No Littering Allowed: How Large Sites Promote More Clutter Than Creativity

The blogosphere creates an interesting dilemma: How do you let those whose voices that have important and well thought out opinions be heard while sorting through mindless clutter and chatter? It is not just the blogoshpere, but society in general that is facing this issue more now that even before. The internet at times epitomizes free speech and avid sports fans take advantage of that. The problem? Not everyone thinks before they speak freely. After searching through one of the largest athletic blogging sites on the web, known as Deadspin.com, I found two blogs that though had they had nothing to do with each other topically speaking, they had something very important in common – there was very little thought put into both. If sports bloggers want to personify themselves as reputable and their subject as holding an important place in modern society we are going to have to hold ourselves to a higher standard than these two bloggers demonstrated.

The first post I discovered is about a blogger named Pete Gaines who commented on ESPN’s reporting of Stephen and Seth Curry, two current basketball stars who are not, mind you, on star teams. The second is Rick Chandler’s “report” (And I use that word rather loosely), on E!’s newest show entitled Hot Girls in Scary Places. What does that have to do with sports you ask? The three stars just so happen to be USC Song Girls. Though one would accuse my previous blog on the world of marching bands to be just as tangential, I urge you to take a look at both blogs and my comments before making that judgment. Even tangents can have substance which is something these two blogs seem to lack.

“ESPN Presents Stephen Curry’s BracketBusters, Starring Stephen Curry”
My response:
After reading your post, there were two questions that came immediately to mind:
1. Are you surprised?
2. Can you blame ESPN?
Let me elaborate…
First and foremost what is ESPN? They are quite possibly the world’s largest, and without question, the most popular source for sporting news. A company does not find itself there by accident or over night. They learned to find a story and capitalize on it. ESPN uses its resources. In this case they have taken two basic rhetorical story lines of college basketball and exploited it. Combine the two, and you might just have a story that could go beyond the boundaries of your a typical sports fan. The alumnus that would not know where to begin to look for his or her own school’s athletic website might even read this. ESPN knows that.

Its first element is The Cinderella Story that “March Madness” has become famous for. Even if the said “Cinderella” doesn’t win it all and live happily ever after, the entire country will still know their name by the time the clock strikes midnight. By creating a “Bracket Buster,” ESPN has found a way to extend the popularity of that concept well and beyond the month of March. Brackets alone are intriguing, especially by this time of the year. Who is going to subsequently destroy such brackets have everyone, even fair whether sports fan, riveted to the TV screen.
Its second element finds roots in American values – family, teamwork, tradition. You mention these brothers are partially intriguing due to their “NBA dad and hot mom.” ESPN, or any other network for that matter, might see it as two young men carrying on the tradition set in place by their father. They are brothers, sticking together in the world of sport, both succeeding, both carrying on the “family name.” Can anyone in their right mind consciously scoff at that concept? So why then, are you even surprised, that this is all you heard about through the various ESPN portals you accesss? In the end it is a business, and this is a story. A good one. Don’t you think you would blame them for not seizing the opportunity?

On another level, these boys do not go to schools that are considered powerhouses in the world of college sports. Texas’ and Oklahoma’s showdown tonight was possibly as well viewed as when these two schools met during football season. Those are two schools with well rounded athletic programs and each probably have public relations offices working over time to go with it. Can you say the same for Old Dominion or Liberty? If ESPN hadn’t taken special care in scouring the ranks of college basketball for not only the top players not just on the highest ranked teams, maybe these two boys would have remained relatively unknown. ESPN not only brought attention to two good players, but two schools that often get overlooked. Your issue might seem to have more validity if they were continually talking about two brothers who decided to go to Duke and UCLA. Why report about that? Everyone knows they are good. There is no story. The Curry Brothers might not be on teams that are as strong as the aforementioned, but that is not why they are being reported on. It’s the ideas, rhetorically speaking, that they represent. The added bonus is that two smaller schools are getting the publicity they deserve for working just as hard as a larger one. Everyone benefits.

If you truly have an issue with ESPN, it would be that though they are bringing attention to smaller schools both from this story and the entire entity called “Bracket Busters,” they are not bringing any extra revenue to go with it. Still, I could hardly call that taking advantage of the Curry Brothers or any of the “Cinderella” schools this season. There is usually some sort of income involved with making the post season to begin with. I doubt the players are going to tell their children about that one day. I will almost guarantee you they will tell them about the time ESPN interviewed them after they clinched an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. Even despite the fact that both brothers school’s lost, there is still a story, still a memory not just being capitalized on, but by captured by ESPN. That is something not even extra revenue from an ESPN story or a run in the post season can buy you. If you think they are over rated, then change the channel, but there is no harm in this story – only heart warming.

“ ‘Hot Girls in Scary Places’ to Change TV As We Know It”
My response:
May I ask you something? Are you a sports blogger? Are we not weeks away from the modern day media phenomena more commonly known as “March Madness?” Do we not have the NFL combines coming up and the subsequent draft? Isn’t there a BCS system that could take the entire off season to rework? And if I’m not mistaken, college baseball is also right around the corner. And you decide that the most interesting thing to post in is three USC Song Girls in an abandoned hospital? Let us just stop for a moment and point out the fact that the show itself has to have the most clever title ever imagined: Hot Girls in Scary Places. I’m in awe. I could easily comment on the obvious objectification of women here that E!, and in a way, that you are promoting, but that is not the injustice I wish to comment on. Accuse me of abandoning my gender if you will, but if you join any cheer or dance team, especially one as famous as USC’s, you have to realize that it comes with the territory. This post brings to mind another issue entirely: Useless tangents.

Now I for one don’t mind an occasional good tangent. I’ve reported on mascots and written on marching bands, but those are two elements that are integral to a school’s traditions and a game’s atmosphere. USC Song Girls, not in uniform, not holding pom poms and not dancing and supporting their highly ranked football team to victory has nothing to do with sports and everything to do with cluttering the sports blogosphere with information that no one is going to care about two hours from now, much less two weeks from now. What benefit is this to the college sports arena? Though blogs do have the element of entertainment to it, let’s ground our tangents in school spirit, history and talent instead of cup sizes and pretty faces. I will credit you for not giving any real creative kudos or round of applause to E! for this creation, however by commenting on it I can’t help but feel you are jumping up and down inside that someone out there was bold enough to make such mindless programming. There are enough comments on this blog to make believe that you are not the only one though.
I will be the first to acknowledge some of the mystique surrounding USC and its famous song girls. Even the college football commentator Beano Cook declared them a “national treasure” that should be shared with the entire country, traveling to different sporting events around the nation. Their classic white sweaters, pleated skirts and over sized poms poms that haven’t changed for decades could make any young man have to reach for a Kleenex to wipe the drool from his mouth, but the USC Songs Girls still have their place in sports society that goes beyond looks. They represent storied tradition. Where there is USC football, there are song girls, there is the marching band, there are thousand of “V’s for victory” being held up in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. They are part of a bigger picture the represent what is right with college sports today. Unfortunately this post represents what I feel is wrong with college sports blogs today. All entertainment; Not even an attempt at substance.

I can understand during “dead spots” when there is little to comment on in the realm collegiate activity that one might be desperate enough to turn to a story like this, but this is an active part of the season. And if you insist on commenting about something that has to do with USC, how about their inconsistent basketball team or their ranked football recruiting class? Better yet, who is going to be their next quarterback: Mustain, Corp or Barkley? For a lesser known story, how do you think Rebecca Soni is going to top off her senior year in swimming after winning an Olympic Gold medal? This is one school’s news. We could get into the conference (What do you feel about Washington State’s upset over UCLA today?), or the NCAA as a whole (With as many rules and regulations as they have there is always a scandal brewing around the corner), but I think you have gotten the point. The next time you choose to post on something that is not directly about the game itself, choose something slightly more substantial.

The Rock Stars of Collegiate Game Day: The Marching Bands

Last week, the Grammy’s had a big surprise. This is not a reference to the "Chris Brown and Rihanna incident" or the fact they put together an entire new act to replace both performers at what literally was the last possible minute. No, as wonderful as all that drama was, the biggest surprise was a group of guest artists that usually belong to a different realm. However, for a moment, they took their supporting role on the gridiron and made it center stage. If you paid attention closely, Gweneth Paltrow’s introduction of the internationally renown band Radiohead included the words “along with the USC Trojan Marching Band” (band pictured right in uniform with the Drum Major). Though this topic may seem rather tangential to a blog that claims its roots to be in college sports, there is a decisive point, a clear argument if you will, that finds me almost “out of bounds.” Allow me this one penalty in order to show a world that separates the collegiate from the professional league.

Not to ignore my loyalties for a moment, I will fully admit to you I was glued to the TV screen that Sunday night. As a member of the Trojan Marching Band whose instrumental specialty was not needed for this occasion, I still considered it an honor to watch my friends, those who have impacted my life, receive the opportunity of a lifetime and finally get the attention that they deserve. The rock stars of the USC game day experience became literal ones, if only for a moment. And that is, ladies and gentleman, the problem. It was only for a moment that the extent of their musicianship was fully displayed for the entire world – music fans, sports enthusiasts, those who were bored and accidentally stumbled upon the Grammy’s, all were able to witness a group of dedicated musicians that are use to playing "second fiddle" to their athletic counterparts finally receiving the glory of being the main attraction.Truth be told, though most marching band members will commit themselves to a life of service for their university and its athletes, most will not get a moment in the sun beyond rallies, beyond half time. Even at Universities such as my own USC or others such as Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and even Grambling State where the marching band is integral to tradition, most people forget to this thank these musician-athletes.

Why? People take the atmosphere for granted. Football, and even basketball games, are no longer games–they are events. They are media money makers, heart attack inducers, spend-part-of-your-life-savings-to-see-your-alma-mater-in-the-“Big-One” phenomena. Good bye are the days when it was only about the school colors and the score. When the game is over, it will not matter what the score says because either way, there will still be a “my team is better than your team” debriefing between the best friends/bitter rivals and the score may never come up. The players and coaches? They come and go. The tradition? It is the deciding factor. Just ask USC Hall of Famer Rodney Pete . When deciding play for USC all the way back in the 80's he said "My dad told me 'Coaches can be gone next year, at SC, they'd always have that band." When it comes to college sports, forget the score; Hand over the tradition. Especially if you are a Notre Dame football fan.

As much of a low blow as that last statement seemed (Especially considering my roots), there truly is a point to it. Why, despite the utter lack of success the Notre Dame football team has had to endure recently, do people keep coming back for more? The answer is simple: Tradition. Whether it be the media, Irishmen, Trojans, or Rodney Pete's father, they can all tell you the back bone of it all: The Marching Bands. They are the keepers of the fight song. The protectors of the Alma Mater. The cause of the facial tick of an opposing fan. They are, in a sense, the torch bearers of a school's proudest and longest traditions. And after the 2008 season was put into the books and the highlight reel complied, you know what the most talked about part of the game? Half time. That’s right. The bands were more evenly matched than the teams themselves. Afterward, there were never seen so many blogs and articles that appeared that commented more, or argued more, about the half time shows from each school. What saved the entire experience were the marching bands. Suddenly you could not longer take the atmosphere for granted. Literally, the game collapsed, but rhetorically the event did not.

This very reason is why most people have trouble with the professional realm. Though some can claim loyalty to a certain city, and therefore a certain team, its traditions still appear surface level, manufactured almost. The Super Bowl may be “The Great American Holiday” but it can never replace “The Grand Daddy of them All.” Cheerleaders are picked for the sex appeal alone and the half time shows have included everything from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to Justin Timberlake “accidentally” undressing Janet Jackson. It’s all about today’s rating and nothing about tomorrow’s longevity. This is an iTunes culture – we live our lives to soundtracks and have produced a generation where music, however classical or modern, is cherished more than ever, but we have no real musical tradition for the professional leagues.To qualify this statement, I will stop and give credit to the Los Angeles Lakers for trying to bring musical tradition into the NBA. They have a live, small band at every home game. Their director and most of their members hail from another organization just right down the street from the Staples Center. You guessed it: They are from the USC Marching Band.

I urge you, the next time you head over to South Bend, Indiana for a Notre Dame football game or Durham, North Carolina for a Duke basketball game pause for a moment and take in the atmosphere. Traditions not only can be seen, but they can felt and, most importantly, heard. Listen to students sing the fight songs and watch everyone stand as a school song begins. Hop over to Ohio State and watch the “I” in the “Script Ohio” be dotted by the senior tuba player during the "Best Damn Band in the Land's" pre-game show. Go down south to see Grambling State groove to the music they are flawlessly playing at the same time. Find your way back to the West Coast and watch UCLA fans cringe when USC starts up “Tribute to Troy” for the 83rd time in the first quarter. And if you ever see any of these hardworking students who live for their fellow Trojans/Bruins/Buckeyes/Blue Devils/Tigers’ success, thank them and instead of treating them like the rocks stars of game day, just treat them like rock stars (2009 Grammy performance pictured left). After last Sunday, some of them are anyway .

Scout Report: The Best in the Playing Field of the World Wide Web

Every Friday morning you can find me manning the phone lines for the USC Sports Information Department. After a year and a half I can you tell there is one kind of inquiry that I am never allowed to answer - scouting questions. Please don't try. We can't make exceptions. I. Can't. Answer. This is why I am thrilled to finally be answering a scouting question of sorts for the first time. Though I can't tell which high school senior is at the top of Pete Carroll's list, I can tell you who you want on your team when facing an opponent much larger than your cross town rival. After input from outside experts (Such as the Webby Award's Criteria which is used to judge outstanding websites and the IMSA criteria which are used to evaluate the quality of blogs by looking at everything from the blogger him/herself to the timeliness of the posts) and some good old fashioned "foot work" using search engines and Boolean search techniques, I can introduce to you the recruiting class of 2009 for college sports information. From the official to opinion, diversity and depth has proven this to be a stellar team of sites that will help anyone reach the top of charts. Leading the way in my linkroll is some of the athletic world's most renown journalistic sources with the Los Angeles Times Sports Section, "The Quad" which is the New York Times college sports blog, and Sports Illustrated's college football blog (For those of you who find basketball only something to do between the regular season and spring ball). Major television networks have also turned to the web, which is why you'll find Fox Sports Net, ESPN and CSTV at your disposal. From there, we have specific sites dedicated to bringing together the sports bloggers of the world to one place. In the Bleachers and Sportsblogs Nation will bring out the most opinionated writers and let them discuss their innermost thoughts in a central location. Finally, from unofficial word to the official; There is a link for every major conference site and the NCAA. The rest, however, is up to you. Just as a good coach can make the difference for a team, an informed sports fan can make the difference in a heated debate. Compare and contrast the conferences to make inferences about their success (Or lack there of) nationally, take in the opinions of your peers and make your game plan impenetrable to the weak arguments of the ill informed. Now, the ball is in your court.