On The Media - Sports

Making the Team (On The Media)

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:54 GMT

The NHL's Los Angeles Kings have decided to take their media destiny into their own hands –- hiring veteran sports reporter Rich Hammond who, until recently, covered the Kings for the L.A. Daily News. That’s right, Hammond will now be a full-time Kings reporter whose stories will appear on the Kings’ web site and whose salary will be paid by the Kings. He explains.

The Insider (On The Media)

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:52 GMT

Fox Sport's Jay Glazer is one of the best NFL reporters in the business - he breaks stories about the latest trade or controversy with regularity. But his success is due, at least in part, to his questionable journalistic approach: he's close friends with many of the players and coaches he covers.

Voting, On Roids (On The Media)

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:54 GMT

The steroid era has provided baseball writers with nearly endless fodder for speculation and rumination. But it has also handed them a huge problem: with so many players under suspicion, who are the writers supposed to vote into the Hall of Fame? Chicago Sun Times senior sports reporter Rick Telander recently proposed that the Baseball Writers of America Association develop guidelines on how to vote on players suspected of using steroids. The plan was narrowly defeated in a BBWAA vote. Ken Davidoff, national baseball columnist for Newsday, says he opposed the idea, though believes that writers shouldn't have Hall of Fame voting privileges in the first place.

No There There (On The Media)

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:03 GMT

It’s an age old competition at the Olympics, between those who think the games should include a little context and those that think they should be solely a showcase for sport. The Washington Post's Paul Farhi’s been watching the Beijing games as a fan, but he argues that in Beijing there’s no excuse for the lack of context in the coverage.

NBC's Olympics Experiment (On The Media)

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:58 GMT

NBC News has called its Olympic coverage "the most ambitious single media project in history." But the real ambition is in how NBC plans to experiment with Olympics ratings in the hopes of changing the advertising business model on network TV. Grant Robertson of Toronto’s Globe and Mail explains.

Crying Foul (On The Media)

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:35 GMT

ESPN has grown into the biggest force in sports broadcasting. But John Ourand, a reporter with the Sports Business Journal, says other networks, the various sports leagues, and even advertisers believe that ESPN, in fact, does more harm than good.

Dem Bums (On The Media)

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:39 GMT

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the last game played by the Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Journalists Michael Shapiro, Neil J. Sullivan and Len Shapiro reflect on the days when Dem Bums left Brooklyn and headed west.

The Dope Beat (On The Media)

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:17 GMT

Almost every major sport is marred by scandal at the moment and many journalists are quick to discuss what the scandals' implications mean for the games. But Michael Hiltzik, Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative journalist-turned-sportswriter, says more scrutiny should be paid to the allegations and those who make them.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct (On The Media)

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:17 GMT

The National Football League is defending and promoting its own media brand by issuing new rules that would seem to penalize reporters who are just doing their jobs. Running interference for the journalists is Gilbert Bailon, president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

The Viral Sport (On The Media)

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:03 GMT

Surfing has films, skateboarding has VHS tapes, and parkour has the internet. After a few clips of David Belle leaping around the French suburbs made their way to the internet, a sport was accidentally born. New Yorker writer Alec Wilkinson explains how parkour managed to be the first sport to go viral.

Our favorite Parkour clip.

Life Squared (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:04 GMT

The last weekend in March, at a Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut, the 29th annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament was held. It was a record-breaking affair, with 500 contenders. We sent our producer Mike Vuolo to the event, because as a puzzle fanatic and a published puzzle constructor (a person who writes puzzles) he was desperate to go. He came back with this report.

Most Valuable Sayers (On The Media)

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 16:47 GMT

For 75 years, baseball's top honors - the Cy Young, Rookie-of-the-Year, and MVP - have been awarded by some of the game's foremost experts: newspaper sportswriters. But some editors are objecting to the practice, saying journalists should be covering the news, not creating it. Randy Harvey, sports editor at the Baltimore Sun, tells Brooke why his paper recently banned its staffers from voting on postseason awards.

Dropping the Ball (On The Media)

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:37 GMT

In her first tournament as a golf professional, 16-year-old sensation Michelle Wie finished fourth in the Samsung World Championship - that is, until a Sports Illustrated reporter turned her in to officials for breaking a rule. She was promptly disqualified. But didn't the reporter break the rules, too, by becoming a participant in a story he was meant to report? Bob speaks with Sports Illustrated editor Jim Herre about the rules in golf and journalism.

The Sporting Life (On The Media)

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 17:53 GMT

Over 25 years, fantasy sports have become a real-world pastime, affecting how millions of fans interact with actual sports played on actual fields. Once upon a time sports fans were devoted to ball clubs, or certain iconic stars. Fantasy owners, however, live or die by the fortunes of players who may or may not be on their favorite teams. Bob talks with Rotisserie Baseball founding father Daniel Okrent and fantasy-league commentator Matthew Berry.

That's Entertainment (On The Media)

Wed, 21 May 2008 21:25 GMT

Take the world's best amateur athletes, put them together for two weeks of healthy competition, throw in some good old-fashioned jingoism, and what do you get? A sporting event that many American sports fans couldn't care less about. Mike Pesca looks at how NBC is packaging the Olympics for an audience of non-sports fans, while other media outlets are left in the lurch.

Endgame (On The Media)

Tue, 20 May 2008 20:57 GMT

The horserace, political fumbles, the knockout blow. Once again, sports metaphors are a ubiquitous part of the presidential campaign. But this year, sports themselves are in the middle of the political playing field. And the images of the candidates on the water, on the mound or against any other sporting backdrop may have a real impact on the final score. OTM's John Solomon gives this play-by-play of the campaign's last lap.

Baseball Strike (On The Media)

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:14 GMT

Journalists seem unanimous when it comes to the looming baseball strike…they do not like it. But lost in their pleas to keep playing ball is the argument that a strike might actually fix all the economic woes that currently plague Major League Baseball. Bob talks to syndicated columnist and ABC News commentator George Will.

The Bard of Basketball (On The Media)

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:07 GMT

Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn died on Tuesday at the age of 85. Hearn spent 42 years calling basketball games, popularizing terms like “double dribble” and “slam dunk.” OTM Producer-At-Large Mike Pesca looks back.

Wrestling Down for the Count (On The Media)

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:47 GMT

Compared to his failed XFL football league, Vince McMahon’s wrestling league is flourishing. But compared to what it used to be, World Wrestling Entertainment is struggling big time. WWE is rapidly losing viewers for Smackdown! and Monday Night Raw, shows that once drew big ratings in primetime. Bob talks to Washington Post staff writer Paul Farhi.

North Korea Poaches World Cup (On The Media)

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:05 GMT

With South Korea co-hosting the World Cup, it’s soccer fever in the lower half of the once-united peninsula. As for North Korea, the isolated communist nation is stealing broadcasts of the games to show its citizens. But they don’t know South Korea is host; officials from the North don’t want to promote their adversary. Host Mike Pesca talks to BBC correspondent Caroline Gluck. FIFA.

Totalitarian Sports Network (On The Media)

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:06 GMT

With North Korea’s penchant for filched football broadcasts, it’s only a matter of time before sports infiltrates the state-controlled airwaves. OTM provides this promotional spot for an all-sports network on North Korean TV.

ESPN’s Email Policy (On The Media)

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:34 GMT

ESPN radio recently fired four staffers after searching the company email database and finding offensive material in their outboxes. That’s right, the network that brought you an un-bleeped Bobby Knight is clamping down on the vulgarity in its newsroom. Bob talks to Denis Horgan, Jr., canned after 10 years as a producer at the sports network.

The Baseball (Player) is Juiced (On The Media)

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:37 GMT

The Brewers beat the Twins 19 injections to 15 last night. Just kidding, of course; the Brewers lost. But steroid use is now the big issue in baseball after an article claiming half the players shoot up to gain muscle mass. Even former slugger Jose Canseco says he’s writing a book that will expose all the players using. Mike chats with former pitcher Jim Bouton, author of Ball Four.

NBA Funk (On The Media)

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:38 GMT

Despite a lackluster finals, TV ratings were up overall for pro basketball this season for the first time since Michael Jordan retired. Much of this success may be coming from the NBA’s marketing plan this year to revisit the days of the ABA in the ‘70s - afros, dunks, 3-pointers, and a whole lot of funk. Leon Wynter reports.

Post Presumes Piazza’s Proclivities, Peeves Penman (On The Media)

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:15 GMT

When The New York Post printed a rumor that a unnamed - but thinly veiled - sports star in town might be gay, soon after Mets all-star Mike Piazza gave a press conference to deny it. The Post’s Wallace Matthews wrote a column criticizing his paper’s slapdash journalism, but that column never made it into the tabloid, and Matthews no longer has a job at the Post. Bob talks to Matthews.

Spring Training (On The Media)

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:25 GMT

The beat writers covering spring training can either crush players’ illusions or play along with their upbeat confidence as the new season draws near. Drew Olsen has faced this challenge covering the Brewers for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the past 9 losing seasons, and he talks to Bob.

Sports Clichés (On The Media)

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:43 GMT

When you’re listening to a coach being interviewed after a game and think you’ve heard it all before, chances are… you have. Wake Forest professor and sports-quote scholar John Llewellyn has analyzed the boilerplates and clichés prolific among pro sports coaches. OTM sees if Llewellyn is “up to the challenge” of a Bob interview.

ESPN’s Fictitious Knight (On The Media)

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:10 GMT

Sports network ESPN’s original movie debut this weekend features a red-sweater-clad Brian Dennehy tossing around swears and chairs in his portrayal of controversial college basketball coach Bobby Knight. Does this fictional account of a newsmaker ESPN frequently covers taint the journalistic integrity of the sports news station? Bob asks ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap.

Who Owns Olympic Images? (On The Media)

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:40 GMT

Olympics highlights have been noticeably absent on TV sports news. That’s because NBC has strict guidelines on what can - but mostly cannot - be shown on other networks. Bob chats with intellectual property lawyer David Wittenstein about what happens when sports become newsworthy.

Baseball Announcers (On The Media)

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:57 GMT

Baseball purists recoil at televised coverage, claiming glib announcers, exploding graphics, and jarring sound effects treat the on-field action as a mere afterthought. Of course, baseball purists are a bitter lot. Still, for many committed fans, the game is best maintained unchanged, and, as Rex Doane reports, old-time radio announcers couldn’t agree more.

Baseball Ads (On The Media)

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:58 GMT

One baseball tradition that has stood the test of time is bad advertising during radio broadcasts. Every other commercial seems crammed with baseball references - from “Hit a home run with (your product here)” to “Don’t strike out with those other guys.” But wait -- you mean you’re not compelled to buy batteries when Energizer mentions second base in its commercial? Neither is Bob, whose irritation has been growing slowly in a lifetime of listening to play-by-play.

Iverson (On The Media)

Fri, 01 May 2009 18:41 GMT

In the last six months of the NBA season, bad boy ballplayer Allen Iverson has gone from basketball’s troublemaker to most valuable player. Sportscasters across the country have told the tale of Iverson’s transformation. Bob takes a look at Iverson’s media makeover.

ESPN Goes Fishing (On The Media)

Fri, 01 May 2009 20:20 GMT

Until recently, bass fish have managed to maintain a low media profile. But when ESPN acquired BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), bass fishing hit the big time. On The Media’s Producer-at-Large Mike Pesca has the story.

Birds (On The Media)

Fri, 01 May 2009 20:37 GMT

Birdsong makes a nice backdrop for a tense golf tournament, but when CBS was caught overdubbing bird sounds in its golf broadcasts last year, bird watchers busted the network. Bob talks to Ken Hullinga of the American Birding Association about bird watching and golf TV.

Death of a Legend (On The Media)

Fri, 01 May 2009 21:40 GMT

As North Carolina mourns its favorite son (and the rest of the world discovers just who that was), Nascar - the sport of driving fast cars into walls - is forced to look itself in the mirror. Mike Pesca wonders if it likes what it sees there.

Football vs. High Culture (On The Media)

Mon, 04 May 2009 18:37 GMT

About one quarter of all Americans will have watched some football this superbowl weekend. So we’re a football culture right? Well as a society we like football, but the culture part is another story. Bob talks to Samuel Freedman, a professor at the Columbia School of Journalism, about why football and culture don’t mix.