Around the Big Ten

[UMStan White]

HEH Newspapers and print journalists will be gone in the next five to ten years. One of the reason why so many print journalists are sad sack hacks is that all the real talent has long left the field and these hacks will work for peanuts just to get a byline. My grandkids will look at newspapers the way my grandparents looked at the pony express

[hack]

Quite right. I hope it's that soon. Something better will replace them.

[Tony G]

I'm not betting on quality to improve at all. Sports reporting is going the way of journalism in general and morphing into infotainment instead of real reporting. Getting two sources now means that two people tweeted it.

[Wild Hoss]

Quite right. I hope it's that soon. Something better will replace them.

I think there?s talent in print journalism...just not sports-related print journalism.

Whatever suspicions I had as a kid about the qualifications for the guys who covered Nebraska football where proven right later, when I began to interact with them via email. Over-opinionated and dreadfully uninformed on the mechanics of the subjects they follow...just plan lazy, inebriated hacks for the most part. The sports editor for the paper in Lincoln admitted on the radio recently that he doesn?t really pay attention during the football games for crying out loud.

I will say there is a new, younger, social-media-savvy breed out there, who are much better the last hangers-on from the 1960s-model sportswriter. Those who graduated form college after the turn of the century, and have been immersed in the internet culture. There are a couple good ones in Omaha who do a lot of data and research-driven writing, which is a breath of fresh air.

[Hannibal]

Sports writing, and to a lesser extent, sports reporting, has been replaced by good blogging.

[hack]

Whatever the format, there's indeed talent out there. Zach Lowe is covering the NBA for Grantland like nobody's business. There's some very thoughtful people across the spectrum, in addition to the many people who have seen their livelihood yanked from under them and are hanging on because that's how they put food on the table. What's a shame are the execs at the big papers and networks, falling all over themselves and violating basic ethics rules, in order to preserve a model that clearly needs to die. And getting seriously paid to do so.

[Tony G]

I think there are more bad bloggers to good bloggers than hack reporters to good ones.

[hack]

Well, no kidding! In any activity there's more mediocrity than excellence. That's how it works with humans.

[Hannibal]

I think there are more bad bloggers to good bloggers than hack reporters to good ones.

Perhaps, but the good bloggers are the ones who will keep their audience over time, and it is pretty easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. They have no formal credentials to fall back on. The only thing that they have is merit and, over time, track record. They have no choice but to say stuff that is accurate and insightful, or they will get tuned out. Guys like Brian Cook and Tony Gerdeman at o-zone -- they have a high degree of accountability to their readers.

Compare that to a dickhole like Michael Rosenberg. He still has a job, despite the disgraceful reporting of Practicegate. He broke a huge story about practice time cheating without even acknowledging the existence of "countable" hours versus "voluntary", non-countable hours. No accountability. No blog who produces that kind of trash could retain its readership for very long.

[UMStan White]

Or Drew Sharp who has only written one column in his career ( Fill in the Blank) sucks. (Fill in the blank) is the most overrated ( Fill in the blank) The fans of (fill in the blank) are not only arrogant but delusional and the rest of the world is laughing at them and won't take them seriously because they believe (Fill in the blank). It's time for (fill in the blank) to face reality. BWWWWWAHHHH!!!!

[Tony G]

The big difference is access. The bloggers are on the outside and that forces a change in perspective.

[entropy]

The most exciting day of the Big Ten offseason is here. OK, not really, but it's definitely in the top five.

The first portion of the Big Ten's prime-time schedule is out as ABC/ESPN made its six selections for games to be played under the lights. The Big Ten Network will announce its prime-time picks next week. Additional kickoff times could be announced later this spring or early in the summer.

Here's the ABC/ESPN schedule:

Sept. 6

Virginia Tech at Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Sept. 20

Miami at Nebraska, 8 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN or ESPN2

Oct. 4

Nebraska at Michigan State, 8 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN or ESPN2

Oct. 11

Penn State at Michigan, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN or ESPN2*

Oct. 25

Ohio State at Penn State, 8 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN or ESPN2

Nov. 1

Illinois at Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN or ESPN2

*-previously announced

[WM Wolverine]

Friday night games probably not till '15? I don't want M any part of them though it makes some sense for the 1st weekend. Both teams should get bye weeks the week previous and it should be mutual that both programs are willing participants.

[iam416]

Illinois-OSU? WTF?

[Dr. Strangelove]

Are we allowing November night games now? If so, why do they put that game at night but not OSU @ Sparty the following week?