Imagine having a passionate blog dedicated to your favorite sports team and being offered the same access to media and credentials as the professional journalists that are covering that team's beat for major print publications.
Well, currently one professional sports team is doing that, and I had the opportunity to witness and be involved with its growth.
After our discussion in class about the future of sports journalism, I immediately thought about my summer internship experience with the New York Islanders, and how they are currently utilizing bloggers in their NYI Blog Box.
One of the main focal points of the Islanders Hockey Club that Owner Charles B. Wang revealed to the interns during a meeting this summer was their ability to think outside of the box.
“When someone says to you, we always did it this way, well then that’s a great reason to change it,” he said. “To build something that is sustainable and long lasting you have to build the kind of foundation that’s going to be different, otherwise you’re just one of 30.”
And that is precisely their objective with the creation of the blog box.
There are currently 12 Islanders bloggers who make up this blog box, offering bloggers the opportunity to the team’s media availability and access to the press box while covering home games. The blog box is currently in its fourth season and allows bloggers to be situated high above the Nassau Coliseum ice in their own box, covering home games for their respected blogs.
In an article distributed on the Islanders website, Denise Karl, founding member of the blog 7th woman and the Islanders blogger for Hockey Buzz, said that there was some concern about giving bloggers access and the quality of material being disseminated.
But now most of the mainstream media reporters are quickly accepting their roles and affiliation with the team. The bloggers and mainstream reporters have created a relationship and understand the boundaries of both of their roles.
I think what the Islanders are doing is a great opportunity for the bloggers to gain an immense following and serves as a catalyst for getting them so deeply involved with the sports industry. It provides them with a responsibility and duty while allowing them the once in a lifetime opportunity to do what they are most passionate about.
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