It's been a "brand" for at least 20 years. Recall that there used to be a whole cable network called CNNSI. It was like ESPN news, but took itself more seriously, and sometimes showed indoor lacrosse.
Becoming something Frank Deford hated isn't necessarily bad. He was a bit of a curmudgeon - trotted out the old tired anti-soccer talking points, etc. - but becoming everything he hated is obviously bad.
That is a great essay. Very sad. I don't know what can be done about it. In a different way, this is part of why I'm so unhappy with my job. We should be trying to be more like what SI was in its prime. People in our business would pay for that. Instead, we're acting more like what they are now, but without nearly the staff or budget - though SI will probably be shedding a lot of that soon - but expecting people to pay a premium for it.
Becoming something Frank Deford hated isn't necessarily bad. He was a bit of a curmudgeon - trotted out the old tired anti-soccer talking points, etc. - but becoming everything he hated is obviously bad.
That is a great essay. Very sad. I don't know what can be done about it. In a different way, this is part of why I'm so unhappy with my job. We should be trying to be more like what SI was in its prime. People in our business would pay for that. Instead, we're acting more like what they are now, but without nearly the staff or budget - though SI will probably be shedding a lot of that soon - but expecting people to pay a premium for it.
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