You know that “gentleman’s agreement” between ESPN and the NFL Network to have their reporters be selective about tweeting during NFL draft? Well, it doesn’t apply to Jason La Canfora.
After last year’s NFL draft, La Canfora left the NFL Network to become the NFL insider for CBS. As a result, any Twitter restrictions during the draft don’t apply to him; CBS isn’t providing live TV coverage of the draft.
So it’s open season for La Canfora. He intends to tweet as much as possible. Beware: that includes upcoming picks before they are revealed on TV (if he gets them) to his nearly 300,000 followers. He also will be contributing updates to CBSSports.com.
“We’re not a broadcast partner for the draft,” La Canfora said. “I will be trying to get the information out as quickly and accurately as possible. What event is made more for Twitter than the NFL draft? If the teams have the information; if the guys in the production truck have the information; if the commissioner has the information; why wouldn’t passionate football fans want it as well?”
Later, La Canfora added: “It’s very rare to have a job like this and you’re charged with stifling information. It goes against every instinct.”
However, after working at NFL Network, La Canfora understands why the networks want to set Twitter limitations. There are many viewers who don’t want to be tipped off about upcoming picks.
“We’d have these production meetings at NFL Network where after people complained, one producer would say, ‘Don’t put the picks on Twitter,'” La Canfora said. “Then you’d have another producer say, ‘It OK. Go ahead and put them on Twitter.’
“I understood it. I didn’t fight my bosses on it. I knew what the rules were. But if the rules don’t apply to you, I think you have to get the story.”
What about the followers who don’t want the story? Or at least those who don’t want to know until the picks are officially announced on the telecasts?
La Canfora says the solution is simple: Unfollow him during the draft or stay away from Twitter. You can’t have it both ways, he says.
“I’m going to do what I think best serves the people who follow me,” La Canfora said. “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s draft experience, but I also have a job to do.”
I went to school and covered Tony Eason at Illinois. Good guy and started a Super Bowl for New England. Unfortunately for him, the ’85 Bears made it a most unpleasant experience.
Film airs at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times says the new 30 for 30 is excellent.
I have a feeling Robert Lipsyte will be a bit more feisty than his predecessors, the folks at The Poynter Institute.
The former New York Times columnist is known for being blunt and doesn’t suffer fools. So expect him to be outspoken when the mood strikes.
However, it also should be noted that Lipsyte is 75. How will he react to programming that is geared toward the young, male demographic, the coveted demo for ESPN and its advertisers? We’ll see.
All in all, it is an interesting choice. More to come.
Award-winning writer and Emmy recipient Robert Lipsyte has been appointed as ESPN’s fifth ombudsman.
Lipsyte, a native of Rego Park, N.Y. and graduate of Columbia University — where he also earned his Masters in journalism — will begin his 18-month term in June, offering independent examination, critique and analysis of ESPN. The role will include written pieces on ESPN.com, on-line chats and other multi-media interactions with fans.
“During his days at the New York Times, PBS and throughout his distinguished career, Robert Lipsyte has always been recognized as an impeccable journalist with a true gift for reporting, writing and analysis,” said ESPN President John Skipper. “His deep and thorough understanding of sports media will assuredly be an asset for ESPN and our users.”“We at ESPN have long admired Bob’s keen awareness of the sports world and how the media interact with the industry,” said ESPN Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, John Walsh. “During our interview with Bob, we agreed about a blueprint for the ESPN ombudsman in the digital age. So we will be looking at a multi-platform focus along with paying attention to the views of our audiences.
“We have always been interested in new ideas with the goal of making us better,” Walsh said. “Bob’s reputation as an independent thinker and fearless reporter and columnist will be important qualities.”
Lipsyte started as a copy boy at the New York Times in 1957 before becoming a sports reporter and then a sports columnist. The accomplished author left the paper in 1971 and continued his career as a freelance writer, television scriptwriter, journalism professor, radio commentator (for National Public Radio, 1976-82) and as a columnist for the New York Post (1977).
Lipsyte’s experience in TV included serving as a sports essayist for CBS Sunday Morning and as a correspondent for NBC. He hosted The Eleventh Hour on PBS in 1989, where he won an Emmy Award for On-Camera Achievement.
“Given the multitude of touchpoints we have with our audience, it’s imperative that the ESPN ombudsman have both the breadth of experience and cross-platform consumption to serve as an advocate for fans across mediums,” said Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, ESPN.com, Patrick Stiegman.
“This role is not about being a critic, per se, but instead helping demystify ESPN for fans, explaining our culture and standards, and commenting on journalism and programming decisions,” Stiegman said. “Bob’s decorated background in print, broadcast and digital is ideal for serving fans.”
In 1991, Lipsyte returned to the New York Times to write a sports column and a year later began penning a column in the magazine American Health. In 2002, he left the Times. Lipsyte wrote for ESPN.com periodically between 2003-2006. He was also a consultant for the network, a regular on Classic Sports Reporters and was part of the critically acclaimed SportsCentury series.
“I’m thrilled at the chance to help the ESPN audience — which means just about all sports fans — to understand how the decisions are made, or not made, that affect the presentation of its sports news and entertainment,” Lipsyte said. “Sports is an immensely important aspect of American social, moral and economic life and ESPN is the most important window on sports. My job is to keep that window transparent.”
Lipsyte’s books include The Contender, SportsWorld, Jock and Jill, One Fat Summer, Summer Rules, The Summerboy, The Brave, The Chief, The Chemo Kid, In the Country of Illness and his memoir, An Accidental Sportswriter. In 2001, Lispyte was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring lifetime contribution in writing for young adults.
Lipsyte follows prior ESPN ombudsmen: George Solomon (2005-07); Le Anne Schreiber (2007-2008); Don Ohlmeyer (2009-2010) and The Poynter Institute (2011-2012
ESPN’s NFL reporter is on 24-hour call. He carries a Blackberry and iPhone, both of which are in constant overdrive.
Just from spending a few hours with him during Schefter’s recent visit to Northwestern, you can see it appears to be a manic existence.
“It’s constant,” Schefter said. “It never stops.”
In part 1, I talked to Schefter about his Twitter plans for the NFL draft. In today’s Q/A, he addresses Twitter; ESPN’s credit issues; the pressure to be No. 1; and the real reasons why he doesn’t take a vacation.
You have more than 2.2 million followers on Twitter. Is that amazing to you?
I like to say I paid off a bunch of people to follow me. I honestly can say I don’t even think about it. At some point, you get numb to it. It becomes just a number.
When I first started in 2009, you’d see these numbers: 50,000 followers, then 80,000. It used to blow me away. That doesn’t happen anymore.
I’m flattered that people take an interest in me. I’m not stupid enough to realize that people are there for football information. They are there for their fantasy football updates, injury updates. People thank me for helping them win their leagues. I didn’t even make the playoffs in one of my leagues.
It’s not me; it’s what I do.
How much is Twitter a part of what you do?
100 percent of my job is to report information for ESPN. Ninety-five percent of that gets posted on Twitter. Fortunately or unfortunately, Twitter has become a journalistic scorecard. Who has the story first? It’s absurd. It’s ridiculous.
Stories like the Mike Rice story are unique enough to where the credits last. But there also are so many trades, signings that are of the garden mill variety.
Does it matter if somebody reported something two minutes before someone else? Please, it’s so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
But isn’t there pressure to be first with the story?
Nobody says, ‘You must get this.’ Yet having said that, nobody puts more pressure on myself than me. We’re all self-driven. If I miss a story, I don’t like it. I can’t stand the feeling. That’s what drives you to make that extra call, to send that extra text.
What about the criticism that ESPN doesn’t give enough credits to outside outlets who break news?
You don’t hear me asking for credit.
I will say this, and I want it stated clearly: ESPN does a great job of giving other people credit. ESPN gives more credit to other (outlets) than any other newspaper, network, blog site. By far. It really irks me when people accuse ESPN of not giving credit. I will defend my network to the hilt here.
We’re a big target. We’re under constant scrutiny. I had people tell me when I got there, it’s like playing for the Yankees. If anything goes slightly wrong, it draws more criticism than anything else. They were right.
Today, I did a podcast (at Northwestern). After I’m done, I look on my Blackberry and see Julian Edelman re-signed with the Patriots. So I put it on Twitter. I then found out USA Today reported it eight minutes ago. Damn.
So I erased the tweet and put up a new tweet that said the Patriots had signed Edelman as reported by Mike Garafolo of USA Today.
Why did you do that?
Mike has been very gracious to me. I wanted to reciprocate.
I don’t want to insult anybody. I don’t anyone to say, ‘ESPN is not giving someone proper credit.’
It’s the world we live in.
What is your world like? Even during this interview, you’re constantly checking your Blackberry and iPhone.
It’s constant. More people are vying for more information than ever before. There’s the need for speed. I’m so thankful I spent 16 years covering a newspaper beat (the Denver Broncos). Your story would appear on the doorstep at 6 a.m. and it would live for 24 hours. Now you get 24 seconds to rest up and we’re on to something else. It never stops. The news cycle is on steroids.
It’s not that Twitter overtakes your life. It’s the job that overtakes your life. It’s a challenge. I try to do my best when we’re out to dinner at a restaurant not to leave my phone on. But then if you’re 2-3 minutes late with a story, you’re late. People say, ‘Where were you?’
‘Well, I was eating a hamburger. Can I do that?’
It’s crazy.
You received some attention because you said you never take a vacation in a recent interview. Apparently, there is more to it. Can you elaborate?
We have two kids and five dogs. I wanted to stop at three dogs. My wife (Sharri) wanted four and five. So we compromised and got four and five.
My wife is uncomfortable leaving the kids and the dogs. She won’t put the dogs in a kennel. They are like our children.
Second, and most important, my wife is a 9/11 widow. She doesn’t like to fly. It’s not something she chooses to do.
Not taking a vacation is something I don’t choose to do. I wish we could take a vacation. I wish my wife wanted to fly more. It just happens that there are some extenuating circumstances involved here.
My boss, Seth Markman, has a mandate for me. He says I must take a one-week vacation during the off-season where I don’t bring the Blackberry and iPhone and cut myself off from civilization. As much as I would love to take him up on that, it’s just not going to happen.
Steve Carell recently visited Bristol and you did a bit with him. What was that like?
It was the coolest thing ever. We were in make-up, and he’s a big Patriots fan. I told him Wes Welker just signed with the Broncos. He had no idea.
We did the scene during commercials (of SportsCenter). You know what was amazing about it? He does the first take. He says, ‘Can we do it again?’ I thought it was very good, but it wasn’t good enough for him. So we did it again, and that’s the one we used.
Golf Channel’s version of Real Sports, In Play with Jimmy Roberts, got off to a terrific start with its debut show in March. Tonight is the next installment.
******
Here’s the rundown from the Golf Channel.
In Play with Jimmy Robertsreturns Tuesday, April 23 at 10:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel with a new slate of real-life stories that encompass the game of golf in this critically-acclaimed newsmagazine series.
Tuesday’s new episode features Al Geiberger – the first player in history to shoot a record-low score of 59 in a PGA TOUR sanctioned event – watching his achievement for the first time; former Atlanta Constitution editorial page editor Reg Murphy recalling how golf helped him survive a 1974 kidnapping; and Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner taking viewers on a fun-filled tour to some of the most unusual golf tournaments imaginable.
Host and managing editor Jimmy Roberts, a 13-time Emmy Award-winner, has drawn critical praise for telling some of sports’ greatest stories during his distinguished career at NBC Sports, ESPN and ABC News and ABC Sports, which includes covering 14 Olympics. Described as “an enterprising new original series” by Sports Illustrated and a “gorgeously shot magazine show” by CableFAX Daily, In Play with Jimmy Roberts is a monthly series that chronicles stories ranging from celebrities to everyday people who are all unified by golf.
Scheduled features on the Tuesday, April 23 episode:
– Al Geiberger’s Historic 59Revealed – Al Geiberger was the first player to record a 59 in a PGA TOUR sanctioned event during the second round of the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic in 1977. The tournament did not air on any broadcast networks. However, a local news crew from WMC-TV in Memphis captured this historic achievement, but Geiberger never saw that evening’s news. Unfortunately, a few weeks later, a fire destroyed the station, which housed the only known video footage. In Play chronicles how the video resurfaced and surprises Geiberger and his family by showing them the historic 59 for the first time.
– Kidnapped: But Golf Helped Me Survive – While serving as an editor for the Atlanta Constitution, Reg Murphy was the victim of a kidnapping in 1974. He credits golf with helping him survive while being locked in the trunk of a car during the 49-hour ordeal. He visualized a recent round, shot by shot, at Augusta National, home of the Masters. With contributions from NBC News’ Tom Brokaw and longtime Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor Jim Minter, Murphy shares his harrowing tale with Jimmy Roberts.
– Unusual Golf Tournaments – Rich Lerner takes viewers on a journey to some of the most unusual golf tournaments and profiles the characters that make these “off-the-track” events so popular. The Mustache Open, the Cow Pasture Open in Montana, the National Hickory Championship in West Virginia, the Snow Golf Tournament at Alpine Meadows, and the annual Bobby Jones Open, where all participants are aptly named, “Bobby Jones,” are featured.
Richard Deitsch of SI.com also focused on the Twitter dilemma in an All-you-would-ever-want-to-know opus/post about coverage of the NFL draft.
He writes:
While ESPN and NFL Network will compete fiercely for audience this week, they have once again come together for a gentleman’s agreement on the subject of tipping draft picks. Both networks have pledged not to show images of players on the phone in the green room at Radio City Music Hall. In addition to that, both networks tell SI.com that they will tell staffers not to report pick-by-pick selections on their Twitter feeds prior to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announcing the picks on the podium. The Twitter edict will extend into the second round of the draft. Teams have 10 minutes to pick in the first round, seven minutes in the second round and five minutes for the rest of the draft.
“Our fans have told us they would rather hear from the Commissioner and I think it is a better TV show when we speculate and let the Commissioner do it,” said ESPN NFL senior coordinating producer Seth Markman, who oversees draft coverage for the network. “I have said in the past that [ESPN reporters] Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen can basically announce all the picks before they are made if they really wanted to. It goes against a lot of our instincts as journalists and it’s totally different than anything I deal with, but we feel like it is a win for the fans and our viewers.”
Gentleman’s agreement? Fairly sure, the NFL didn’t have to do much coercing. Roger Goodell bellowed, “No tipping.”
And the networks, especially NFL Network, said, “Yes sir.”
The NFL draft begins Thursday, which means Adam Schefter will engage in the Twitter tap dance again.
To tweet or not to tweet, that is the question.
Last year, Schefter and other NFL reporters came under fire for tweeting out picks and draft news during the first night. They were the spoilers, much like telling people in a movie theater how the film is going to end as they walked in.
Schefter was in essence scooping his network. While Chris Berman & Co. speculated on air about whom the Bears, or any other team, will select, Schefter’s followers already know the answer. There goes the suspense.
Wrote John Mitchell of Breakingtackles.com:
What is the cost of being the first to report the draft picks? 1.5 million followers being robbed of the draft experience. You want Roger Goodell to be the first to announce the draft pick. Not an ESPN reporter who happens to find out the information before anyone else.
In a post at ShermanReport after Round 1, Schefter defended his tweets. “When I learn information, it’s my job to report it,” he said.
However, it was interesting that Schefter seemed to dial down his tweeting the following night for the second round.
Schefter now has 2.3 million followers, and many of them will be hanging on his every tweet during the first round Thursday night. During a recent visit to Northwestern, where he received a graduate degree in journalism, I asked Schefter about his Twitter plans for this year’s draft.
Schefter took a breath. “There becomes the big story, the elephant in the room.”
Here’s my Q/A:
What is the plan?
Last year, we revised our policy to a certain extent (between Round 1 and 2). Even in some in round 1, we did it. Basically, what my boss (Seth Markman) said going into round 1: “I don’t want you tweeting every first round pick.”
I’m not going to report standard picks. If a team is sitting still at 15, I’m not going to tweet (that pick). In other words, mundane, Run-of-the mill picks, leave alone. But if it’s a quarterback or a bold move, have at it. ESPN places no restrictions on me (in that regard).
So why was there so much uproar last year?
I don’t know. I still don’t know.
There were big trades going involving picks. Eight of the top 10. Am I supposed to ignore that. Not say anything? This the world we live in. To a lot of people, it’s a Twitter world. I’m sorry about that, but I’m reporting what I’m getting. These are big trades to me. Am I wrong or right?
Last year, I found out about the Patriots trade to move up to take Chandler Jones. (The Jones tweet) was the one that offended a lot of people. And Chandler Jones was not necessarily a name you were hearing in the first round. He made a late charge to become the top defensive end in the draft. The Patriots trade up to take the best defensive end in the draft. I got the story. So now I’m not supposed to report that?
Do you understand why people were frustrated?
I understand people’s frustrations. I am not trying to report picks before (they are revealed on the telecast) and take away from the drama.
There’s a simple solution. Don’t follow me during the draft.
Fans, though, follow you and others because they want information during the draft above and beyond what they get from the telecasts.
What do you want? Do you want information or do you not want information? It’s a difficult process.
What was said to you between the first and second round last year?
We don’t want you reporting on any picks.
They said that to you?
Basically. During the second round, only one or two picks are headline worthy. If it is the headline of that day, and I’m fortunate enough to get that pick, I’m going to report it.
I am almost certain–not to put words in someone’s mouth–that the NFL has to spoken to ESPN and ESPN has told me to be more selective about what I’m tweeting in advance. I am trying to be as considerate as possible and tweet everything we’re getting, but I am going to tweet the headline-making items.
The Tim Tebow thing (in 2011). We had that pick (the Broncos drafting him). I’m telling the producers, ‘Send it over to me.’ They never got to me. I tweeted it after they didn’t get to me. It’s crazy.
How do you think it will go this year?
For ESPN, the NFL, the fan, it’s a whole new Wild West world we live in. How do we watch this? How do we report this? There are no traditions. There are no formulas.
I’m a draftnik. I used to stay at home from school to watch the draft. But I also have a job to do. It’s a judgment call. I’m trying to report the headlines that are making news if I am lucky enough to get them. You don’t always get this stuff. I don’t want it to sound like this stuff just pops up for us. It’s hard to work to get those stories. If I’m fortunate enough to get a headline-making item, I’m going to report it.
Tomorrow: Schefter on his love-hate relationship with Twitter and the pressure to be first.
I was in Walgreen’s the other day and saw the book on the magazine rack. I had to buy it.
I figure I probably purchased my first Who’s Who in Baseball in 1970 or 1971. Now it is an annual rite of spring for me.
Much like it was during 70s, and much earlier than that, Who’s Who hasn’t changed. I am thankful for that.
While I enjoy the advances in new statistics, there’s something refreshing, if not comforting, about the simplicity of Who’s Who.
You won’t find stats like WAR or even in on-base percentage in Who’s Who. Rather, it’s still the basics: Batting average, HRs, RBIs, and the other staples that have been around forever.
Each player has a thumbnail picture and personal information like date of birth, height and weight. There isn’t a bio about the player. Instead, the stats tell the story and the arc of a player’s career.
When I get the issue, I’ll look for my favorites and the big names. The collection of Albert Pujols’ numbers are awesome, especially with the myriad of asterisks that denote league leader.
You can see how all the 200-hit seasons added up to 3,304 hits for Derek Jeter. You look at Paul Konerko’s body of work–422 homers coming into the season–and you realize he might be the most underrated player in baseball.
When Roy Halladay was good, he was very good, earning two Cy Young awards. Andy Pettitte’s line in postseason (19-11) is truly impressive.
However, most of the time, I will open the book to a random page. Wow, LaTroy Hawkins has 18 seasons in the big league. Page 132, and there’s Juan Pierre, who had 2,141 going into the season. Page 216, and you can see that Chris Carpenter, who may be done, had an impressive career.
In essence, these are mini baseball cards. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy the book so much.
It takes me back to a time when baseball, not to mention my life, was a simpler endeavor. A time when I loved baseball for the pure joy of the game. Perhaps Who’s Who reminds of that 12-year-old who used to count down the days to the White Sox season opener.
This is the 98th season for Who’s Who, a remarkable record in its right. I looked forward to buying the 100th edition and more.
Steve Wulf recently wrote a wonderful piece about TOPPS and baseball cards in ESPN Magazine.
He captured the essence of what the cards mean to one-time collectors like myself.
Long before fantasy baseball, cards were fantasy baseball. Radio was the only regular medium for the game in the ’50s, so the “cardboard gods” provided the visuals. Bill Szczepanek, who maintains the Golden Age of Baseball Cards website, says: “The fronts of cards allowed us to see who these guys really were, and the backs gave us their bios and statistics. I grew up a Cubs fan, so one of my favorites is the 1956 Ernie Banks. Those were the horizontal cards with two photos, a close-up with an action shot in the background. I can still see Ernie crossing the plate. Just beautiful.”
That 1956 Topps set is almost universally considered the best ever, but there’s a real battle for second: Topps ’53, Donruss ’84, Topps ’87, Upper Deck ’89 … To each his own, and it often depends on the height of passion. (Which is why this writer and former Phillies fan is still partial to the 1964 set, a fairly plain year for Topps.) And it’s not just collectors who have their favorites. Brian Cronin, who writes about cards and works at Squiggy’s Dugout in New Rochelle, N.Y., says, “Andre Dawson liked his 1993 Topps Finest card so much that he offered people $5 if they would send it to him.”
I love the look of the old cards. So in tribute to a bygone era, and to reconnect with my childhood obsession with baseball cards, I’m going to post random baseball cards on weekends.
You know that “gentleman’s agreement” between ESPN and the NFL Network to have their reporters be selective about tweeting during NFL draft? Well, it doesn’t apply to Jason La Canfora.
