find it quite interesting that folks–by the second–are becoming completely frustrated with passion.
It’s almost like criticism is becoming the Lawnmower Man.
The bitchassness of society continues…
I liken it to raising your voice to your girl because she’s done some dumb ish.
9 times out of 10 she’s gonna come back with “Stop hollering at me”
The argument then shifts incredulously to the bass in your voice?
Please.
MODI- Great piece, per usual. I read yours first, dwil’s is next.
Miz & S2N- Buzz’s tone did overshadow his content. He wasn’t totally wrong. Last week I said that Leitch is more concerned with being accepted by the MSM than his place in the blogging community. The problem with Deadspin is that it’s a one trick pony, and that trick is snark. But if you’re gonna be a smart-ass, you better be able to kuckle up, and Will can’t do that.
[…] MODI, who, until his post on Will Leitch and Deadspin, had never spoken ill of another blog, I don’t really give a […]
S2N - When I say “disclose”, I just mean a one-liner that at least gives an estimate, not any exact count or antything that involves work. Like MDS at AOL Fandouse wrote: “I have known Will for 10 years…” …perhaps you good point on comments. I was purposely not prescriptive because I’m not even sure myself of the best way to “revisit the policy”
Mizzo, I think that you had it right in your TSF discussion. It is not an either/or thing with Buzz and Will. In separate ways, they were both right and both wrong. It is up to us through sift through it. As a fellow blogger, I’ll defend Leitch and get his back on an sweeping attack against the blogging medium, however, afterwards it is time to clean our own house…. but you are right, Leitch is a very very smart dude… that is quite clear… and he knows what’s up. But like you said this is about blog business… not personal…
S2N#2 — everyone is in agreement that Bissinger’s bluster was flat-out wrong — even Bissinger himself. The issue is basically closed by consensus… so now the discussion must evolve. Ultimately, Bissinger was talking about professionalism and journalistic responsibility… these are issues worth speaking about
Great post, Modi.
I’ll simple agree with all, or most, of your points, and nod in approval once again.
As for the topic of commenter - this is something I’ve wanted to go into depth on before. One, thoughtful commenters on a site is possible - one need only look here, or at the comments on Free Darko. Deadspin’s whole culture is not gear against thoughtful comments, and instead aimed at getting short, snarky comments.
Secondly, Deadspin comments are 10% funny, 10% okay, and 80% running jokes that have been beat to the ground already. Take Will’s race post:
“/dick joke”
“Martin Lawrence joke” (several times)
These jokes were, in fact, funny. The first two or three times. This is probably the 200th time (no joke) that Martin Lawrence joke has been made in the last two months. Um, do you think that maybe it’s not funny anymore? The joke is f*cking dead. If this had happened as a kid, I would catch much flack for “killing the joke”.
Seriously, if Deadspin did like Gawker does, and executed commenters who killed jokes by running them into the ground… well, there would be 80% less garbage in the comments. And more room for thoughtful comments.
Then sadly, the worst thing about reading a Deadspin post where Will Leitch tries to be honest about these things is the commenters who just don’t get it, and that nobody calls them out (because engaging another commenter in discussion is frowned upon). The two times I have been the most upset reading a Deadspin post was the Rick Ankiel post, and the David Zirin interview. Both times it was more because of the comments. Case in point, from yesterday’s post on racism and self-examination:
The only paralells between the two are 1.) motorcycles and 2.) NFL players.
Winslow was popping wheelies and generally endangering himself. Big Ben was cutoff by an old lady.
Calling an asshat and asshat, by Winslow Sr. standards, is racist I suppose.
Big Ben in no way endangered himself, by riding a motorcycle without a helmet on. Really? It’s the old lady’s fault, not Ben’s?
It’s very common to see (white) people point out the slightest differences when presented with two very similar cases. In this situation, you have two NFL players riding motorcycles and getting injured while doing so. The person who refuses to engage in honest discussions of double-standards will point out the difference (as they do in Bonds v. Clemens/Ankiel). It’s like saying “yeah, but Kellen has two syllables in his first name, and Ben only has one, so it’s totally different”….
And there are a bunch of other comments in there that are equally upsetting, in a “you just don’t want to get it , or engage in a honest discussion” kinda way.
Anyway, commenters aside, I think that Deadspin’s self-examination, while a bit toothless (raising questions, but not attempting to answer any of them) was a step in the right direction.
[…] MODI, who, until his post on Will Leitch and Deadspin, had never spoken ill of another blog, I don’t really give a […]
[…] Comments “Good Will Hunting”: Deadspin’s Debt to Blogciety | Sports On My Mind on ESPN’s Virtual Mob - Michael Vick Edition“Good Will Hunting”: What Deadspin Owes […]
Excellent post
My problem with Bissinger’s rant was that he was yapping at the wrong culprit. Whether he was right or not, the issue should start with the WWL and talk radio. If the blogosphere has shoddy standards what were the parents like?
Dayum Modi! I was clapping by the time I got to “Race”! This was excellent!
SML, But particular article, despite flaws, I give credit for being introspective, And I would have expected some kind of introspective or more thoughtful responses from his commenters. Yet the responses were the same one-line bullshit… Ultimately, Will is much smarter than his commenters, and he panders. Hopefully he might lead a little, but I’m not holding my breath…
awb, you are absolutely right. Except for profanity, there is no criticism that can be said for Will, that can’t be said for ESPN. But it must be noted that Leitch markets Deadspin as the anti-ESPN. It says “Blackballed by ESPN” on the cover of his book. As a fellow blogger, the great disappointment for me is that Deadspin is the only vehicle in the blogosphere with the platform to change the mainstream game… he could still have media accountability without replicating the worst parts
Thanks Miranda & Huddy
Count me in with Mizzo. I love Bissinger for taking down the little frat rat and his false innocence. I’m sick of people tsk-tsking because a man acts like a man when he calls out a pussy like Leitch. Buzz Bissinger was right to take down and ass-whip the little turd polisher who hides behind his keyboard and denigrates his betters. Even if it is with polysyllabic words and compound sentences.
Smart doesn’t mean right. Smart in Leitch’s case just means smart ass. An hour reviewing his site convinced me of this. And sometimes with a smartass/dumbass you just have to carve them a new one to get their attention.
For Leitch to claim distance from his “posters” when he in fact censors the posts is beyond disingenuous. Its an outfight lie conveyed with all of the factualness of Hillary Clinton ducking bullets in Bosnia.
MODI - Great post. Until this whole Bissinger thing and the subsequent brouhaha, I hadn’t really given much thought to criticizing Deadspin. I’d say I represent its target audience to a T - middle-class white post-college guy. But it is quite eye-opening to read some criticism of the site and its commenters (including I suppose me).
I think this was so well-argued and well-said. When I read mean comments, I sometimes wonder what people would feel like if they had to hear such comments said about their work in their real life. You have to have thick skin to put yourself out in the online environment, but it seems to me that there’s too much tolerance for smug, racist, sexist or otherwise objectionable commentary that adds nothing to blogs’ overall content or constructive discussion.
I hope blogging will evolve — and that all of us who write, read and comment do too. Philosophically, I just think it’s so much more worthwhile to build with insight or thoughtfulness than it is to respond with venom, sarcasm or prejudice. Thanks, MODI, for consistently doing the former.
E, thanks… not sure where you stand… please elaborate
PeteJayhawk, your comments are appreciated as the post is not meant just for the converted. It would be nice to see a blog wide dialogue from all blog regions on how we can elevate the medium and that transcends Deadspin of course…
Jess, thank you for your kind words…
Exceptional article. I’m proud to say I’m one of the few “sports” blogs that does deal with social issues, politics and other more important topics. In fact, in viewing the sea of sports blogs out there I decided to create my own niche by going beyond sports and discussing the truly relevant issues of the day.
While I agree with your point that Leitch has become the spokesman for the blogosphere, I absolutely deny he speaks for me. I doubt he speaks for you either.
Not to sound condescending but I’ve been so thoroughly impressed with what I’ve read here I am proudly going to post a link to you in my blog roll.
Exceptionally well done. I really enjoyed this.
Moondog, firstly, thank you for your kind words.
You state: “I’m proud to say I’m one of the few “sports” blogs that does deal with social issues, politics and other more important topics.”
I just read a couple of articles on your site that I enjoyed. HOWEVER, I am afraid to say that this fact was overshadowed by your daily: “Chick Pic of the Day” posts.
Posts like this one: http://moondogsports.com/2008/05/09/chick-pic-of-the-day-jennifer-aniston/
And this one: http://moondogsports.com/2008/05/07/chick-pic-of-the-day-jolene-blalock-part-2/
Or many others.
With all due respect, I would say that your desire to intelligently deal with “social issues” in your blog is undermined by having a woman spread eagle with her ass high up in the air. Perhaps you disagree, or perhaps you may thoughtfully consider a new direction for your blog that contains fewer mixed messages.
In any case, if you get the opportunity, please check out something that provides background on mainstream depiction of women that I recently wrote: “Sports Illustrated’s Cover Barrier: Who Will Break the Bikini Line?
http://www.cosellout.com/?p=257
I respect your opinion and on the surface, I can understand someone having that opinion, especially someone seeing the site for the first time. While you may not agree, I do it for several reasons. I understand the demographic, and it serves as a “draw” to the site for the purpose of reading the important articles.
When you’re a new site and one voice among a million I felt it was a more effective marketing tool than the personal attacks and outlandish comments many use to draw attention to their sites.
I’ll be the first to admit it’s cheesy, but can you at least say the content I wrote about had merit? That’s the ultimate goal and if half-naked celebrities draw people to what I’m trying to put forth, so be it.
I believe we’re more like-minded than what it may appear to be on the surface. I really like your site and the writing is excellent. I’m still linking to you because I want my readers to visit you. And I don’t expect nor would ever ask for a return link either.
Thanks.
MoonDog, the content of your blog looks good. It’s just that I’ve heard several female sports blog readers complaining that they no longer read site X because it’s too misogynistic, or the commenters are cruel, or some other bias. I would hate for your site to make some potential readers feel uncomfortable, even if it does result in short-term gains from another segment of readers. (And, of course, we all know that if readers really want to see lust-inducing pictures, they can find more graphic photos elsewhere on the ‘Net).
Now that doesn’t mean that I never post any photos of attractive females on my posts. For example, the Tayshaun Prince post I put up features him with several attractive female fans. Or, I’ve done random sports crush features, like this one on Elena Dementieva: http://mcbias.blogspot.com/search/label/Elena%20Dementieva But I only use photos that are completely SFW, and I try to make it about more than just looks. Just my two cents; it’s your blog, of course.
[…] Black Fives Blog got a nice mention in the highly rated, very thoughtful, very popular Sports On My Mind blog … and it’s an honor to be named in the same sentence as The Starting Five, The […]
I think Will may be more concerned about addressing race in his writing. This Bill Simmons Deadspin story has a link to Jemele Hill’s blog, where she writes her thoughts from Will’s “Shutting the Hell Up” post.
Of course, the Deadspin commentators are too busy making Bill Simmons jokes to notice. I happen to point it out in the comments, which Will seemingly immediately responds.
Deadspin may not be the place for Will — or anybody, perhaps — to discuss real matters. Its very much a playground for the Serious Business sect. I’d say most of those terrible jokes are made by folks who know they are terrible, and find pleasure in saying things that are “wrong”. What I’m starting to wonder to myself is why I find humor in saying/writing “wrong” things.
[…] EDIT: I was browsing old posts on blogs when I realized that MODI had written a post on blog improvement as well. Because our ideas overlap in spots, I think it’s only fair that you see his thoughts as well. […]