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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Back Around the Horn

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A lot of people write about sports, but who writes about sportswriters?

In the political journalism sphere, it is a long-standing tradition to assume bias of information. Consumers of this type of content are quick to bring up the source of a particular statement and incorporate it into their understanding of a story. Additionally, a lot of journalistic energy is spent fact-checking and challenging the reporting of others when it comes to political news. For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like this context-dependent and accuracy-based analysis has translated yet to sports. The aim of Back Around the Horn is to exist within that space.

From 2010 to 2013 it was impossible to check out a sports website or network without seeing Tim Tebow. Despite being an inconsequential NFL player, Tebow received coverage because he was a polarizing figure. Tim Tebow serves as a case study in the type of decision making made by sports journalism at large. Interesting players bring new viewership to sports, so networks have a self-serving motivation to latch onto stories with viral potential.

The relationship between billion-dollar broadcast networks and billion-dollar sports leagues is a troubling one, though. Looking at the stories that these media outlets run should also bring up questions about the stories that they do not run. A dilemma faced by sports journalists becomes obvious when considering the money at play.

Journalists have a responsibility to report stories factually. On the other hand, it seems as though these journalists will benefit the most by portraying sports leagues in a positive light. If too many stories run about the concussion-related brain damage former NFL players experience during their lives after football, then the NFL might decline in popularity. Less popular leagues mean less opportunity to monetize coverage of these leagues. Therefore, we must pay attention to who is saying what. We must see if writers are asking hard questions or simply creating marketable celebrities.

In addition to asking why something is being said, Back Around the Horn will dig into what is being said. The column strives to be as much about journalistic excellence as it is about journalistic integrity. It is important to fact-check sports writers and evaluate the accuracy of their predictions. Sports journalism benefits greatly from the constant flow of new information. There are always new scores and new playoff pictures to dissect. There is virtually no time of year in the wonderful United States of America without major sporting events. However, the information overload distances writers from their opinions. The constant need to look forward prevents much time from being taken to look back. Fresh batches of highlights make it easy for last week’s, last month’s or last year’s bad predictions to disappear. Back Around the Horn will not let that happen.

Going forward, Back Around the Horn hopes to serve as a sports fan’s guide to sports media. It will sift through the headlines of the week, take a hard look at them and ask who put them there and why. It will applaud those who say things worth saying, and chuckle at those who are consistently wrong. For the past year, I have been screaming at the top of my lungs to anyone who would listen that in 2013, ESPN Football analyst Ron Jaworski ranked Joe Flacco as the fourth best quarterback in the NFL. Back Around the Horn will be a more refined but hopefully equally entertaining form of that scream.