The Athletic adds Motorsports

Was about to post this thread, glad I double checked.

Interesting and heartening move that The Athletic saw the benefit. They sure have a lot of money to throw at hiring writers when everyone else is cutting back.

David Smith's work being showcased there will be cool. IMO Gluck would be smart to try to bring Aaron Bearden along with him. He works hard and has a wider scope of coverage.

 
If I’m unfamiliar with this site and am not interested in other sports, is this worth it? Obviously that’s an opinion question
 
I don't know what the analysis tangent is about. Analysis and opinion have always been an integral part of journalism. All journalists have subjective perspectives. Accurate labeling of "straight news" vs. editorial content is important.

The Athletic is a premium subscription service. Reporting of bare facts and data is rarely considered premium content that people will pay for. High quality analysis can be. One of The Athletic's main focuses has been hiring as many talented writers as they can. At a time in which nearly every other media outlet is cutting back on that, that is refreshing, whether I choose to subscribe or not.

I'm now as close as I ever have been to pulling ling the trigger on a subscription. $36 for a year is tempting.
 
gnomesayin said:
I don't know what the analysis tangent is about. Analysis and opinion have always been an integral part of journalism. All journalists have subjective perspectives. Accurate labeling of "straight news" vs. editorial content is important.
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The problem is, it's shifted entirely toward analysis. There isn't much actual reporting left. There isn't much genuine storytelling left. Maybe The Athletic will go for that mold, but with Gluck (who I like BTW) and Bianchi (whom I've never met and have no real opinion of), I kind of doubt that.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I can get ‘Analysis’ here for free.
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yep, not my cup of tea either. A whole bunch of content that doesn't interest me. I doubt if Gluck and others will be first in line at the media events and get any kind of a scoop. I have found Jr's podcast show to be very interesting and informative, and Petty's coffee with Kyle also. Jr's interview of Mike Helton, I heard insider information about the sport and it's inner workings that no reporter would have access too. Kyle's show is the same. Reporters will always be considered outsiders, Jr and Petty are insiders. It does make a difference.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The problem is, it's shifted entirely toward analysis. There isn't much actual reporting left. There isn't much genuine storytelling left. Maybe The Athletic will go for that mold, but with Gluck (who I like BTW) and Bianchi (whom I've never met and have no real opinion of), I kind of doubt that.
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I'll be honest. Gluck is a very nice and relatable guy, and it was cool that he kept his work going through an independent subscriber base after his USA Today gig went away. I like his work, but I don't consider him an authoritative voice. He is more of a fan in the media center. But hell, that's what Bill Simmons was, and look at where it got him.

Bianchi does pretty good work from what I've seen, but he hasn't stood out to me either.

So I'm speaking more about The Athletic in general than the motorsports names they've announced so far. It is still encouraging that they want to devote serious coverage to it at all. David Smith seems like a smart get. They probably focused on Gluck because he has an established Patreon base they can convert and was hireable. And good for him.
 
gnomesayin said:
I'll be honest. Gluck is a very nice and relatable guy, and it was cool that he kept his work going through an independent subscriber base after his USA Today gig went away. I like his work, but I don't consider him an authoritative voice. He is more of a fan in the media center. But hell, that's what Bill Simmons was, and look at where it got him.
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We're all fans. If we weren't, we wouldn't be doing this.

Gluck's transition to opinion/analysis was pretty much mandated by both SB Nation and later USA Today. There are a lot of things he does that I like though, and he's a great guy.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
We're all fans. If we weren't, we wouldn't be doing this.

Gluck's transition to opinion/analysis was pretty much mandated by both SB Nation and later USA Today. There are a lot of things he does that I like though, and he's a great guy.
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I think the tweet up's was a thing he started, popular, the race surveys were good, got a lot of fans involved.
 
The Athletic at $2.99 a month is a hard sell to me...until I think about what ESPN the Magazine costs me. With the imminent demise of "The Mag", maybe The Athletic will get that money from now on.
 
I realized this morning that it's just racing; that the really important stuff will be publicly announced by the tracks, teams, and NASCAR; and it's never mattered to me if I'm not the first to know. I already get more information than I can process about more important subjects.
 
gnomesayin said:
I'm now as close as I ever have been to pulling ling the trigger on a subscription. $36 for a year is tempting.
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Me too. I've only ever heard good things about it and one of my friends said the app and exclusive podcasts are all very good. I'll have to see what kind of content they start cranking out before I'm convinced for good.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I realized this morning that it's just racing; that the really important stuff will be publicly announced by the tracks, teams, and NASCAR; and it's never mattered to me if I'm not the first to know. I already get more information than I can process about more important subjects.
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This.

Problem is, everything is going down this road.

Only ****** newspaper/magazine I'll pay for is The New York Times.
 
I've been granted a free one-year subscription to The Athletic by virtue of being a Patreon supporter of Jeff Gluck, so I'll check it out and then decide.

I think what motorsports journalism needs is more high quality analysis and opinion writing... not less. High quality means... based on solid understanding, and thorough analysis, of the facts. If opinions are not going to be offered by intelligent, well informed, and hard working journalists... then we'll all be reading opinions from people less smart, less informed, and putting in less effort. I don't see how that's a good thing.

However, I've been disappointed in Gluck's product, and on the verge if cancelling my small monthly contribution. He's thin on racing insight. He writes about social media way too much, and cute things like "12 Questions With ____." He still has that 'gee whiz' rookie enthusiasm, even after a dozen years on the beat. I wouldn't know he is a veteran reporter by his racing knowledge or insight. In any profession, some people gain from twelve years of experience... and others seem to have one year's experience twelve times over.

Memo to The Athletic: Why not Bob Pockrass?
 
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