I have been very hesitant to write about this as many of our SBNation writers have already done so. However, I thought the more the merrier. The more of us that take this guy to task, the better.
So, here's the deal. Buzz Bissinger is the author of Friday Night Lights and is a Pulitzer Prize winning author. Will Leitch is the founder of Deadspin , one of the biggest sports blogs on the Internet. On Bob Costas's HBO show, Bissinger launched into a vulgarity laced tirade directed squarely at blogging; Leitch happened to be the target of opportunity at the time.
To be fair, Buzz has some valid points. Any nut with a computer can spew the most venomous invective without any fear of retribution and adherence to journalistic integrity, let alone proper spelling and grammar. What he fails to realize and is called on it by Leitch, is that there is a BIG difference between people who write well researched stories and comments with thoughtful analysis and verified facts, and posters and commentors who write or respond...well, with crap.
Now not to toot my own horn or the horns of other SBNation writers, but it's work to put together a story that's well written and well researched. Quality has a price and that price is time and effort. For Buzz to lump me in with the pond scum who merely posts to incite is somewhat low brow and shows a lack of awareness. He's even admitted so.
But, that's not why my shorts are in a twist. Mr. Bissinger, a Pulitzer Prize winning author and self-proclaimed highbrow mainstream media dude, could not make his point without engaging in the same behavior he is criticizing - a vulgarity laced shotgun blast at Leitch. The only difference between Buzz and those nuts I referenced above is he did it on Bob Costas's show. Pot? Meet kettle. Buzz clearly doesn't like where things are going nor does he want to participate in a discussion to try and understand it. Mainstream media? If this is your spokesperson, he should be fired. Or better yet, forced to write for a blog.
Check out the video on deadspin .