As many of you know WEEI re-launched its website in an attempt to be a local version of ESPN.com or Yahoo! Sports and other national sites. As part of this re-launch they have hired Rob Bradford, Mike Felger, Will Leitch and others to write articles and blog entries for weei.com. Now they want to add two more people, locals to blog about the Boston sports scene.
The “winners” will write 5 pieces a week and get paid to do it for one year in the “Next Great Sports Blogger” contest sponsored by TD BankNorth.
I wanted to let you know that “I choose not to run” and the reasons for my decision not to enter the contest.
First off I really don’t think the average everyday blogger, the true Boston sports fan who writes his or her opinions stands a snowballs chance in hell. Even though the rules prevent someone who has been paid to write for a sports site in the past it doesn’t prevent someone with a degree, fresh out of college with a writing background from entering. Someone with that experience of having been edited and molded in a college setting will be leaps and bounds above the average fan. Also it doesn’t prevent some of the comedians in waiting, guys and gals who are looking for a platform to break their career, from getting involved. Someone with comedy writing experience is in the same book as the previously mentioned possible candidates.
In the Boston blog market someone out there has the chance to be the next “Fitzy” (Nick Stevens) or the guys who do the “Red Socks Diaries” or if you listen to WEEI the Francona guy or the Bob Kraft guy those aren’t sports radio callers who are funny, they’re actual comedians looking to get noticed. That is the type of person who will win and while I don’t begrudge them the chance at launching a career I don’t think that is the intent of the contest.
The playing field will be far from level. It will look like the opening auditions of “American Idol” with the wannabe’s against the more polished writers. It can and will be ugly.
But my biggest problem lies with the judges of the event. While I highly respect Rob Bradford, the weei.com editior, and Michael Holley, who has written three books including “Patriot Reign” and was a sports writer for the Boston Globe prior to coming to WEEI, I just can not and will not allow myself to be judged by the likes of Gerry Callahan, Glenn Ordway and Mike Felger.
Callahan and Ordway are the biggest hypocrites of the bunch as they have done nothing but knock blogs and the people who write for them. Calling them many things but constantly referring to a lack of professionalism and accountability. They have no clue what a blog is, what it does, what its purpose is or how it relates to the topics it covers. Now these two assholes will be judging the very people they put down and mock openly on the air. Felger is a whole separate entity, he is just a pompous ass who is so full of himself as he constantly carries his big stick trying to stir the pot to see what shit rises to the top. He is why people loathe the media and the Boston Sports Media specifically. Just watch him on Comcast SportsNet and you can feel the smugness ooze through your television screen and onto you making you feel dirtier than if you had just watched a Mexican Donkey Show.
I just can’t bring myself to be judged by this trio. And neither should you.
