As noted by NEWSDAY’s Neil Best today, the Tiger Woods story has appeared on the front cover of the NEW YORK POST 16 straight days, three short of the record set by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
That’s unimaginable to most, considering television and newspapers are far from the fuel line for the Woods saga. Websites like TMZ.com, RadarOnline, this one and many others not only ignited the biggest sports story of our lifetime, but continue to legitimately advance a complex plot that has the world population obsessed. (Just ask the CEOs of Google and Yahoo.)
Online-only investigative reporting is almost exclusively what has driven Woods to acknowledge his infidelity to the world - forcing all mainstream sports and news outlets to not only recognize the story but also give it a reluctant follow.
The Tiger Woods story is our best example yet about how the balance of media distribution power is shifting. Used to be that a story could only get tidal traction through the so-called legitimate media gatekeepers on television and in print.
But this story is prompted by hustling, bare bones blog outlets free from the tentacles of incestuous financial arrangements with advertisers and the PGA Tour and worries over future access to Woods himself.
For a site like SbB, it’s an even larger impact. To this point, online sports media has mirrored television sports media in that the vast majority of sports fans still only get their sports news from a Bristol-based platform. (See Standard Oil, circa 1890.)
But with ESPN reluctant to cover the daily intrigue that has fueled Woods to acknowledge his infidelities and quit golf, sports fans are more and more discovering sites like mine.
The longer we have legitimate news emanating from the Tiger Woods story, the more people will seek out sites like SbB, TMZ and others. Though ESPN is far from suffering an exodus of consumers, I can confirm that for first time since I started SbB in 2001, there is marked progress in blogs like mine penetrating they psyche of your average media consuming sports fan.
The fan that still thinks Chris Berman in delightfully clever wordsmith and Stu Scott’s sports sensibilities are cutting edge. The barbarians are still a ways from the gate, but I’m happy to report I’ve finally secured a standard-issue pitchfork.
7:55 pm on December 14th, 2009
Brooks, tell some different stories. There’s way too much tiger on this site - how about the NFL?
8:00 pm on December 14th, 2009
Might pop a shoulder out patting yourself on the back… I’m glad you’ve got a lot of hits, but….too much TW. Did I miss something about Jason, Adam, etc?
8:04 pm on December 14th, 2009
OK, we get it. Tiger screwed around on his wife. It’s awful.
He denied it, avoided it, then admitted it.
Now it’s between him, his wife and the 300 women he seems to have banged. If you’re not one of them, this no longer merits mention.
Aren’t there other athletes whose reputations you’d like to beat like the proverbial dead horse?
8:05 pm on December 14th, 2009
Peyton Manning will be the next to be exposed as a philanderer. You heard ot here first.
8:16 pm on December 14th, 2009
The greatest sports story of our lifetime? And it has pretty much nothing to do with an actual sport? Gotta disagree there Brooks.
10:12 pm on December 14th, 2009
I’m starting to think that the “haters” of this site and want the Tiger coverage to be knocked off are ESPN flunkies.
10:39 pm on December 14th, 2009
Keep up the great coverage Brooks and don’t you ease off for even a minute ! … as Tiger himself has always said …”you’ve got to kick’em when they’re down”. I suspect that the reason why these people are now starting to complain about too much coverage, is due to the fact that they are actually “closet” Tiger lovers and the heat isnow starting to become a little too intense for them. Well too bad … if you want to blame someone, then blame your man Tiger ! Had it been only a fire hydrant, then the story would have died there and then. But no, we go from that on to domestic violence, adultery, commercial fraud, tax evasion, to god knows what next ? Thanks to people like Brooks, we have come to learn of these crimes and we are continuing to do so with each interesting report. Like Jack Nicholson said, you Tiger lovers simply “can’t handle the truth !”.
11:58 pm on December 14th, 2009
Sure, website are overtaking mainstream media.
You know what is shows even more? The weakness, gullibility, and priorities of the American public.
I know people in foreclosure, 50 pounds overweight, who follow this story like it’s the 2nd coming of the Messiah.
Nevermind that it is none of their, or anybodies business who Tiger bangs. What’s sad is instead of improving their health, their financial situation, or getting a hobby that improves their existence, they follow this story like their life depends on it.
I applaud all bloggers and people making money off this story. Because I’ve come to realize the American Public is beyond saving. Somebody might as well get rich off their ignorance.