by J Hutcherson | August 31st, 2006
Brian writes: What do you consider the top soccer sites out there? I mean the ones doing unique stuff, not just the news you can get anywhere. You really shafted us by killing Round not Oval.
Roundabout answer time. Considering part of what I do here is try and draw an audience interested in sports news, it’s a little silly to talk about the overabundance of news must of us attempt to take in. Then again, I’m also the person who consistently questions the glut of live soccer programming available on most cable systems, so maybe this makes more sense than it otherwise would.
Two weeks ago, I turned off my RSS reader and cut my news bookmarks down to one site: the New York Times’ in the paper page. I did this after deciding that, barring an impromptu current events quiz, I was absorbing too much information day to day.
It becomes more about quality control than anything else. That’s what I try to do here, and why I just don’t link to everything and let you figure out what’s of value. You could get that through an RSS reader.
Regardless, what a lot of us end up doing is the equivalent of walking into the newspaper/magazine section in the big block bookstore of your choice and attempting to read a substantial chunk of what’s available, fully expecting that when we come back later the issues will have updated. Seriously, it’s almost that silly. The result is not an increase in knowledge so much as an increase in random trivia mixed with opinion from a range of edited and unedited reliable and unreliable sources. In other words, a massive waste of not just time, but emotional energy.
That said, I see most sports columns that hit the US and the major UK papers day-to-day. I don’t think you’re going to find a lot of uniqueness there and what I’m seeing ends up on this page. Your best bet is still print. Though I feel like I’m reading a magazine that could’ve been published at any point between 1995 and now, When Saturday Comes has its moments, as do the historical pieces in FourFourTwo. I haven’t bought either in over a year, so take that for what it’s worth.
Thanks for the RnO guilt trip, but there’s only so much motivation and insight for any type of publication regardless of medium. It took us almost seven years to run through it, and some might argue we were done a long time before we finished. That, and the lack of reader involvement and, one would assume, interest made putting those issues out feel sort of like leaving them on a park bench and never expecting to hear back. Eventually, that gets old.
What I’m Watching
Peruvian and Chilean versions of the Copa Sudamericana at 4:30pm and 11pm. GolTV has something called the Copa Interclubes live at 9pm. Fox Sports en Espanol has Santos - Pumas live at 9pm. All Times Eastern
Quote Of The Day
“The passive offside rule is a good rule but the problem is that there is not enough quality assistant referee’s to deal with it. I think it’s a good rule and there’s nothing wrong with it. There’s no excuses on our end tonight we just needed to play better and play smarter.” Red Bull NY coach Bruce Arena.
The Wonderful World of Soccer Media: Europe
Inter close in on Ron — from Football Italia.
An uneasy alliance — from Soccernet’s Kevin Palmer.
Chelsea face joint inquiry in Leeds row — from The Telegraph’s Henry Winter. Registration Required
Big Sam and the ‘big sulk’: what will Anelka make of life at Bolton? — from The Independent’s Phil Shaw.
Saha stirs pot over United’s handling of Van Nistelrooy — from The Times’ Oliver Kay and Peter Lansley.
The Wonderful World of Soccer Media: USA
CHANGES AFOOT — from The Kansas City Star’s Bob Luder. Registration Required
Excuses wearing thin for Colorado — from The Denver Post’s Brian Forbes.
No right answers without the right questions — from Fox Soccer’s Jamie Trecker.
FC Dallas’ long road trip ends with victory — from The Star-Telegram’s Adam Dunivan.
Big Picture
Owner gives up on moving A’s to S.J. — from The San Jose Mercury News’ Barry Witt. Registration Required
Cashman sticks to rib story, while rest take to ribbing Pavano — from The NY Daily News’ Lisa Olson.
Tyson’s tragic tale still full of sound, fury — from The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Ed Graney.
Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves. Please, tell me all about it.