Of course, going to school in the Midwest I've already had one friend say, "Oh I thought ESPN.com was ESPN Boston, HA." Thanks buddy. But alas, no. As much as people would like to argue that ESPN shows consider favoritism to East Coast sports (something I don't really believe), it's probably about time ESPN created a site for Boston sports fanatics. It's not like there would be a shortages of readers or anything of that sort.
What intrigues me is just the whole creation of the website. As my sports instructor, Dave Schwartz explained, the creation of ESPNChicago a few months ago came from the declining newspaper market in Chi-town, something I didn't realize (then again, I generally tend to pay very little attention to anything involving Chicago). Apparently both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune had filed for bankruptcy and ESPN saw a market to go after. It actually made perfect sense.
However as fast as Boston sports go, I've generally been a Boston Globe (which I think is the more superior of Beantown papers) type of gal. I still have a copy of the front page of The Globe when Boston won the World Series in 2004. It's yellowing and covered in dust, but I can't help but smile and feel good inside whenever I see it. When looking for the latest news on something specifically involving one of my favorite teams back home, I generally go to their website. However, with the new development of ESPNBoston... I'm not even sure I can resist the temptation to not refresh its homepage every 30 seconds.
As an aspiring print journalist, I can't help but feel a little guilty. With people wondering what the future of newspapers hold, I'm starting to believe wherever it goes -- convergence (especially the online aspect) needs to be a part of it. I know the Globe had been having some financial difficulties and was even rumored to close down, but I really couldn't imagine not having it around as a paper anymore.
For me, The Globe kind of reminds me of an ex-boyfriend I've managed to stay friends with (which is a rarity). They've both been there through the good times and bad and even when things are slow, continue to provide some type of informative entertainment.
I understand the reasoning behind starting ESPNBoston and in all honesty, I like it. I do. There's something awfully nice about being to go to a website and read all about your favorite sports teams in a nice little ESPN-esque format. But I just can't get over wondering how The Boston Globe and even The Boston Herald are going to fair after this. I hope for the best -- in fact, one day I'd love to be a sports writer for The Boston Globe -- but with this new competition, will they still be able to survive?
*Photo from www.Boston.com
No comments:
Post a Comment