Baseball Coverage Local and National

[Lip Man 1]

I found this story at the Chicago Baseball Museum very interesting on the impact the reduction in baseball coverage is having on the fans, the business and the game.

 

I don't agree with every one of the author's points, (for example I understand why some of the smaller area newspapers have decided to emphasize high school coverage) but he does seem to accurately present what is happening today and the impact on everyone.

 

I recommend reading this if you are so inclined:

 

http://www.chicagobaseballmuseum.org/files...ss-20170503.pdf

Edited May 5, 2017 by Lip Man 1

[ptatc]

I found this story at the Chicago Baseball Museum very interesting on the impact the reduction in baseball coverage is having on the fans, the business and the game.

 

I don't agree with every one of the author's points, (for example I understand why some of the smaller area newspapers have decided to emphasize high school coverage) but he does seem to accurately present what is happening today and the impact on everyone.

 

I recommend reading this if you are so inclined:

 

http://www.chicagobaseballmuseum.org/files...ss-20170503.pdf

I would agree with most of this as well. I think much of this decline has to do with the proliferation and availability of advanced metrics. The dedicated fan can get a ton of this information themselves and can draw their own opinion of any player in the league. They do not need to listen to the opinions or get information from the "experts" in the media.

I really enjoyed reading and listening to guys like Stark and McAdam but why would their opinion be any better than the stats that are so readily available now? I think that is driving the decrease in coverage.

[caulfield12]

The key question is how is the difference/s related to sports reporting in general (especially the new direction of ESPN and strategy correction with the layoffs) are unique or singular to baseball compared to other sports like football, basketball or even e-sports.

 

With baseball, the writing quality is far better and more detailed (thinking back to the days where The Sporting News and Baseball America dominated), but you have to know where to find it and whose opinions to trust (for example, the new generation of Twitter story breakers).

[Lip Man 1]

I really enjoyed reading and listening to guys like Stark and McAdam but why would their opinion be any better than the stats that are so readily available now? /quote]

 

In my opinion it's because they have (had) the ability to make sense of the entire picture. They have access to the managers, the players, the front offices.

 

Baseball is more, far more, in my opinion than just stats. Stats can play a part in things (and again in my opinion are vastly overemphasized by many who think they are "experts" because they can decipher things like fWAR and FIP) but baseball is still a game played by human beings...with stories to tell that go far beyond raw numbers.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Lip Man 1

[southsider2k5]

I really enjoyed reading and listening to guys like Stark and McAdam but why would their opinion be any better than the stats that are so readily available now?

 

In my opinion it's because they have (had) the ability to make sense of the entire picture. They have access to the managers, the players, the front offices.

 

Baseball is more, far more, in my opinion than just stats. Stats can play a part in things (and again in my opinion are vastly overemphasized by many who think they are "experts" because they can decipher things like fWAR and FIP) but baseball is still a game played by human beings...with stories to tell that go far beyond raw numbers.

 

I tend to think that we have definitely moved towards the statistical side of things, and it has come at the expense of the unquantifiable things that make up the game of baseball, such as what is going on between a players ears, what happens in the lockerroom, etc.

[ptatc]

In my opinion it's because they have (had) the ability to make sense of the entire picture. They have access to the managers, the players, the front offices.

 

Baseball is more, far more, in my opinion than just stats. Stats can play a part in things (and again in my opinion are vastly overemphasized by many who think they are "experts" because they can decipher things like fWAR and FIP) but baseball is still a game played by human beings...with stories to tell that go far beyond raw numbers.

I agree with you. That's why i enjoy the writers I mentioned.

 

I just think that those are the reasons that the decline is happening.

[Lip Man 1]

In my opinion it's because they have (had) the ability to make sense of the entire picture. They have access to the managers, the players, the front offices.

 

Baseball is more, far more, in my opinion than just stats. Stats can play a part in things (and again in my opinion are vastly overemphasized by many who think they are "experts" because they can decipher things like fWAR and FIP) but baseball is still a game played by human beings...with stories to tell that go far beyond raw numbers.

 

 

I tend to think that we have definitely moved towards the statistical side of things, and it has come at the expense of the unquantifiable things that make up the game of baseball, such as what is going on between a players ears, what happens in the lockerroom, etc.

 

I agree with you opinion and that's something that is missing and is needed more of today in baseball coverage.

 

 

 

[ptatc]

In my opinion it's because they have (had) the ability to make sense of the entire picture. They have access to the managers, the players, the front offices.

 

Baseball is more, far more, in my opinion than just stats. Stats can play a part in things (and again in my opinion are vastly overemphasized by many who think they are "experts" because they can decipher things like fWAR and FIP) but baseball is still a game played by human beings...with stories to tell that go far beyond raw numbers.

 

 

I tend to think that we have definitely moved towards the statistical side of things, and it has come at the expense of the unquantifiable things that make up the game of baseball, such as what is going on between a players ears, what happens in the lockerroom, etc.

I agree but i think we are becoming the dinosaurs of the baseball world. Having worked in the locker rooms, behind the scenes and with the players for so many years there is just so much that goes into a successful grind of a baseball season, moreso than most sports. I think this is getting lost in baseball reporting today.

Even during games the consumers want to know the win probabilities and OPS with runners in scoring position on Tuesdays during dusk, instead the though process of why the next pitch is going to be a breaking pitch in the dirt.

[kitekrazy]

In my opinion it's because they have (had) the ability to make sense of the entire picture. They have access to the managers, the players, the front offices.

 

Baseball is more, far more, in my opinion than just stats. Stats can play a part in things (and again in my opinion are vastly overemphasized by many who think they are "experts" because they can decipher things like fWAR and FIP) but baseball is still a game played by human beings...with stories to tell that go far beyond raw numbers.

 

Sport journalism in the digital age has regressed. I can't stomach the NFL anymore because it's littered with ex players and few journalists. You even see that in large city newspapers. More often it resembles politics instead of reporting. They often create articles for controversy. Thanks ESPN.

 

As for some of these baseball stats I can name most of the acronyms. These stats they comes up with like pitch framing somehow make a Tyler Flowers useful. There's a point no stat is needed to understand you wont win a lot of games with certain players on the field. There's also the NFL combine that is meaningless to what a guy can do on the field.

 

[Lip Man 1]

Sport journalism in the digital age has regressed. I can't stomach the NFL anymore because it's littered with ex players and few journalists. You even see that in large city newspapers. More often it resembles politics instead of reporting. They often create articles for controversy. Thanks ESPN.

 

As for some of these baseball stats I can name most of the acronyms. These stats they comes up with like pitch framing somehow make a Tyler Flowers useful. There's a point no stat is needed to understand you wont win a lot of games with certain players on the field. There's also the NFL combine that is meaningless to what a guy can do on the field.

 

There is some truth in much of what you are posting here.

 

Stats can be made to basically say anything you want them to and it's not just in baseball, it's also that way in radio / TV ratings.

[greg775]

Sport journalism in the digital age has regressed. I can't stomach the NFL anymore because it's littered with ex players and few journalists.

It's strange what the world has become. Now disinterest in baseball is being tied in part to decreasing coverage by veteran journalists with sources, great access and knowledge, ones who have been laid off or forced out or taken buyouts. Yet the reason there is decreasing coverage is newspapers are almost dead. Why are they dying and almost dead? The same public lamenting the decreased coverage wouldn't read a newspaper if a coupon for a free steak dinner came with it.

 

So is there interest in journalistic takes on games or not? The newspapers who have lost money hand over fist and are almost out of business are now saying, What? (not that the newspaper companies are blame free; most of those companies are run worse than the airlines).

 

That linked article was pretty amazing. The author had a lot of facts in there about those Chicago outlets like when specific writers were let go, when specific outlets cut baseball coverage, and a lot of stats about specific loss of advertising. Great informative read.

Edited May 6, 2017 by greg775