Enlightened NASCAR officials set the pace for the other pro sports earlier this month when they recognized that internet bloggers can maximize their ability to reach out to as many fans as possible.
NASCAR used a lengthy review process to determine that 28 independent websites deserved by their serious attention to the sport to apply for media credentials and have access to the same interviews behind the scenes with drivers and NASCAR personnel that the traditional media does.
"As traditional news coverage continues to decline across the board for all sports, it is important to recognize the emerging media sources that provide unique points of view to growing audiences," NASCAR said in a statement released July 17.
Can you hear that, NHL? Are your ears open to change, Blackhawks? NASCAR has beaten you to the punch by acknowledging the shifting tides of media. They have burned rubber while your judgment again has been as incisive as a block of ice.
NASCAR embraces bloggers while Blackhawks crash and burn
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Not that it's surprising to see the NHL being slow to perceive nuances. The league's history is one of being insular and inward, a restricted club sport for a few rather than a national attraction that can be viewed as accepted, universal entertainment everywhere.
The NHL isn't even recognized in some places in this country as a legitimate sport,which also applied to a marginalized Chicago for so many years. So it is even more susceptible than the MLB, NFL and NBA to accusations that it refuses to see what is right in front of their plugged and upturned noses.
You need all the media help you can get, even a developing Blackhawks club that thinks internally that it has quite enough attention, thank you, no more required. Yeah, right.
Shortsighted and backward thinking prevails. You are far short of knowing all the answers. Listen to NASCAR.
"As more and more fans turn from newspapers to new sources for their racing information, and as more websites become professional, NASCAR had to take notice and act," said Jim Pedley, a manging editor of racintoday.com. "You have to believe the fans will be the beneficiaries."
Why haven't other pro sports followed suit? Simple. Front-office officials are scared as hell at losing control.
They see a small contingent of traditional media as controllable. Small fires can be put out easily. They see adding bloggers as akin to a prison break, where they will have to round up the dogs and unlock the gun rack to get everybody in their cells.
Throughout history, revolutionary changes have been met with stubborn resistance from the entrenched elitists. And there are an untold numbers of entrenched elistists among the administrative side of NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL teams.
Plus, you have the traditional media acting like Jim Bowie at the Alamo. They encourage all the entrenched elitists to stand strong and don't let bloggers overwhelm the fort. They are also scared as hell at losing control, so they enable teams to bury their heads in the sand by painting blogger access as the end of mankind as we know it.
If Noah thought he had it bad for 40 days, 40 nights of hellish rain, imagine the ruin and destruction of living through 41 games at United Center next season with a few bloggers to chronicle the ups and downs. My God, we are under attack from the heavens. Get Michael The Archangel on the phone.
"We welcome citizen journalists to the media center in hopes that it increases the depth of knowledge of our fan base," said Dustin Long, National Motorsports Press Association president.
Added Ramsey Poston, NASCAR managing director of corporate communications: "More voices speaking about NASCAR is good for the sport and fan-friendly. We intend to make the most of the changing media landscape."
Not so the Blackhawks. Inquiries for interviews with coaches and players from this blogger in order to make the most of the changing media landscape by giving my perspective on their words have been met with--no, no, you are a blogger. No interviews. No conference calls. No access. No shoes, no service.
I was credentialed for the final Stanley Cup playoff games in Chicago, but told afterward my status as a Chicago Now blogger did not accord me the same privileges as traditional media.
Discrimination? Nah, just fear of the unknown. Bloggers are still the great unwashed, told either to go silently to the back of the bus or just lay under the wheels. Your choice.
Some bloggers don't want access. They prefer to observe from afar and provide commentary. They don't want to wait endlessly at a player's locker for somebody who never shows up and some probably don't want to be face-to-face with a player they criticized through the blog and be told to go screw off.
Me, I'm like Manny Ramirez. The more booing the better. Gets the blood flowing.
Some bloggers want to know a player or coach up close and see what makes them tick, get their own answers that traditional media might not be providing, have relationships created that lead to off-the-record conversations that again scare the hell out of the front office.
No whistle blowers, please, like getting Martin Havlat to call John McDonough a phony in January rather than wait until July.
Some bloggers want to give their insight into what's happened right in front of them, make it sound more knowledgable than peering from a distance at your TV. Some bloggers can't pay to travel on their own dime to games in Vancouver and assorted cities, but neither does all the traditional media anymore. Road travel has been severely limited at some newspapers.
That means long-used argument that traditional media pays to travel to road games no longer applies across the board, no longer warrants them more access. The tight economy has made citizen journalists out of us all.
Again,the basic question centers on teams wanting to control the media. Some bloggers don't have bosses other than themselves. Teams don't like that, wanting to complain to the higher authority if a blogger unfairly rakes someone over the coals in their judgment.
NASCAR wasn't petrified of occasional criticisms from bloggers. Comes with the territory. They aren't self-righteous enough to think they don't make some mistakes and won't be second-guessed.
In the end, the NHL, the Blackhawks and all pro leagues and teams will have to come to grips with a changing media world that has them hiding under their desks. As long as they restrict bloggers, they withhold and happily suppress information from their fans and undercut their attempts at least in theory to grow hockey's popularity.
They have nothing to fear but fear itself. I think I heard that somewhere, perhaps from the great hockey philosopher Wayne Van Dorp.
The NHL isn't even recognized in some places in this country as a legitimate sport,which also applied to a marginalized Chicago for so many years. So it is even more susceptible than the MLB, NFL and NBA to accusations that it refuses to see what is right in front of their plugged and upturned noses.
You need all the media help you can get, even a developing Blackhawks club that thinks internally that it has quite enough attention, thank you, no more required. Yeah, right.
Shortsighted and backward thinking prevails. You are far short of knowing all the answers. Listen to NASCAR.
"As more and more fans turn from newspapers to new sources for their racing information, and as more websites become professional, NASCAR had to take notice and act," said Jim Pedley, a manging editor of racintoday.com. "You have to believe the fans will be the beneficiaries."
Why haven't other pro sports followed suit? Simple. Front-office officials are scared as hell at losing control.
They see a small contingent of traditional media as controllable. Small fires can be put out easily. They see adding bloggers as akin to a prison break, where they will have to round up the dogs and unlock the gun rack to get everybody in their cells.
Throughout history, revolutionary changes have been met with stubborn resistance from the entrenched elitists. And there are an untold numbers of entrenched elistists among the administrative side of NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL teams.
Plus, you have the traditional media acting like Jim Bowie at the Alamo. They encourage all the entrenched elitists to stand strong and don't let bloggers overwhelm the fort. They are also scared as hell at losing control, so they enable teams to bury their heads in the sand by painting blogger access as the end of mankind as we know it.
If Noah thought he had it bad for 40 days, 40 nights of hellish rain, imagine the ruin and destruction of living through 41 games at United Center next season with a few bloggers to chronicle the ups and downs. My God, we are under attack from the heavens. Get Michael The Archangel on the phone.
"We welcome citizen journalists to the media center in hopes that it increases the depth of knowledge of our fan base," said Dustin Long, National Motorsports Press Association president.
Added Ramsey Poston, NASCAR managing director of corporate communications: "More voices speaking about NASCAR is good for the sport and fan-friendly. We intend to make the most of the changing media landscape."
Not so the Blackhawks. Inquiries for interviews with coaches and players from this blogger in order to make the most of the changing media landscape by giving my perspective on their words have been met with--no, no, you are a blogger. No interviews. No conference calls. No access. No shoes, no service.
I was credentialed for the final Stanley Cup playoff games in Chicago, but told afterward my status as a Chicago Now blogger did not accord me the same privileges as traditional media.
Discrimination? Nah, just fear of the unknown. Bloggers are still the great unwashed, told either to go silently to the back of the bus or just lay under the wheels. Your choice.
Some bloggers don't want access. They prefer to observe from afar and provide commentary. They don't want to wait endlessly at a player's locker for somebody who never shows up and some probably don't want to be face-to-face with a player they criticized through the blog and be told to go screw off.
Me, I'm like Manny Ramirez. The more booing the better. Gets the blood flowing.
Some bloggers want to know a player or coach up close and see what makes them tick, get their own answers that traditional media might not be providing, have relationships created that lead to off-the-record conversations that again scare the hell out of the front office.
No whistle blowers, please, like getting Martin Havlat to call John McDonough a phony in January rather than wait until July.
Some bloggers want to give their insight into what's happened right in front of them, make it sound more knowledgable than peering from a distance at your TV. Some bloggers can't pay to travel on their own dime to games in Vancouver and assorted cities, but neither does all the traditional media anymore. Road travel has been severely limited at some newspapers.
That means long-used argument that traditional media pays to travel to road games no longer applies across the board, no longer warrants them more access. The tight economy has made citizen journalists out of us all.
Again,the basic question centers on teams wanting to control the media. Some bloggers don't have bosses other than themselves. Teams don't like that, wanting to complain to the higher authority if a blogger unfairly rakes someone over the coals in their judgment.
NASCAR wasn't petrified of occasional criticisms from bloggers. Comes with the territory. They aren't self-righteous enough to think they don't make some mistakes and won't be second-guessed.
In the end, the NHL, the Blackhawks and all pro leagues and teams will have to come to grips with a changing media world that has them hiding under their desks. As long as they restrict bloggers, they withhold and happily suppress information from their fans and undercut their attempts at least in theory to grow hockey's popularity.
They have nothing to fear but fear itself. I think I heard that somewhere, perhaps from the great hockey philosopher Wayne Van Dorp.
5 Comments
Dave Morris said:
Mike, you make a number of excellent points here again.
Let's face it...NASCAR is way ahead of the curve when it comes to connecting with the fan base, and the populist surge in web communities, for some pretty simple reasons.
The France family, who I have had the privilege of working with, run NASCAR, lock, stock and smokin' tires.
If you want a decision, waaal jes' gitcher butt down to Daytona International Speedway and make an appointment to see Mr. France--that is, whichever one of the Mr. Frances runs that particular part of the enterprise.
The France family is directly plugged in to their constituency...witness, for example, their full co-operation with the makers of 'Talladega Nights'...not afraid to take a joke, these good ole boys. It's rednecks having the last laugh; and all part of thumbing their noses at The Establishment, which is what NASCAR has ALWAYS done...by the nature of their spectacle.
In stark contrast...who runs the NHL? The Board of Governors? Do they Tweet? Heck, do they even Google?
Keep in mind that if the owners still had their way--as they did in the fifties, an era I suspect many of them would like to go back to--players would have fewer rights than greyhound dogs and fans would get their news from reporters whose investigative methods consisted of elbow bending marathons with coaches and players. And a promise to keep it 'off the record'.
In the age of instant information, we assume the blogosphere is what frightens the mighty...but maybe, just maybe, the Mainstream Media is ALSO behind the blockade. After all, you ARE one of those 'rebels' putting newspapers out of business.
Not that we need newspapers anymore...or even TV networks, for that matter.
As Chicago playwright David Mamet's stage and screenwork reminds us, "Things Change".
Keep up the great work.
Mike Kiley said:
I also used to be one of those traditional media screaming to keep those damn website writers out of here. Via free agency, I have changed teams.
Forklift said:
Personally, I'm pretty confident that some legitimate writers read us illegitimate ones. I actually got to have a couple seconds with McD and co. at the Convention, and asked about credentials for bloggers (yes, I refer to myself by the "b word"), and they had the expected timid response:
"If we credential one blog, we have to credential them all", which you and I both know are hogwash, and I politely explained if that were the case, why credential the Trib or Herald and not the Niles Pennysaver, or whichever paper asks for it.
I'm pretty certain that Second City Hockey would be the best candidate, since it's a long-running blog (albeit with writers who have been there for just around a year), a large readership, and the muscle of SBNation (whose hockey blogs are far superior to other sports, thanks in no small part to James Mirtle).
While we would probably not be in any big rush to get credentialed and cover every game, there are certainly sites (hockeybuzz, Fifth Feather, The Third Man In, SCH, you guys) that would add value both to the Hawks and to your own sites by having credentials and access.
Mike Kiley said:
Even being a bastard fifth cousin to the Chicago Tribune, which is about where Chicago Now rates in the Blackhawks' minds, isn't moving the mountain. As long as they can identify all of us as scum, it makes it simple for them. No fuss, no muss. Many pro sports teams didn't like me when I was a reporter for the Tribune and Sun-Times, but were forced to accept me against their wishes. They had no choice. Not that they do, they are going to have no part of dealing with me. They want a media that's sheep following the rest of the flock. I saw on your convention blog where you approached McDonough about credentials. I applaud the effort and encourage you to keep on. If nothing else, it'll annoy them. When the Sun-Times folds and a general media that couldn't care less about hockey shrivels, maybe blogs will be re-evaluated. It will have to come from the NHL hierarchy. But I wouldn't hold my breath. They're not as far-sighted as NASCAR officials. While NASCAR attendance has dropped lately, the NHL would kill for those numbers and its TV exposure. But they can't put 2 and 2 together without going over the salary cap.
Forklift said:
Even with our sophomoric humor and bad language, we're more worthy of credentials than The Writer Who Won't Be Named (except in profane headlines that get us chided for said bad language).
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