In the wake of the slashing of the Washington Times sports department, many fans have been curious where beat writers Mark Zuckerman and Ben Goessling would end up. Mark Zuckerman has gone solo on Nats Insider and raised enough funding from fans to support him throughout spring training. Ben Goessling was hired by MASN and writes on their website, and presumably will continue appearances on Nats X-Tra pre/post game shows once the season begins.
The Mark Zuckerman experiment has been fascinating to observe. He more than doubled his financial goal in record time. This leads to the question, “what about when the season begins?” If he doesn’t have a print product backing him, will the Nationals still be able credential him under MLB’s archaic rules? His reputation and resume should be the more important factors, right? From what I understand, the loophole may be the fact that he still has a BBWAA card. Zuckerman recently penned a “Special For USA Today” on Strasburg – those gigs can only help as well.
I sat in as a panelist last night at a Women In Sports and Entertainment (WISE) event discussing the changing landscape of sports media and the topic of who’s qualified to cover games under MLB’s rules was touched upon briefly. The AP has gone to bat for photographers posting images online in recent years, and I would guess that battle may gear up again. With more and more journalists going independent due to cuts in the newspaper industry, if teams want coverage, they may need to embrace more independents and buck MLB’s rules (or find those loopholes). Or MLBAM may need to come around in their thinking — online is where it’s at these days. Could that change begin to happen soon? That remains to be seen. (I’ll have more on the WISE event later – I was truly honored to be invited as a panelist and it deserves its own post.)
I wish Zuckerman all the luck in the world! I enjoy his coverage and the more experienced voices out there covering the team, the better. Will the money from fans peter out after the initial dump? I’ve heard many say they won’t support a “subscription model” (although Mike Harris is trying that for his Virginia Sports Now website). Is there a way to make money online? If so, nobody has figured it out yet. Not even the big newspapers.
If I knew the answer, I’d be rolling in dough. My camera equipment would not have been an out-of-pocket expense. My trips to spring training would be financed. Ah, it’s nice to dream. What measly ad revenue I’ve generated, I donated to the Zuckerman spring training campaign. In return, I get audio clips… that Goessling is now posting online for free. Heh. I would have sent the money anyway.
On another note, Adam Kilgore will be the Nationals beat writer for the Washington Post, transitioning the post from Chico Harlan over the next couple weeks day. You may remember Kilgore filled in for Barry Svrluga on occasion way back when. I’m already liking the guy after reading his 10 Questions with Mister Irrelevant and mainly because he has a lighthouse in his profile picture!
