Degrees of Separation

by Ian Tasso

Editorial. Photos by AP News

Sports journalism is all about separation.

Everybody can write a game recap; you throw in a catchy lead, a few statistics, a running theme, a nice closing graph – and voila.

But in this day and age, the rat race is all about presentation. When you write up your 500-600 words about the game, it has to be different and it has to be good. Above all else, you have to separate your article from the pack – because after all, the fact remains: anybody can write a game recap.

Some do it with their angle. Some do it with their style. And some do it with simply better writing skills.

For the Super Bowl, it’s an event that nearly every single sports fan in America watches. It’s the most viewed sporting event, the most cared about sporting event and a national spectacle – it’s a memory in the making.

And the same goes for sports writers.

Many of the most memorable articles following the big game are more features – centering on certain players, their stories and other various factoids about the game. But that doesn’t stop stock writers from doing their best to differentiate their simple game recaps from the rest of the sporting world.

This year, ESPN.com went with a logical spin. They lead off their article pointing at the improbability of the Saints win, stating that many football fans “lead with their head” in picking the Colts to win.

Perhaps its their national audience – they chose to address their piece to the better part of the sporting nation, the people that chose to follow the unbeatable Peyton Manning, the soon-to-be-anointed Quarterback Jesus.

NFL.com on the other hand chose to cater theirs to the Who Dat Nation, writing theirs almost specifically to those fans who cheered on the black and gold on Sunday Night. Their piece opens with, “The ultimate underdogs. Not anymore.”

It’s a piece that tugs at the heart strings of the Saints fans, something that has itself written its own Super Bowl story, telling the tortured city of New Orleans to “put away the paper bags forever.”

And finally, Boston.com, for obvious locality reasons, chose to attack Peyton Manning. Why?

Most of Patriot nation chose to cheer on the Saints for one reason and one reason only – their hatred of the chosen one. And what better way to get them to read?

“The coronation of Peyton Manning was canceled last night at exactly 9:29.”

Being a Patriot fan and a staunch Manning hater, that phrase rings wonders in my head. Globe writer Adam Kilgore did a tremendous job with his story, speaking of Manning and only Manning for the first two paragraphs, holding no punches about number 18’s legacy, his opportunity, and his failures.

It’s everything a Patriot fan would love to hear. And they voiced it too – commenting on the piece 84 times, being the only article to allow user-posted content.

It’s tough to choose a best here, as all three have their undeniable strengths and weaknesses. ESPN.com’s article is a clear shotgun approach, choosing the widest ranged theme, attempting to reel in the better half of sports fans. They talk about the upset, they talk about the city and they talk about the heart of a champion.

They even play into the ‘desperate city’ card, giving NFL.com a run for its money. But in my mind, NFL.com beat them to the punch when it comes to the passion – as a sport specific site should always do.

The Associated Press article they used for their post-game recap reads wonderfully. It’s well written, and dedicates the entire first five graphs to the emerging Saints team as a courageous and triumphant franchise in an NFL world of uncertainty.

They mention Katrina, they mention the paper bags, they’re the only article of the three to mention the phrase “Aints” and they drive home Brees as a national hero – playing right into the Nation’s hands.

And again, Boston.com’s strength is the same as its weakness: its demographic. They chose to attack Manning for obvious reasons – something that only works because of their location.

But for that reason, it works perfectly for the Boston Globe’s website. It gives Boston readers exactly what they want – Peyton’s tragedy.

They can turn to NFL.com to hear about the Saints and their victory, or ESPN.com if they want to read about the biggest upset since 2007 (gulp.)

But if they want to quench their hunger, they just have to turn to Boston.com – a website that undoubtedly knows how to feed its animals.