JC / Railbird

ESPN

The Real Story

Commenter John S., who knows more than a bit about superb turf writing, made a point on an earlier post that deserves repeating:

EJXD2 and the rest of you are missing the real story here: CLAIRE NOVAK IS ON FIRE!!!!!!

So true. Reporters aren’t usually the story, but this one deserves to be. Over the past year, writing for ESPN and elsewhere, Novak has emerged as one of the best turf writers working, with a particular flair for features and profiles. She’s a storyteller, attentive to detail and dialogue, as in these pieces:

– Old School: “Once, the legend sat down to critique the rookie’s technique. He watched the field come down the lane, the rookie whipping right-handed, his runner flying past them in the stretch. Switch sticks, go to your left hand, thought the legend. And as soon as he thought it, the rookie did it. That’s when he knew this kid was good.”

– Birds of a Feather: “It hits him again and again this morning, as reporters cruise by the shedrow and racing paparazzi set up their shots and fellow horsemen stop by with handshakes and admiring remarks, but it still hasn’t quite sunk in.”

– Two Months Later: “It is picture-perfect, might as well be a postcard scene. But something in the idyllic freedom of it all taunts Rene Douglas.”

And she’s a solid beat reporter. Saratoga doesn’t lack for daily coverage and commentary from a top turf writing colony, but Novak’s Albany Times-Union articles, whether about Da’ Tara finishing last in a race in which his trainer expected better, the introduction of more humane whips, or substance abuse among jockeys, have regularly stood out this season (as have the vignettes and opinions she’s been posting near-daily to an ESPN blog). On fire? She certainly is, to the good fortune of readers, racing fans, and turf journalism.

Posted in Media on August 23, 2009 / Tagged Claire Novak, ESPN, Reporting, Saratoga, Triple Crown, Turf Writers, Writing

Going Local

ESPN goes after local sports markets:

[A]fter a promising test run in Chicago, ESPN is adding local offshoots to three more cities. On Monday, ESPN, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, plans to announce local Web sites in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas — in what executives say is only the “first inning” of their effort to provide hyperlocal sports coverage in cities across the country.

What might the network’s expansion mean for racing in those cities? The ESPN Chicago site, which launched less than three months ago, is already drawing more traffic than the Chicago Tribune’s online sports section and attracting steady advertisers, including local racetracks. For marketing, that’s a positive. But coverage could be another matter: While the Chicago site does have a piece up about Arlington jockey E. T. Baird, who recently won his 2000th race, it appears to lack any links to ongoing reporting of local racing.

Related: Sports Business Journal runs a four-part piece this week on the changing sports media scene. In the lead article, Bill King reports on reduced newspaper coverage and how that’s pushing sports to innovate; in a sidebar, King takes a closer look at motorsports and golf coverage. “There are more words being written about golf, even with these cutbacks, than before,” PGA Tour VP Ty Votaw tells King. “It’s just a question of: Are as many people reading it?” The same could be asked of racing these days.

6:45 PM Addendum: ESPN expansion is good news for fans, not so great for newspapers, and that’s nothing to lament; Dan Shanoff explains why ESPN moving into local sports news is such a big deal.

Posted in Media on July 20, 2009 / Tagged ESPN