Open Court: Sadly out of touch

Let me preface everything I’m about to write by saying that H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger is one of the main reasons I do this for a living.

“Friday Night Lights” is one of the finest non-fiction books of my lifetime and required reading for anyone thinking of becoming a sportswriter.

With that said, his surreal appearance on “Costas Now” this past Tuesday on HBO proved that the gap that exists between the old guard of “classically trained” sportswriters and the average fan has grown into a chasm of Grand Canyon-esque proportions.

Bissinger appeared on a panel with Deadspin’s Will Leitch, the man generally recognized as the most successful and visible sports blogger in America, to engage in a thought-provoking discussion about the direction of sports media and its place in the information age.

Sadly, that discussion never happened. Instead, Bissinger elected to turn the segment into his personal soapbox about the evils of sports blogs.

Seething with anger, Bissinger tore into Leitch with a nasty mix of condescension and sarcasm. He caustically tossed around profanity while attempting to illustrate Deadspin’s low-brow mentality.

Oh, the irony.

Bob Costas, allegedly the moderator of this discussion, took sides with his buddy, Buzz. However, his arguments took a severe hit when it became clear that he didn’t know the difference between a post and a comment.

Oddly, Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver Braylon Edwards took part, as well. It would’ve been much more interesting had Costas invited an athlete well-versed in the blogosphere, like Curt Schilling or (dare to dream) Gilbert Arenas.

This resentment toward blogs is nothing new. The old guard has attempted to paint bloggers as nothing but “talent-less losers who live in their parents’ basements” for as long as the Internet has been a viable news outlet.

Mike Lupica, Mitch Albom, Rick Reilly and countless other prominent writers have voiced Bissinger’s opinions on countless occasions, albeit with slightly less venom and profanity.

Look, I’m fully aware that newspaper columnists aren’t supposed to support bloggers. Supposedly, bloggers are “the enemy,” attempting to do away with credentials, access and professionalism in hopes of achieving a bitter, insult-fueled discourse.

However, this simply isn’t true.

I believe traditional reporting and blogging serve two completely different purposes.

Many stories couldn’t be written without access to the coaches and athletes. However, that access can compromise a writer’s true opinions on occasion.

If I were to write a harsh, yet warranted criticism of a coach, there is a better-than-good chance that coach would refuse to speak to me, thereby limiting the access I need to do my job.

Conversely, it would be impossible to form an informed opinion on the behind-the-scenes dynamics of any team without that access.

Both viewpoints are necessary in order to fully enjoy sports.

And that is the key word in this debate: enjoy.

See, most blogs attempt to entertain in some way, whether it’s with off-beat humor or with outlandish proclamations. These are not presented as serious, hard-hitting journalism.

Nobody is forced to read these sports blogs. It isn’t mandatory.

However, the anger that permeates from the mainstream media comes from a mix of fear and ignorance.

Just because I write a sports column doesn’t make my opinion any “better” than anyone else’s. The wonderful thing about the Internet is that it creates an outlet for everyone.

Are some sports blogs terribly written and agenda-based? Yes, but so are some newspaper columns. It’s up to the reader to decide.

Don’t let people like Buzz Bissinger make that decision for you.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747