MISTER FADED GLORY
I'd call this blog a "Critique of Life," except that sounds way too pretentious.
Watch for my first novel, These Monks, a comedy about friendship, frustration, and Des Moines, available later this year.
Email me: jjh(at)misterfadedglory.com.
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Category Archives: Sports Media
How to build a cheeky sports blog with everyone else’s ideas [Grantland Review]
First, there’s nothing wrong with Grantland. Let’s just get that out of the way. It’s fine. As a landing spot for talented essayists yearning to boost their profile, it’s understandable. As a home for willful expansion of silly twitter asides, … Continue reading
Posted in Irony?, Sports, Sports Media, Writing
Tagged AV Club, blogs, Chuck Klosterman, Content Marketing, Deadspin, Drew Magary, ESPN, Filmdrunk, Grantland, Hipsters, Katie Baker, Kissing Suzy Kolber, Louis CK, Lunchroom Effect, Simmons, Strategy, Videogum, Web sites
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Sports Advertising Works: But At What Cost?
By now, you’ve endured another All-Star break. You watched the National League surprisingly win, you endured previews for Simon Cowell’s X-Factor, you saw State Farm’s name emblazoned all over the excruciating Home Run Derby, watched Mark Grace help Justin Timberlake … Continue reading
Posted in Advertising, Business, Sports Media
Tagged Big Lead Sports, Branding, Front Row Analytics, Home Run Derby, MLB, Olympics, ROI, Sports Marketing, State Farm, Visa, World Cup
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ESPN The Book The Review: Nothing to see here, please disperse.
“I wish them well with it,” [Keith Olbermann] he says, “but it’s a bad sign when someone who worked at the network falls asleep while reading the part about himself.” Once again, Keith Olbermann gets the prescient word – if … Continue reading
Posted in Journalism, Public Relations, Sports Media, Writing
Tagged ESPN, Jim Miller, Keith Olbermann, Mark Shapiro, Monday Night Football, Tom Shales
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Prediction: Sports Bloggers and Sabermetricians Still Hypocrites
Today’s Prediction: Many of the same vocal members of the sports blogosphere who crucified Jonah Lehrer this week will trip over themselves to praise Tommy Craggs’ recent expose. [Ed. update: Yay! See right.] The fruits of Craggs’ investigation illuminate the … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Finance, Journalism, Sports Media
Tagged Bloggers, bookkeeping, Deadspin, Jonah Lehrer, NBA, New Jersey Nets, P&L, Sabermetrics, Tommy Craggs
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Sabermetrics: The Art of Intellectual Superiority
Well, things had been quiet on the Grantland beat. For three weeks, several prominent writers contributed surprise freelance pieces to Grantland: Charley Pierce, Bryan Curtis, Mark Lisanti, Michael Schur, and even Jimmy Kimmel. You never know who will pop up. … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Opinion, Sports Media
Tagged Grantland, Jonah Lehrer, Marketing, Qualitative and Quantitative, Sabermetrics, The Big Lead
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The High Road Does Not Lead to Cleveland
At least it’s over. Not how I expected, but since July 9, 2010, we’ve endured an unprecedented stream of value judgments about LeBron James. Which is fine. He’s a public figure, an athlete, and he should answer for his performance … Continue reading
Posted in Journalism, NBA, Sports Media
Tagged Cleveland, Dan Gilbert, Dan Wetzel, Kelly Dwyer, Lebron James, Scott Raab, Wright Thompson
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Update: Mr. Tony Standoff, Day 7. (Er, 6?)
I suppose we knew the absence was coming. After all, Tony takes a lengthy vacation every summer, to recharge the cantankerous battery and restore the inner curmudgeon. But this week, with his show awash in drama, we’re not really certain … Continue reading
Adventures in Pluck: Franklin & Bash & Grantland
Admit it, you watched the premiere of TV’s Franklin & Bash last night. Admit it! I’ll come clean. I had to watch, I owed it to my dozens of followers and readers. How could I incessantly tweet potshots at Franklin … Continue reading
Posted in Sports Media, Television
Tagged Breckin Meyer, Franklin & Bash, Franklin the Cat, Grantland, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Plucky Scamps
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Contradiction Alert: Joe Posnanski
I go out of my way to praise Joe Posnanski. He’s an effortless, skilled writer who has no peer when offering sublime, subtle columns on sports and life. Just as often, Joe gleefully admonishes the old-guard of baseball writers for … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Sports Media
Tagged Clutch, Heart, Hypocrisy in Sports Media, Joe Posnanski, Luck, StatHeads
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Those Guys Are Just As Smart As We Are
THOSE GUYS ARE JUST AS SMART AS WE ARE: You know I’m intensely critical of sports coverage that plays toward a mass-market common audience. I’ve habitually eviscerated Monday Night Football and ESPN’s NBA coverage for doing just that. But I … Continue reading
The Backlash Ends
Well, that was fast. You might remember when I predicted the teeth-gnashing, hand-wringing and brow-furrowing at LeBron’s decision would completely recede if and when he started winning titles. Well, it’s been 10 months. Turns out, that’s plenty of time for … Continue reading
Posted in Basketball, Sports Media
Tagged Backlash, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland, Frontlash, Lebron James, Miami Heat, Sportswriter Crutches, The Decision
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Question about Grantland.
Don’t worry, my question isn’t about the pretentious name. Though “Overwrought.com” must have been too expensive. First, this is quite an impressive cadre of writers! An all-star motley crew. A collection of savants unrivaled among the sportswriting magazine scene (Eat … Continue reading
Posted in Irony?, Journalism, Sports Media
Tagged Eggers, Grantland, Lebron James, Overwrought, Simmons, tongue-in-cheek
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HATE TO SAY I TOLD YOU SO: You’ll often find me railing against sportswriters who join a parade of groupthink with no comprehension for dissent, or worse, no comprehension for differing demographics, value or points of view. For example, pick … Continue reading
Posted in Basketball, Marketing, Sports Media
Tagged Groupthink, Jersey sales, Lebron James, The Decision
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