Jay Mariotti, newspaper columnist and ESPN feaure on the random Around the Horn, announced today that he is quitting the Chicago SunTimes because newspapers are dying.
The fact that newspaper are dying should surprise no one. The fact that Mariotti would do something outrageous shoud surprise no one. But the fact that the outrageous thing is to quit the vehicle that gave him his soapbox for so long should surprise everyone.
Honestly, how much can a part time gig on Around the Horn pay? Can he work full time for ESPN, when 3/4 of people who hear him think he's dead wrong and the other 1/4 think he's genius? Does he think he's enough of a brand himself that he can make up the money on his own blog? Or does he have enough money and enough fame that he can use his persona to point to the dire issue that newspapers face?
My bet is the third one - Mariotti has created a brand for himself and is proud enough to think he can go on his own. He may be right, at least in the long run. At the very least he's acknowledged that newspapers are subservient to the 24/7 world that is the web, and for that I applaud him.
According to the report his goodbye email read simply - "I quit"
If there's one thing I'm disappointed in, it's that he didn't take the chance to tell the management anything constructive in his departure.
Enjoy the brave new world that is communication when it happens, rather than over the next press cycle, Mr. Mariotti. I, for one, will be watching to see how you do on your own.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER
NEWSWIRE--Sports columnist Jay Mariotti has resigned from the Chicago Sun-Times, saying that there is no future for sportswriting in newspapers.
The sportswriter's bromide on corporate accounts is:
"The fat lady's sung," or "The way the ball bounces."
He once had assignments to tryouts and playoffs;
Now he's resigned to skip buyouts and layoffs.
www.newsandverse.com
Light verse, ripped from the headlines
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