A Revisit to the Blog Assault of 2008

My friend sent me a magazine story written by Will Leitch of Deadspin blog fame and author of God Save the Fan. Leitch recounts the "discussion" he had with Buzz Bissinger (author of Friday Night Lights and Shattered Glass) on the HBO show Costas now.

If you haven't heard, or don't really want to take the time to read the article or watch the clip, I'll sum up:

Buzz Bissinger hates blogs. Apparently so does Bob Costas, although he does appear to see some good parts of blogs as well in his all-knowing Costas way. But Bissinger really REALLY doesn't like bloggers. The words he uses when railing against all things bloggy are "unprofessional" and "abusive."

And Will Leitch agrees with him.

The point Leitch is trying to make, which I agree with, is that most of the widely read blogs aren't like that. People eventually figure out if what they're reading is crap. It's easy to do when you're not subjected to peer pressure. Blogs are easy. Good blogs are hard.

Had Bissinger simply took that statement in, maybe he would have short-circuited his blog tirade. But he had worked himself up into a tizzy and wanted to unload on Leitch as a message to the whole blogging world. And in the interest of entertainment and ratings, why would anyone try to stop him?

Bissinger starts off perfectly fine, explaining that he's over 50 years old (which is a code word for "not a blogging type guy") and the aforementioned problem he has with blogging. Leitch agrees and then counter points him. Then things get a bit off course.

I think Bissinger suffers from myopia when he starts comparing one of the Deadspin columns (Balls Deep) to W.C. Heinz (noted sports author). First of all, Bissinger asks Leitch if he's even heard of Heinz. When Leitch says 'yes', Bissinger, clearly assuming this little punk would never know who Heinz was, presses further, asking Leitch if he's ever read any of Heinz's work. The point is clear: Bissinger is trying to big time Leitch by showing how much more he knows.

Bissinger completely loses me when he asks Leitch who is better at evoking (whoa big word there!) a sports moment, W.C. Heinz or Balls Deep from Deadspin.

I don't know, Buzz, who's a better showman: Elvis Presley or Prince? Who's the better actor, Carey Grant or Johnny Depp?

It's all style and that's what Buzz doesn't get. You can be the most educated journalist on earth and if you don't capture people, you aren't going to mean a damn thing. I have a Master's Degree in Broadcast Journalism, but I suck at blogging. And broadcasting for that matter. But I'll still evoke sports moments. It just won't be the same people Buzz evokes to. Okay, enough about evoking.

Bissinger spouts off about bloggers not understanding what they are talking about when he admits that he doesn't understand blogging. That's all you need to know. And most blogs are unprofessional and abusive, but people were like that back in W.C. Heinz's day too. It's just today people can put on the Internet what they used to just yell at the television.

It's fun. Try it sometime, but don't expect anyone to read it.