Mo Williams, Kay Felder work out together to prepare for season
August 25, 2016Bull or Bauer Market?: Between Innings
August 26, 2016Happy Friday WFNY readers. I’m doing something a bit different this week. I didn’t pick out any soccer zen or music for you. Instead, I’m diving a bit deeper from what we discussed on the WFNY owners podcast.
When sports blogging started, it was about filling the gaps and providing additional voices to topics that were under-served and could use more discussion. Baseball analytics were under-reported in the mainstream media. Bloggers geeked out on the salary cap, and CBAs of the NFL and NBA proving that it was something sports fans wanted to consume at a deeper level. Bloggers also helped bring some of the screenshot analysis to the forefront of online sports coverage, dissecting key plays and sequences in both football and basketball games. Without bloggers, there probably wouldn’t have been a GIF revolution because it toes the line of fair use. These new voices across multitudes of new websites pushed the fringes of sports news to make sure they fed the hunger for content like a small independent restaurant strategically placed in between an Applebee’s and a Chili’s. The fringes are no longer the fringes, however. “Alternative music” has become mainstream.
Somewhere along the way, every outlet — newspapers, TV stations, internet media, and otherwise — went from linking to blogs and pushing their overflow traffic there, to incorporating it into their business. It makes sense. What someone was willing to do for free, they’d also be willing to do for a reasonable salary at a traditional media company. The result in terms of demand is staggering. What once looked like a never-ending insatiable hunger in the marketplace for sports coverage has turned into an overfed gavaged goose that’s meant to produce Foie gras.
The current climate is one where everyone’s voice is amplified so much that nobody’s voice is amplified. Sports blogging has become like a cascade of annoying readers bumping their heads on the way to typing “FIRST!” at the top of a comment section. Even if 17 other people have written about a minuscule occurrence, tangentially related to sports, it must also be covered here there and everywhere so that we can all get an additional 700 clicks to our websites. The headlines must be grabby as minor statements will be described as the speakers “LOSING IT!” or “GOING HAM!” Nobody is going to click unless it’s made out to be superlative.
And once you get that click, it’s all been worth it. Once you get that pageview added to your stats, you’ve won. There’s no downside to it, really, because front pages are becoming less and less of a destination. Nobody is adding you to their RSS reader, so there’s no risk of being removed. Even if someone’s annoyed that they clicked on your story, by the time they see the next audacious headline from your site floating by on Twitter or Facebook, they’ll forget your “Upworthy” impression and give you another page view the next time as well. What I used to consider even the best sports blogs in the universe now routinely post YouTube clips, except they place them on a second page, that you must click for absolutely no other reason than to double the activity on the site.
I used to want to be on the treadmill running this race to nowhere and many on this site have helped us chase these stories like they are objectives to an important mission. As I sit here today looking around in 2016 I now know there is no mission.
I don’t have any delusions about my place in the world of sports writing and commentary. I know that I’m only marginally relevant to a small number of people in a single sports city between what I’ve written over the years and what I’ve spoken into microphones for the WFNY Podcast. That said, I also know the only thing I have going for me is my voice, whatever the size. When it comes to sharing silly little sports stories that have been shared to death and also have no real impact on the world, I’m not using that voice efficiently.
That doesn’t mean that it’s pointless to share a video or clip of something small with just a few words of opinion and description. I would never claim there’s no value to finding, linking and sharing things.
However, as I was trying to find something to discuss on WFNY on a Monday, some months ago, there was one story that appeared to be the must-write blog post of the day. It was a “story” that was just barely enough about sports to be included in a sports conversation. That story was Paul Ryan having the audacity to wave a “Terrible Towel” in front of a Pennsylvania group at the RNC in Cleveland. I briefly wondered if it should be mentioned somewhere on WFNY, but quickly decided not. What could I possibly say about it? As I quickly learned, there was nothing that I could say that hadn’t already been said thousands of times over.
It was toward the end of my (late) lunch just before 2:00 p.m. and after Googling “Paul Ryan terrible towel” on Google News, there were “About 18,500 results.” By Tuesday morning the number was 35,900 results and top names included For the Win, The Washington Post, CBSSports.com, NJ.com, Cleveland.com, and Philly.com. What could I possibly do with that other than hit ctrl-c, and ctrl-v and collect a couple of hundred hits?
None of this is to downgrade the writers who are responsible for writing these stories elsewhere. I can’t stress this enough, especially considering I used to write a whole lot of these stories at WFNY and considered adding it to our pages as well. Many of these writers are genuinely talented people, some of whom I know personally and respect greatly. This serves to ask a major question of their bosses and those who set the larger agenda for media properties. I want to examine the entire exercise. What in the hell are we doing, and should we do things differently?
It’s easier for me to say that, yes, we should do things differently because I do this part-time and don’t feed my family with a paycheck from writing. It’s also easy for me to stray because, without any of those dire circumstances on the line, to go against the norm of chasing site hits like so many editors with ad sales people in their ear, it is a much smaller risk or cost.
I just know that I can’t add my voice to that chorus and expect anything interesting to happen for me. It used to be like a literary video game, to find that tidbit and see how it would do stats-wise, as we looked to drive audience and traffic to WFNY. As the market changed and website hits have been spread out to more and more media properties, we just couldn’t compete for speed and virality. While blogs once helped fill gaps in the sports media landscape, every media outlet has codified the process of filling holes with all the sports content inventory anyone could ever want.
I don’t want to be too precious about this, but I didn’t get into this to fill inventory. I didn’t get into this to check the boxes on a standardized test. For me, this has always been a creative outlet. Granted it’s not the same artistry as playing music, writing novels, or making films, but it can still be artistic at times. And even in the absence of art, it has been fun to build a community and use this platform to make real friends, even in a virtual medium, if that makes sense. And let’s just say I don’t think I’ve made any new friends because I was first to post a clip of a coach flubbing an interview that got some run from Twitter and Google for 37 minutes.
I don’t know why it’s taking me this long to simply conclude that we shouldn’t consider our audiences to be empty page views. There are too many people who currently do so at the behest of their CPM overlords. When you boil down the current content like a liquid, to reveal the substance hiding in the solution, that’s the right conclusion I think. Regardless of page views and clicks, and regardless of the size of the audience I can ever help build, I have to focus first on the content. I need to decide what I want to produce and work every day not to stray from that.
I don’t know if this is just admitting to defeat, or if it’s a refusal to run the daily sprinted rat race. Probably a bit of both. Or maybe I’m just having one of those emo weeks. That’s probably it.
27 Comments
After the scout experiment it should be clear what role sports blogs like WFNY occupy. Community rallying points. I don’t care if you post the same content as Cleveland.com, what I care about, and what keeps me coming back is the posters. The articles serve as a moderator introducing the topic and the community picks it up from there, sharing jokes, insights, triumphs and tragedies. WFNY is a virtual water-cooler and you guys are the conversation-starters.
I thought your move to Scout was interesting, in a very amoral sense. Personally, I would’ve tried for the SB Nation infrastructure because the comments section is equal to the disqus functionality, but hey everyone’s a critic. Scout to me was a curious choice.
I totally get wanting to get from under the burden to maintain the technology. I’ve been in tech for 30 years and it is a 24/7 support, constant planning and re-planning because things don’t go like they are scheduled. You’d rather manage the writers and the creative side, completely understand.
But I think you also underestimated the creative side of not just the content but the site architecture itself. I’ve seen it evolve pretty significantly over the years and it’s pretty slick.
I would encourage you to be exploiting the fact that you are private and can do what others can’t. Leverage the community and it will grow. Texts with Ray was absolutely brilliant. No one else in the media came close to that on Farmer, and couldn’t because none of them are set up like WFNY. Jessica’s stuff has been great, and the place could use more estrogen. On the podcast you guys talked about the 100’s of pieces you’ve gotten from fans writing about their fandom history. I totally get that you are looking for blogging beat writers that can contribute creatively on a daily basis. But so what, run some anyway. No strings attached, run a piece or two a week. Throw it out there. Frankly, I’d be more likely to spend my time reading that than a rehash of something that I saw on twitter a few hours ago or yesterday.
Finally, I would just say thanks. I really can’t imagine having stuck through it for as long as you guys have without going down a path to have to generate substantial income and all that entails. This is a thoroughly thought provoking site, that is most often entertaining as hell. It took a lot of guts to make the Scout change, and even more to undo it. Admirable indeed.
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great post , HOP …
another great post , JPT … nicely done.
excellent article , CRAIG …
But, I thought you loved me?
hehe, just kidding – I have no qualms about the commenters taking tangents loosely based on what we write (obviously).
Also, I believe Craig wrote above I can take whatever tangents I want to when I write. That is how I read it and am taking it at least. So, watch out!
What is love?
http://thedailybird.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/what-is-love.jpg
http://img14.deviantart.net/8332/i/2011/236/f/9/love_is_a_puzzle_by_5h3ll3x-d47odzw.jpg
we love you, but we’re not in love with you
Texts From Ray was quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve ever read on any sports related site.
Comedic gold.
Bode, did you get into the wine a little early today?
Heh heh…
https://media.giphy.com/media/7MIULHLEeZyKs/giphy.gif
I believe you missed an ‘h’ in there
http://www.bowiefun.com/jakdanc.gif
I offer 1 gazillion recs.
Oh yeah it is Friday isn’t it?
http://media.giphy.com/media/ciP0N1QVpJ8Xe/giphy.gif
When most people start a garage band, they dream of the radio single and playing with [insert rock idol]. The reality is a Myspace page with a hundred friends and getting ripped off by Peabody’s on tickets you sold yourself to family and co-workers. Most people quickly give it up, while some realize that making music with friends is actually an enjoyable endeavor in itself and that it isn’t about the potential outcome or unrelated nonsense associated with it. The act in itself is special. SO TOO WITH SPORTS BLOGGING.
Mr. Crusher, set engines to full emo power…. Engage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPNaVorPOA4
>I would encourage you to be exploiting the fact that you are private and can do what others can’t. Leverage the community and it will grow.
Agree completely. As a great internet procrastinator, I’m struck by how much of an echo chamber the internet is. Same story, same comments, same voice.
I seriously can’t stop watching this. That guy’s form in breaking through the window is just impeccable.
Hop… love the post, but I’m really disappointed you didn’t start it off with “FIRST!”
8 out of 10, with points knocked off for a missed opportunity
I mean, in the cleveland scene, WFNY is pretty well known and respected. Smart writers and articles, a great community, and enough content to satisfy most of us throughout our day.
Click bait sports is akin to cotton candy. You get all riled up, and then it disappears. There isn’t any substance. WFNY is steak by comparison. Delicious steak. Or a sandwich.
Honestly, you’re the only cleveland sports source I care to visit on a regular basis.
I am sorry for your sakes that the scout thing didn’t work out. But I am happy for us that it didn’t. I think we all missed it.
If WFNY is a sandwich, then I must be a hot dog!
The calm demeanor throughout is the most impressive part.
But a hotdog…is…a…..sand…..EXPLODE!
Romanburger, maybe?