Journalism school professors and copy editors stress avoiding cliches in writing, but I'm compelled to invoke one in regard to Chris Dufrense: Never meet your idols. It's a saying rooted in the idea the person behind the talent one admires will never meet expectations. Having met and interacted with Chris, I can say that concept…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKxCg5hAxc&feature=youtu.be ESPN's The Last Dance was a ratings hit. Credit quarantine to an extent, but other examples support the idea of a large audience being under-served in its desire for thoughtful, in-depth media. For a supplementary viewpoint noted in the commentary, check out Quinton Reviews' analysis of documentary presentation.
In a time when athletic competition has reached a standstill, we seek out sport wherever it might be found. And one of the most beloved sports in the short-yet-fruitful history of the blogosphere has long been taking shots at Bill Simmons. The premise is admittedly tired, but offering up a take this scorching in the…
Long time readers of The Open Man may be aware of our disdain for charlatan “gambling guys” among the sports media ranks, particularly those at FS1. So, it is safe to say myself and The Open Man head honcho Kyle Kensing were not surprised when we saw flagrant sports media gambling violator Jason McIntyre’s website,…
Mike Gundy reaped what he sewed, and it turned into a minor embarrassment for the Big 12 Conference. Like most conferences, the Big 12 conducts weekly teleconferences with coaches during football season. (The Pac-12 this season has cut back to a teleconference every other week - another example of how the Left Coast League is…
Over the last year, the curtain has been fully pulled back on SB Nation's company policy to mislead and screw over aspiring sportswriters. Most in the sports media industry were already familiar with SB Nation's practices: A job opening appears at one of the blogging network's team sites for what seemed like a full-time position,…
The Open Man countdowns to the 2018 college football season with 129 — in honor of the 129 programs participating in the Football Bowl Subdivision this year — things we love (and some we hate) about the sport. Click the 129 Things tag to see every entry. I have a confession: I am addicted to college football…
The Open Man countdowns to the 2018 college football season with 129 — in honor of the 129 programs participating in the Football Bowl Subdivision this year — things we love (and some we hate) about the sport. Click the 129 Things tag to see every entry. For me, it was Bob and Max. I'm sure every…
My wife walked through our living room after making herself a bowl of yogurt and granola Saturday night, and upon seeing me watch the 6-Man Ladder Match from NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, offered an astute observation. "I've never seen you watch so much wrestling." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLn_ghXfkbo Now, I wouldn't say I am a bigger wrestling fan…
On the first official day of March Madness in the era of streaming, we as basketball fans are spoiled with a plethora of options. If you are diligent enough, there is a way to watch every game without ponying up for an expensive On Demand package. The days of March Madness on Demand are relatively…
Another NCAA Tournament begins tomorrow, marking Year 8 of the marriage between CBS and the Turner Broadcasting family. It's a partnership that sparks some entirely justified lamentations, like the insistence on screwing with the Selection Show formula, and the continued use of NBA on TNT talent like Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley, who would be…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The dream of the Big 12 Conference placing 90 percent of its teams in the NCAA Tournament quite likely died during Thursday’s quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Three teams on the bubble lost when they needed to win. Oklahoma State couldn’t beat top-seeded Kansas for a third time, Baylor couldn’t prevent…
Confused? Me too. College Basketball Stock Watch has been around for a few years, at several different outlets, sometimes in relatively short stages of hibernation. Here we now are, at Stock Watch's fourth new home since August. We're going to get to all of that in a second. Important note laced with caveats: Remember that this…
Jay Bilas is a former Duke player and assistant coach. He’s also a lawyer, which means there are three reasons to strongly dislike him. The ESPN college basketball analyst often has an “of course I’m right” smugness when weighing in on hoops issues. But you’ve gotta love a talking head who is outspoken when calling…
A Virginia Beach high schooler took to Twitter this Valentines Day eve to ask Canadian Olympic figure skater Gabrielle Daleman if she would attend his prom in exchange for hitting a certain number of retweets. Now, these stories surface with some regularity -- today marks the one-year anniversary of tennis pro Genie Bouchard joining a…
