Bissinger Turns Out Lights On Blogs-MSM Debate

Deadspin’s Will Leitch was en-paneled last night with Braylon Edwards (?) and author Buzz Bissinger on HBO’s “Costas Now.” The three were supposedly to examine the role sports blogs have in affecting journalism at large.

Buzz Bissinger

But instead of an insightful discussion, Leitch was shouted down with profanity from a bizarre behaving Bissinger throughout. From the look and sound of the celebrated author of “Friday Night Lights”, it appeared to us that he might’ve forgotten his meds before the show went to air. And we’re not trying to be funny.

Leitch writes about the experience here. Jon Weisman of BASEBALL TOASTER also has an eloquent, thorough treatment, as does MDS at AOL FANHOUSE.

As noted in all of the accounts, the credibility Bissinger might’ve had in his analysis of blogs and the MSM was hidden behind a veneer of vitriol aimed at Leitch. Normally we would find the scenario of the dinosaur media member lashing out at the internet as, well, amusing. But in Bissinger’s case, it was actually quite sad. It appears the man is troubled by serious demons that go way beyond his disdain for “Big Daddy Balls” latest rantings.

Leitch handled the strange proceedings like a champ, but we can’t say the same for ol’ Buzz. We still love his work, so based on that, our only wish is that very, very few people watched the show.

UPDATES from: Dan Shanoff, Spencer Hall, Brian Powell, Ken Tremendous.

One comment

  1. GravatarBrad S
    11:11 am on April 30th, 2008

    Yes indeed, the Sports Blogs managed to get a prestigious MSMer to beclown himself on national television. Unfortunately, given the tone of the reaction, the Sports Blogs and their commenters are doing a few too many sack dances over this.

    They need to take a few lessons from the right wing blogs on what not to do. After all, it took a bunch of folks with a special pair of truck nutz to bring down a MSMer like Dan Rather. And those truck nutz-enhanced folks couldn’t stop using the same tactics that brought Rather down on other MSM folks. This soon made them look like a bunch of conspiracy mongers.

    The lesson: You Sports Blogs got your scalp, much like the Powerline guys got theirs. Move on to bigger and better things.

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