Thursday, November 18, 2010

Panel of Sports Media Celebs Discuss and Debate

The sports media elite came out last night for a panel discussion hosted by the University of Maryland's College of Journalism.  The topic of conversation:  do we have too much sports in our lives?

The event was in honor of legendary Washington Post sports columnist Shirley Povich and was moderated by his son, talk show host Maury Povich.  Panelists included:

-Tony Kornheiser: ESPN's Pardon the Interruption and radio host on SportsTalk 980AM

-Christine Brennan:  USA Today sports columnist

-Daniel Snyder:  owner of the Washington Redskins

-Scott Van Pelt:  ESPN sports center anchor and radio host

-Kevin Blackistone:  ESPN's Around the Horn and sports columnist for AOL FanHouse


Here are a couple of interesting comments from the discussion and Q&A session that followed: (not presented below in chronological order)

ESPN's Scott Van Pelt makes a point as part of the panel discussion.
Snyder:  Media scrutiny is now over the top.  Everyone has the ability to be the media because of social channels.  It creates an environment in which statements and commentary can be irresponsible.  Everyone has to be first with the news, regardless of whether it's accurate.  It's like reporting doesn't necessarily need facts any longer.  (He was referring to recent criticism that the benching of Donovan McNabb during the Redskins/Lions game was racially motivated.)

Brennan:  There is no accountability in the blogosphere which creates a real challenge for journalists who are dependent upon credibility.

Kornheiser:  Newspapers are not dying...they are dead.  Diversification of media sources is the new reality.

Van Pelt:  All of us on the panel make our living talking about something we love (sports), even if it's flawed.  At times, we in the media feel like jackals feeding on a news story.  That is until the next story comes along. (He was referring to recent coverage of Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.)

Blackistone:  Sports binds a community together by creating areas of common interest and discussion.

1 comment:

Tim said...

It is interesting to me that the panelists, who's professions are secured with increased interest in sports, are commenting on whether "we have too much sports in our lives". I'd be as interested, if not more in hearing a socialogists view.

In the end, the media is just feeding the appetites of the consumers.