In The Press Box
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Ah, exclamations from the days when newspapers were plentiful, many cities had both a morning and an evening paper and all journalists, including sportswriters in the press box, were looking for the big scoop of the day.
From those times came a sports rivalry we may not think much about: sports journalists competing for THE story, hoping to be the one to break the sports headline of the moment.
That rivalry goes on today, but the circumstances are far different from the days of hawking newspapers on the corner, a time when for sports fans it was the written story that kept fans abreast of their teams.
The Sportswriters
Bob Nightengale has covered baseball as a journalist for 35 years. He has been at USA Today as a columnist for the last 22, after working at the Kansas City Star and the Los Angeles Times. He has witnessed the evolving world of sportswriting, changes that seem to have come at the speed of light.
Scott Miller has been a sports journalist for an equal number of years, at CBSSports.com, the Pioneer Press in Minnesota, the Los Angeles Times and now as a national baseball columnist at Bleacher Report. He is co-author of the book “Ninety Percent Mental” with former pitcher Bob Tewksbury.
Listen as they describe the never-ending rivalry for the sports stories of the day.
The Rivalry in the Press Box
They tell us how that job has dramatically changed with the advent of social media. They discuss what “on and off the record” has come to mean in a day of instant publication on the many platforms available to the public.
You may not associate the word “paranoia” with sports journalism, but it is applicable and you’re about to hear why.
What is the future of sports journalism and the rivalry among writers to get the story?
As fans, are we receiving more or less information that matters and how have the sources for this information changed?
Past, present and future in this discussion between two national sports journalists in a business where the rivalry is 24/7. Enjoy.
Further Listening:
Be sure to subscribe to the Sports Rivals podcast to listen to this rivalry on your favorite podcast app:
If you loved this episode, check out our others:
- The Crawl of Fame | Ep 1
- 1985 American League Championship | Ep 2
- Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry | Ep 3
- 1984 Tigers vs Blue Jays | Ep 4
- 2002 World Series | Giants vs Angels | Ep 5
- UCLA vs Arizona | NCAA Mens’ Basketball | Ep 6
- ACC College Basketball | MD vs VT | Ep 7
- Army vs Navy | NCAA Football | Ep 8
- GM vs Agent | Major League Baseball | Ep 9
- 1988 NLCS | Dodgers vs Mets | Ep 10
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